Happy New Year 2013

Happy 2013 from the bottom of the world! I had a super - amazing day yesterday celebrating New Years Eve! It started with brunch - egg white omelet with ham, onions, peppers and cheese. Then I spent some time at my favorite place - the coffee house. Went for a walk down to Hut Point to go inside Scott's Hut and that was quite amazing! Old cans of food, mummified seals and sheep used for food, tools and other items. Then I had to see if my penguin friend was still there (YES, I SAW A PENGUIN A FEW DAYS AGO!!!!) and he was there!! So I hung out and took some more pictures and by the time I got back to town, Ice Stock had begun. Ice Stock was our New Years Eve celebration. There was a chili cook - off (Amazing chili!) and 11 bands playing from 4:00 PM til 1:00 AM..oh and Skuas!! They were having a great time swooping over the crowd and pooping on people! They did this every 30 minutes or so! No I didn't get hit! I had a lot of fun with my friends here at the Bottom of the World but have been thinking about all my friends and family back home too! I will be home pretty soon and can't wait!!

Happy New Year! Here's to a Happy and Healthy 2013!! As the Kiwi's say, "Cheers"!!

Inside the Coffee House

My Adelie Penguin Friend

Ice Stock, McMurdo Station, Antarctica

Merry Christmas From The Bottom of the World

I hope that all of you have a wonderful and joyous Christmas filled with love and happiness! Be sure to give your loved ones a warm hug! Tho I am spending my holidays here and away from family and friends, know that all of you are in my thoughts and prayers. I miss everyone. Be safe!

Today I work up to a Winter Wonderland! It is still snowing and looks like we will have a White Christmas!
Here's what it looked like when I woke up this morning:

SNOW!!

I guess when it's all said and done, we should get 6 inches of snow! Don't forget, it's summer here! Well, I guess it is now Fall since it's after the 21st.

My weekend was spent doing all kinds of fun things but the best fun thing I did was go out on another Pressure Ridge tour at Scott Base. It was cloudy, windy and cold that evening so the pictures are not as striking as the first time I went, but it was still fun! I spent 2 evenings at the Coffee House and got to enjoy some Egg Nog Lattes! Out Christmas party for the Fire department is on the 26th and that should be fun. We are doing a White Elephant - it should be interesting!! Oh and if you are on Facebook, check out the Flat Russo page that my friends at MPD have started! It's pretty funny although I will pay them all back! And my roommate, Sarah works in the kitchen and got us some fresh avocados!! I haven't had one since I left to come here!! YAY and YUM!! Here's some pictures from the Pressure Ridges the other day and the avocados!

Weddell Seal - they were right on the trail!

Avocados!!

Merry Christmas From Down Under the World (and So Far the World Hasn't Ended)

It is December 21st here and so far the Mayans have been wrong! I have a day off today! In fact I get 3 whole days off in a row!!! I know...shocking! Wes and Marsha arrived here yesterday and have brought our dispatch corps up to full staff - 4. That means no more 6 days of 10 1/2 hour shifts! I will have some time off again to do fun stuff !! Yes, I'm more than a little happy about it! Tonight I am going out to the Pressure Ridges at Scott Base again. It is cloudy with a little snow in the air so my pictures will not have the striking contrast like the first time I was there but it is so beautiful there I can't pass it up!

I get to go back to work on Monday, Christmas Eve. We are having our formal dinner that day and I have signed up for my "seating" at 3:00PM. After work I am going to Church. Then on Christmas I have to work day shift but then there is a big party at the VMF (Vehicle Maintenance Facility) that night. Then on the 26th is the Fire Department Christmas party at Hut 10 (a nice little house type building with a living room and big screen TV, dining room and kitchen - outside there's a deck that over looks the ice and a BBQ grill). and then on New Years Eve (I am off) we have Ice Stock. It's a big party outside with bands, booze (of course), a chili cook off and dancing.

Here's some pictures of Christmas down here. No lights because the diesel fuel for the generators is expensive and difficult to get down here so they don't want to waste it on Christmas lights.

Christmas Decorations - the Firehouse is in the Background

My Room Door

Ob Hill Loop Hike

Today I went for a hike on Ob Hill Loop with 2 firemen - Michael and Jeff. We hiked the 2.7 mile loop around Observation Hill. Here is what our intranet site says about it:

Ob (Observation) Hill Loop

Current Status: Open

Last Updated: October 02, 2012 10:41 AM

Requirements Footplan Required? No Radio Required? No Solo Travel Permitted? Yes

Distance: 2.7 miles loop

Travel Times

Very High Activity Level - 1 hour

Exercise frequently, can hike 10-15 miles with ease.

High Activity Level - 1.5 hours

Exercise regularly, can hike 5-10 miles with ease.

Fair Activity Level - 2.0 hours

Exercise infrequently.

Low Activity Level - 2.5 hours

Exercise rarely or not at all.

• Description
  The Ob Hill Loop trail takes you out to Cape Armitage and around the back side of Observation Hill (see Ob Hill trail description) via a land route. Peace and solitude are experienced as you approach Cape Armitage from either direction.

  Route
  The Ob Hill Loop trail begins with a road walk at either end. You can access the trail from the road to Scott Base (just off the road as it begins a climb towards Ob Hill) or you may access by walking past Crary and the Helo Pad, across the pedestrian bridge and then by following the road as it climbs back up towards Ob Hill.

  
  

  The trail is 1.37 miles long and the total loop distance is 2.7 miles. The trail can be walked in either direction with a steep climb as you approach the side slope behind Ob Hill. Care should be used if snow has covered the trail particularly in this area. The trail is marked by red sleeved bamboo poles.

  

  Current Hazards
  There is a steep side slope behind Ob Hill. Snow collects on the trail and can cause hazardous footing. Please report any trail hazards. The trail is located where lichens and other small plant life grows in the summer months. To minimize environmental impact users should remain on the designated trail at all times. During the austral summer the Helo Pad is off-limits for pedestrian travel.

  Proper Gear
  While ECW clothing is not required for Ob Hill, it is recommended that you bring layers of clothing as hikers heat up quickly as they climb, and cool rapidly at the summit. Bunny boots should be used only if no other sturdy, warm boot is available.

We had a nice day with the temp at 30 degrees, light winds and overcast skies. It took us about 90 minutes. It made for a nice day off for me today! Here are some pictures.

A piece of coral on the trail

Mike Wetzel and Me

Dispatches From the Hinterland

Had a busy day at work today on the Dayshift. That's right. I said busy! There is much more activity on the dayshift than on graves. Most of the activity centers around answering phones but I actually had a "real" call today! We had a LC-130 take off from here to fly into a field camp at Pine Island Glacier (aka PIG) and shortly after takeoff the tower came over my radio to declare that the aircraft has a hydraulic problem and was returning to the skiway. (A little background, the Sea Ice Runway is now closed - the ice is no longer thick enough to hold large planes. That runway was about 1.5 miles from the station. Now all aircraft are flying in and out of Pegasus Airfield which is about 15 miles from town. It consists of a runway on ice and a couple of skiways - planes have to have skis to land and take off from there. This will be the airfield that I will fly out of when I go home. I flew into the Sea Ice Runway when I got here.) I asked the tower if they had an "In Flight Emergency" and they said, "Back at you". I had no idea what THAT meant! All I know is is that having problems with hydraulics on a large military aircraft, a problem so bad that they were going to return to the skiway MUST be bad so I toned out the station and treated it like an IFE! They had a plane fuel of cargo, 1 passenger, 9 crew members and gasoline and propane and an "issue" with hydraulics! Of course I pissed off the tower by treating it this way because they didn't SAY there was an IFE. Whatever. My chief and my boss said I did the right thing because as it turns out they circled the airfield for 40 minutes trying to get things to work (and burn off some fuel if the gear/skis could not come down and had to belly land). The plane landed safely on the skiway.

Also today and yesterday they have been setting off explosives to bust off corners of the ice pier to get it ready for first the fuel ship and then the supply ship to come in. Here is a link to view yesterday's blast:

https://s-static.ak.facebook.com/rsrc.php/v1/y2/r/5l8_EVv_jyW.swf?v=295306620590734&ev=0

As you can imagine I had to do a bunch of stuff at work before the blast like make announcements over all the radios station-wide and send the crews out to make sure no one gets hurt. I could feel and hear both blasts in the Firehouse. Pretty wild!

Our television and radio service is provide by the Armed Forces Network. We have a radio station and a TV station here where people volunteer to spin records and the TV station has 2 channels that show movies, another channel has announcements about happenings going on, i.e. travelogue times, science lecture info, what the hours are for medical, what's for lunch and dinner, etc. and then 4 other stations that show football games, news and some network TV. They have a contest each day to guess the common theme of the movies shown on one of the movie channels and if you win they show your picture and give you some candy. I won yesterday! Here's what was shown on TV:

 And finally for today, I am missing some things. I am missing 2 ply toilet paper, nighttime at night, my animals and as Laurie K. mentioned, Egg Nog Shakes from Jack in the Box. Thanks for bringing THAT one up L2! But today before I left work the chief sent us all an e-mail about redeployment! It looks like it will start around February 15th! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I am one of the first ones on the first flights back home!

The Transitition

I am writing this from the Coffee House - my favorite place in town down here! It is 8:45 am on Saturday 12/08/2012 and I have the day off! I got off work yesterday morning at &;30 am and am going to DAY SHIFT!! I am more than a little happy about that! I don't mind working all night or even sleeping durning the day - it is ALWAYS daylight here so that doesn't play into things. What does make me unhappy is that I like to go to the science lectures. They are on Sunday and Wednesday nights and usually start at 8 or 8:15 pm and I never get to stay for the whole lecture as I have to leave at 9 ish to go to work. Now I will be able to stay for the whole thing! YAY!! Speaking of science lectures, they are amazing! Last Sunday we had a lecture given by a Shuttle astronaut, Dr. Stanley Love and on Wednesday the lecture was about Europa, a moon of Jupiter and how it's made of of ice and resembles Antarctica. OthersI have been to included WAIS Divide Drilling Project, Weddell Seals,  and  the Ecology of Antarctica after all the dumping the military did through the years. I'm such a geek!

So the "Transition". I was up every hour on the hour last night. No surprise since I've been on Graves for 3 months and then trying to force my body to sleep when it is not used to doing so at that time. I only slept 5 hours yesterday when I got home thinking I'd be tired enough to sleep in the evening. I even went out for an hour and a half last night to the...bar. WHAT?! The Geek went to the bar?! It was one of the Captain's birthday and the guys are constantly asking me to meet them there so I broke down and went last night. I did get to meet and talk with the scientist who gave the lecture on Europa and she was thrilled that a non- "Beeker" was at her lecture! Anyway, I got there at 8:30 and left at 10 and drank 2 Diet Cokes - with caffeine so I'm sure that didn't help things. So I have been up since 6 am doing things...like laundry and the gym and some Christmas decorating of my room. Oh and speaking of my room, my roommate left for the South Pole for 5 weeks so I am again roommate-less. It has been nice having the place to myself for a couple of days and I am stressed out as to who (or what) I may get. At least I am on day shift and will not have to worry about trying to sleep when the roommate is off work on the weekend. I hope I can sleep tonight as I have to be at work at 7:30am tomorrow!

Ice Runway and Skiway

I don't know if this will work but the Pegasus Ice Runway and Skiway were closed today because of weather. View the video and you will see why! It is a video from one of the firefighters down here.

https://s-static.ak.facebook.com/rsrc.php/v1/y2/r/5l8_EVv_jyW.swf?v=4182905091727&ev=0

Fata Morgana

What is "Fata Morgana"? It's not a fat chick named Morgana. It is a mirage that occurs usually in polar regions. Here's what Wikipedia says about them:

A Fata Morgana is an unusual and complex form of superior mirage that is seen in a narrow band right above the horizon. Fata Morgana mirages distort the object or objects which they are based on significantly, often such that the object is completely unrecognizable.
This optical phenomenon occurs because rays of light are bent when they pass through air layers of different temperatures in a steep thermal inversion where an atmospheric duct has formed.^[1] (A thermal inversion is an atmospheric condition where warmer air exists in a well-defined layer above a layer of significantly cooler air. This temperature inversion is the opposite of what is normally the case; air is usually warmer close to the surface, and cooler higher up.)
A Fata Morgana is most commonly seen in polar regions, especially over large sheets of ice which have a uniform low temperature. It can however be observed in almost any area. In polar regions the Fata Morgana phenomenon is observed on relatively cold days, however in deserts, over oceans, and over lakes, a Fata Morgana can be observed on hot days.

Here's some pictures of Fata Morgana. I have taken some but they are not as good as these. I was trying to explain it the other day to LK and would have taken a picture but I was in my room and the window was filthy!

Fata Morgana

C-130 Tails Distorted From a Fata Morgana

Facts About Mt. Erebus

Mt. Erebus, is the furthest south active volcano in the world. Here are some interesting facts:

Erebus is the world's southernmost active volcano and one of only a handful with active convecting lava lakes. Although it is not a major threat to McMurdo Station it offers a unique opportunity to study eruptive process from lava lakes and is monitored year round.

In 1979, Mount Erebus, 3,794 meters (12,448 feet) in height, was the site of a plane crash that claimed 257 lives on a sightseeing and photographic flight over Antarctica.

The last eruption was in 2011.

Here's a cool website that has cameras and information about the research being done at Mt. Erebus:
http://erebus.nmt.edu/

Mt Erebus From the West Near Scott Base - Pressure Ridges in the Foreground

Mt Erebus From the Area of the LDB (Long Duration Balloon) Launch Area

My Thanksgiving Weekend

Hello! I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving and got some shopping in this weekend! I actually had Friday and Saturday off. The Station celebrated Thanksgiving on Saturday with a turkey dinner that was outstanding! But I am getting ahead of myself! I got off work Friday morning at 0730. I went and had breakfast to fuel up for a hike on the Hut Point Ridge Loop Trail - 2.63 miles. I went with firefighters - Pat, Michael, Jesse and my roommate Rachel. We couldn't have asked for a better day! It was sunny, no wind and about 30 degrees! We started at Hut Point where Vince's Cross is Scott's Hut is located, past "Roll cage Mary", all the way to Arrival Heights, an area restricted to foot traffic and used for science. ( I think it is some kind of secret military thing going on up there!) We saw seals - even a female in labor, and plenty of Skuas. It was an awesome hike and I was thoroughly exhausted afterwards! I slept really well!

A View of Hut Point From High on the Trail

"Roll Cage Mary"

Me Standing at the Edge of the World - the Trans Antarctic Mountains are in the Background

Having Fun at the Top of the Trail with a Dome

On Saturday I had my turn to tour the Pressure Ridges at Scott Base. The pressure ridges we explored here form where a large mass of sea ice buckles under pressure as it makes contact with land (in this case, Ross Island where McMurdo Station and Scott Base are located). The wind, tides, and sun are all variables that constantly change these ridges. It was almost like a moonscape only it was made of ice! We walked a trail that was about 2 miles long and weaved our way through ice chunks reaching some 50 feet high! Again the weather was perfect - it was the same as the day before! It was the highlight of my time here!

Pressure Ridges

Me in Front of Some Smaller Pressure Ridges - Notice my "Yak Tracks" On My Boots

Our Group

Thanksgiving dinner was really good! We had turkey with all the fixings! People dressed up for the occasion, some men in suits and ties - even my boss was in a dress! I wore dress slacks and a sweater. Along with the turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes and green bean casserole, we had jalapeno - cranberry dressing, asparagus and king crab legs that had so much crab in them - I've never seen anything like it! For dessert we had pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheescake, fudge and pecan pie. It wasn't quite like home, but it was pretty good all the same!

SPoT

What is SPoT you ask? That would be the acronym for the South Pole Traverse. Every years a group of 9 to 10 people drive huge pieces of equipment loaded with fuel and assorted other items from McMurdo to the South Pole Station. Here is a website to read more about it:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Pole_Traverse



Here is a picture of some of the conditions they have to drive through. This year there are 2 teams making the trip - SPoT1 and SPoT2. This is what the SPot2 check in message looked like for today:



SPoT2 Daily Check in

November 21, 2012

Number in Party: 9

Temp Am:Storming(not measured but over 40mph)PM: 12F SE@13mph

Elev. 284

Position (Lat/Long): S83 49.826  W172 54.933

Station (way-point + milage): RIS1JW+48.4

Milage today:  33

Messages: Fun event filled day of 0-100'viz. Wx improved in afternoon,
becoming right now, downright nice. A few mechanicals on tractors and
gen
shack.

Intentions: fly me to camp 20, let me play among the stars, let me see
what spring is like on....(name that artist)

SWoD: Corona e espanola

pic: our generator (her name is Genny)

Genny - SPot2

Stuff From Down Here

Here's a cool site with some awesome time lapse photography from a Kiwi down here:

http://www.antarcticimages.com/Antarctica/Video-Clips/5140882_DDG9nC/1892431567_Z8ZrX9r

And some more pictures!

C-17 Landing at the Annual Sea Ice Runway

And this pretty much sums up everybody's attitude about the company that employs all of us!

It's Been So Long...

Since I've written anything! We've had some changes here at the Antarctic Fire Department Dispatch office so I've been working a lot more hours. That leaves me no time to have fun! I've been training up some firefighters to work in dispatch and am thrilled they are using my training abilities! This upcoming week is Thanksgiving. I guess the kitchen staff puts on a nice spread. We will have seating times and they will have table cloths and linen napkins. Instead of overalls and Carharts, people will dress nicely for dinner! Dinner will be on Saturday, November 24th. That is also the day I will be taking a tour of the Pressure Ridges out at Scott Base. That is the one trip I have been looking forward to all season!

I saw a dreaded Skua the other day hanging out between the dining hall and the dorms. I saw it come in for a landing - it had the wingspan of a B-52! It was huge! Really, the wingspan is about 5 feet across and the body of the bird is about 3 feet long. I can't imagine getting hit by one of those!

Here are some pictures from one of the firefighters I know. He took these out by Cape Royds when he was out assisting a science team. This is Barne Glacier. Barne Glacier is a steep glacier in Antarctica which descends from the western slopes of Mount Erebus and terminates on the west side of Ross Island, between Cape Barne and Cape Evans where it forms a steep ice cliff.

Antarctic Cartoons

Enjoy these cartoons. This gives you a little taste of the humor down here!


Thanksgiving Dinner - Notice the Bunny Boots!

Happy Camper Pictures

I wanted to give you an idea about what we did at Happy Camper. I didn't take too many photos because, well, I was cold and so was my camera battery! Here's some photos from one of the instructors and another guy in our group.

Me Carrying Ice Blocks

Our Happy Camper Group

Our Camp - My Tent is the Big Yellow One up Front

Me ^ With
My Glasses Iced Up