Goodbye McMurdo

I left McMurdo and Antarctica today. I'm feeling so happy about going home but I'm also sad that I am leaving some wonderful and amazing friends. I gave my hiking boots to my friend and co-worker Tori. Those boots have literally been all over the world. They served me well and I know L2 was overjoyed that I gave them away( she hates those boots!). I'm just happy that a good friend will use them in Antarctica over the winter. I'm going to miss a lot of people I've met down there but in addition to Tori ( who came in early for the winter so I could get home sooner) I'm going to miss my other co-workers, Wes, Marsha and my boss Lori. All of them are good people and great friends.

I am writing this from the Sudima Hotel in Christchurch, New Zealand. I flew here in a LC-130 (the one with skis). It took 7 1/2 hours. I think I actually slept 3 of those hours! Tomorrow I leave here for Sydney then LA and finally home!

I will miss you, McMurdo. Thank you for the ride! Time for me to get home to my animals, my home and the people who love me there!

RWAV

Or "Room With a View". I went snowmobiling yesterday!! It was my first time and I had a blast! We went about 5 miles out and back on our own snowmobiles and this is what we saw:

Castle Rock

Mt. Erebus in the clouds

I wasn't cold (had warmers on the handles!) and I wasn't last in line! Got it up to about 45 MPH which was plenty fast enough! My body took a beating and I'm pretty sore today. It was worth every ache and pain! What a great memory!

My Co-Worker Marsha

Miscellaneous Photos

Here's some photos I've taken since I've been here. Friday evening I get to take a snowmobile trip (yes, I get my own snowmobile!) out to the Erebus Tongue Glacier!

Adelies On the Ice Pier

Reflections Off Open Water at hut Point

Pressure Ridges at Scott Base

Ice Melt at Hut Point

Pressure Ridges and Pool at Scott Base

My Birthday on the Ice

I will never forget this birthday for as long as I live! It was so much fun! Where do I begin? It started on Sunday evening. My old roommate, Rachel told me I had a package at the Firehouse. Well that's a pretty big deal since we haven't had mail is almost 2 months so I was pretty excited! I went over to the fire department to be surprised by all the guys! I was REALLY surprised! I remember one of the guys yelling, "Breathe, Breathe" cuz I was laughing so hard! What was I laughing at, you ask? I was laughing at my "package"....

My "Present"  Jeff Miller - Everything Was Weird Enough and Then There Was the Mask!

Oh wait, it gets better. He had a necklace on his leg as a "garter" and I was dared to take it off his leg with my teeth. I am not one to turn down a dare and I sure as hell was not going to let those guys get the best of me so, hell yeah, I took it off with my teeth...from his leg...in the firehouse!!

One of the firefighters, Natalie, had some cake mix so my current roommate, Sarah, baked a birthday cake in the kitchen and she decorated it.

Here's the bunch of them. They even came in on their day off to celebrate! They are good guys and they have been good to me all season!

All of us off duty went to the bar for Burger Bar. One of them bought me a burger and I drank the last Coke on Station! It was a great party and a great evening!

Then on my actual birthday I hiked out to Hut point and saw a really fat seal and a couple of nesting skuas. At 2300 I was able to catch a ride with one of the firehouse mechanics to Pegasus Airfield. I wanted to go out there because I've never been there and he had to work on a broken truck so he let me tag along and what did I see? A big Emperor penguin! His name is Pedro! It was a great Ice Birthday!

Mr. Fatty Weddell Seal

Pedro and Me

Fall Is In The Air...and Winter is Close Behind

At the Start of the Snowstorm

When it Ended

Killer Twisted Icicles!

The weather seems to be changing. It is getting a little colder and we have been more cloudy days with snow. Last weekend we got 8+ inches of snow! Hopefully it will keep getting colder so the ice runway can become operational. We have not had any mail or "Freshies" since well before Christmas and people are starting to get cranky! The C-17 was supposed to come in starting on the 21st but so far it has not been able to land here. We are almost into February and that means I will be coming home soon!

The Ships Are Coming!

In addition to the cruise ships that are making their way here with extremely wealthy passengers (It costs them about $30,000 per person to cruise down here) the Ice Breaker, Fuel and Cargo ships are on their way! Here is an article about that:
http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=119053

And in case I haven't mentioned it before, I volunteered to be a Tour Guide for when the cruise ships arrive. I had training last week and am certified to show people around our humble and cold home!

Blog Link

Please see this blog. It has nice pictures about where I'm living!

http://scienceroadshow.wordpress.com/2013/01/11/mcmurdo-sights-around-town/