Soon...Very Soon!

The Summer season is winding down here at McMurdo Station. All of the ships have completed their assignments and have departed our Ice Pier. Scientists, research students and workers are starting to head off the island via the C-17, Airbus or Kiwi 757. I have 2 weeks exactly before I get to leave.

The weather is also beginning to change towards Winter. We had a huge storm last weekend that closed both airfields down and trapped our firefighters at Williams Field for 3 days as it was Condition 1 out there on the ice. In town we had Condition 2 most of the time. The storm started on Friday and didn't leave our area until late Tuesday. We had winds well over 50 kts and snow. It ended up blowing all of the ice out and exposing the frigid waters of McMurdo Sound. We have seen some Minke, Beluga and Orca whales here but I haven't been able to get any pictures as they have been too far away. The sun is lower in the sky and our first sunset since October 18th will be February 20th at 01:48 AM. I will not see it as I'm still working dayshift and will be sleeping at that time. We have more cloudy days than sunny days.

There is a fishing vessel stuck in the ice down here about 900 miles from here. We had an EOC activation because of it. The Polar Star is on it's way to rescue them as well as a New Zealand fishing vessel. Read about it here: http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/south-pacific/66096627/us-icebreaker-talleys-ship-on-antarctic-rescue-mission

Below are some pictures from the past couple of weeks.

During the storm Friday, February 6, 2015

The fuel tanker, Maersk Perry backing out from the Ice Pier on Tuesday, February 10, 2015
The Polar Star is waiting in the distance to escort the tanker.

SAUSAGEFEST at Lunch! My favorite meal here!

Myself and 3 Italians from Mario Zucchelli base.

It's Like "Groundhog Day"!

No joke. Almost everyday has been Condition II on station meaning, "Condition II: Winds 48 to 55 knots, wind chill - 75 to -100 degrees F, or visibility 100 feet to 1/ 4th mile. Restricted pedestrian traffic only between buildings is allowed. Vehicular travel is allowed in radio equipped, enclosed vehicles only, and check out is required." It also means that no one should or would want to go hiking, skiing, etc. because the weather is terrible. It also means no flights. No flights means no mail. No mail means I have to go to the store to buy shampoo and conditioner because I mailed a lot of those items to myself because I was concerned about my luggage weight.

But it could be worse. It could be Condition 1 in town. It should have been called that a few times but I've been told that Station Management does not like to do that because then no one would be able to work. So my boss likes to call it Condition 1.5 when it really should be Condition 1. Here is the definition of "Condition I: Winds over 55 knots, wind chill lower than -100 degrees F, or visibility less than 100 feet. Severe weather is in progress. All personnel must remain in buildings or the nearest shelter." It is Condition 1 everywhere else - Scott Base (which is 3k's away), the Road to Scott Base, Pegasus Airfield, Williams Field Skiway, T-Site, Arrival Heights (It's a "science" area, I think it's some secret squirrel military place!) and LDB (where they launch the Long Duration Balloons). So really, nothing is going on here - no flights and no science. I'm at work so at least I've got somewhere and something, albeit scarce, to do.

Enjoy the "Con 1.5" photos!