3 Days and a Wake Up!

I will (hopefully) be leaving McMurdo Station, Ross Island, Antarctica in 3 days and a wake up...or Friday, February 27th. I say hopefully because we've had 4 scheduled C-17 flights and 3 of them have been delayed a day each because of weather. The weather is turning towards the winter-type with howling winds and blowing snow. Today's flight has a 24 hour delay because of the winds and the ice fog. The temp with the windchill is -7 right now at 1400 hours. Yesterday morning on my way to work it was actually dark enough with the clouds that I saw a light on for the parking area between buildings! Also yesterday evening I saw another minke whale but again, I didn't get any pictures. Rumour has it that there are 2 Adelie penguins melting down by the power plant so I'm thinking about putting my Big Red on and taking a walk down there.

I have had an amazing summer down here! It was so much better than my first summer here. I have made some wonderful friends that I will have for a lifetime. I have done and seen so many different things this time around that I will remember forever. I worked with a great group of people in dispatch as well as with the fire department. But I am missing my friends and family back home and can't wait to see them again!

Wednesday is my last day of work down here but more significantly, it is my last time dispatching on the radio. It's kind of surreal. By Saturday, I will officially be retired. YIKES!! Here's some photos of our dispatch group this summer.

In Our Job Shirts In Front of Engine 1

In Our Big Reds, L to Right Me, My Roommate, Tasha, My 2nd Work Husband, Wes, Danielle and our Supervisor, Lori

Me in Front of the Scott Base Sign Last Thursday Evening

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.

Vessel Offload and Other Things

This week marked the arrival of the supply ship. It is known around here as "Vessel Offload". There's trucks, forklifts, mil vans and all other kinds of big, heavy equipment all over the place around here with WAY too many people. It is a very dangerous situation to be in here. They have set up "snow fences" to keep us out of the way of things. We have a certain way to go when we walk out of our dorms to walk to get food, the coffee house, the gym, etc. Most of the town is now on 24 hour 12 hour shifts to get everything off loaded and then to load the ship with millions full of garbage. People get very tired working long shifts with heavy equipment. The chance of something catastrophic happening is very real. Because it's so dangerous they have closed the bars which is a really good thing. So far (knock on wood) nothing has happened.

Ocean Giant Cargo Ship

Twin Ships-USCG Polar Star and the Ocean Giant

A couple of days ago I went on a hike. I did Ob Hill Loop, a 2.5 mile trail around Ob Hill. We had beautiful weather and it really didn't hurt until after the hike! I went a couple of my firefighter friends. Afterwards we went for hot chocolate and a muffin! Then they had band practice so I tagged along. I played the drums for the first time in about 20 years! I was a little rusty but it was fun!

Me on Ob Hill Loop

Dan and Sissy On the Ob Hill Loop

The next day was my birthday. I was working when the lady at Rec called me and told me that she and my boss arranged for me to take a snowmobile ride that evening for my birthday! I had so much fun! Of course I paid for it the next day, but it was totally worth it!!

Me In Front of the Active Volcano, Mt. Erebus

Aboard My Ride

A Very Busy Time of Year

We are in mid-January and activity here in McMurdo has picked up. We have the Coast Guard Ice Breaker, Polar Star here to break up the 6 foot thick ice in McMurdo Sound so the re-supply ship and the fuel ship can come in. The National Science Foundation research vessel the Nathaniel B. Palmer arrived yesterday and is docked at the ice pier. Once the fuel and re-supply ships get here, operations really ramp up. But for now we have a whole lot of people here in anticipation of the arriving ships. We  have 50 plus members of the New Zealand Defence Force (the NZ Army) and about 75 NAVCHAPs (Naval Cargo Handlers) to assist with the off-load. We also have future Winter-Over people here from the South Pole for their “R and R”. And a couple of nights ago the Polar Star docked so the Coasties could get some liberty for 18 hours so it was a little crazy for an evening. 

I was able to board the Polar Star while it was docked! I was able to tag along with my boss’s husband’s work centre for a tour! I was working and she came into the dispatch office and asked me if I wanted to go on the ship and of course, I said yes! It was great! We got to go on the front of the ship where the anchors are set, into the kitchen, computer lounge, where the rudder is powered, the helo deck and the bridge! Our Coastie tour guides and other members on board the vessel were great! My surprise was that most of the men and women were very young. My guess would be just barely 21 years old. One of them came to visit the Firehouse on his liberty (he was 20 years old!) and swapped t-shirts and patches with us and the fire fighters gave him a tour of our station and equipment and took him for a ride in the engine! See below for a few pictures of the Polar Star.

The Nathaniel B. Palmer or just “The Palmer” or “The Nattie B” arrived yesterday. It is a research vessel owned and run by the National Science Foundation (NSF) or basically the agency that all of us working down here is supporting. Anyway, the ship is a floating laboratory and partial ice breaker. It can break the thinner ice that is found on the other side of the continent where the Nattie B is from - near Chile. They are here to change out their crew (more people!) and to off load their hazardous waste from Palmer Station It is cheaper to bring their has waste here and then have it shipped off on the re-supply ship to Port Hueneme, CA than to ship it there via South America. It doesn’t sound “cheap” to me either way! I am hoping I can score a tour of that ship as well! See below for photos of the Palmer.

Work has been busy and should get busier! I had a couple more In Flight Emergencies (IFE’s) with the LC130’s. Yesterday one was half way to Pole and had to turn back to MCM because of a “mechanical issue”. And the day before it got real scary. The weather changed quickly that afternoon and we had an LC-130 coming in from Christchurch. They attempted twice to land on 2 different skiways in blowing snow and very bad visibility and couldn’t do it. So they said they were going to land in the “White Out Area” as they had to get the aircraft down because they were out of fuel. This is a crevasse-free snow covered area that is not groomed. It is basically a place for an aircraft to land when all else fails. (So far that has been the 2nd LC-130 to land there this week!) So after they said they were going to land there we had no further radio transmissions from them for 45 minutes. I sent the crews out there to start looking for them (remember there was a snowstorm) and this went on for a while. I activated the EOC and at one point I turned around to the firefighters in the room all gathered behind me and I said to them, “You all better start praying.” Finally the Tower came on the radio and said they had made contact with the aircraft and it was taxiing back to Williams Field and they needed to know where our vehicles were. They were safe! There was a collective sigh of relief by many people (as well as the people on the aircraft I’m sure)!

US Coast Guard Ice Breaker Polar Star

                  

                           
                             The Polar Star Bridge

                 
                       Me on the Deck Aboard the Polar Star

                 
                         The NSF Research Ship, Nathaniel B. Palmer

Happy 2015 From Antarctica!

2015 came into this part of the world 22 hours before it did in Arizona. I was working. It was an uneventful evening however I did get a kiss at midnight from one of the firefighters! Actually I think I won by default as he said he wasn't going to kiss any of the guys at midnight! Of course the next day he proceeded to tell everyone that he, "Kissed Russo at Midnight". See what I have to put up with! I guess boys will be boys!

Our big New Years party, IceStock, was held on January 2nd this year. Even though it wasn't on New Year's Eve it was still a lot of fun. There were 17 bands and it went from 3:30PM to 1:00AM. There was a chili cook-off (the fire department took 3rd place) and the cooks grilled hot dogs and elk sausages! I went out there at 4:30 to see the fire department band, Skuacide and then I went inside until about 9:30 when the fire chief's band played. Below are some pictures from Ice Stock.

The next day, after brunch, was the annual softball tournament. The Fire Department took 2nd place and they said that I should've been the coach! Anyone who ever played softball with me knows that I cannot keep my mouth shut-especially when an umpire makes the wrong call. That would've been the case that day. He should have called Infield Fly Rule and he didn't. The ball dropped and 2 runs scored. I started hollering and that got some members of our team asking the ump about it and he ended up making the right call and sending the runners back to their bases. Our guys said they were happy I was there and that I saved a couple of runs for them. Hahahaha!! The fans in the stands were the real game though. They would heckle everyone and it was really funny. And if they didn't like a call they would throw all their empty beer cans at the backstop! It was crazy! And one of our guys hit the ball literally out of the park and next thing I knew some guy had stripped down to his skivvies' and was running around on the field! Like I said, it was crazy! Here's some pictures from the softball tourney! Happy 2015 from Antarctica!

                                                             Skuacide At IceStock

              The Heckling Beer Can Throwing Fans In The Stands at the Softball Tourney
                                           

The 2nd Place Fire Department Team!

Merry Christmas From the Bottom of the World

Merry Christmas! I have been asked many times why I like going to Antarctica. Why would anyone want to be subjected to the biting cold wind and the months being away from family and friends? And why in the world would anyone want to work 56 hours a week with no holiday or sick pay? I know, it seems crazy and honestly it probably is. I find it to be refreshing. It is different...the environment and the people. It's almost like it recharges my batteries for lack of any other way of saying it. We have some of the most amazing and talented people in the world here washing pots! They have PhD's, the Rec coordinator is an Oncologist; teachers are working in stockrooms and sorting garbage. Yet we are all the same. We share the same living conditions, including the food (blech) and we get along. There is genuine love and caring for each other. We hug each other. When was the last time you hugged a co-worker? How about one that you've only known for 2 months? Everything about this place is unique. That is not to say that I don't miss home because I really, really do. Especially this time of year. I guess I am saying that if I am going to be away from home, at least I am with a great group of people! I can't wait to come home and hug each and every one of you. But in the meantime, please take care of each other. Hug each other and be sincere and honest. The rest of the world seems a little crazy right now. Be careful out there. I miss all of you.

I went to  Christmas Eve church and Mass last night. It was wonderful! The choir sang carols and we sang along with them! Then we went to the VMF Christmas party and that was a lot of fun! Merry Christmas everyone in CONUS! May God bless all of you and keep you healthy and safe!

 

McMurdo Life/Christmas

Good Sunday Morning From McMurdo! It's been awhile since my last post and that is only because not much has changed down here. We are getting ready for Christmas and then the New Year's celebration called Ice Stock. The telephone poles have been decorated with different Christmas items such as the Grinch, stockings and ornaments. There are no festive Christmas lights as you wouldn't be able to see them as it is daylight 24 hours a day this time of year. I have some Christmas decorations up in my room. I have a Nativity scene, a candy cane and a wreath in my room and 2 silver snowflakes on my door. I have sent in some pictures to the VMF (Vehicle Maintenance Facility) so they can include them in their slideshow for their Christmas party on December 24th. They have asked all of us to send them pictures to help the party be more festive and homey for us here. They will have food and punch and I guess there will be carolling! I didn't get to go to the party last time I was here because I was working but I will get to attend this year. I am looking forward to it! Below are the pictures I sent to them. I included one of Alien because as many of you know, we had to put her down last week. It was and still is very sad for me. I miss her terribly.

Holiday Decorations Around McMurdo-the Fire Station is in the Background.

The Grinch

My Alien - This is a picture I sent to the VMF for the party.

And I sent this one of my Grandma and me.

And this one of Laurie, Brooke and I at a Coyotes game.