Last night I was exhausted by the end of the day.  I quickly ate dinner and went straight to bed.  Slept from 7 pm until 5 am!!!!  I think I needed that.

Yes… it SNOWED yesterday – made for my first ‘blind’ drive out to the LDB site (Long Duration Balloon – and where NASA does all their work, including launching those HUGE balloons with “payloads” to circle the earth a few times before landing it right where they want it!)  As I drove, I reflected back to LAST year during this type of weather.  I was in a slight panic – thinking I might’ve gotten in WAAAAAY over my head!  This year, well— I smiled and waited for my ‘next flag’ to come into view!!!   Working 2 years is certainly better than only one!!!

Yesterday afternoon during a ‘quiet’ time in the office, 6 of us went on a tour of the Crary Science lab. This time the info that caught my ear – was the fact that penguins can dive for up to 40 minutes and return with literally ZERO oxygen in their bodies.  Their NORMAL dive times are 3 – 8 minutes, but they have recorded some of the longer times.  The scientists have a controlled area where they do this study – using the penguins who have not mated.  Each are tagged and have little computers attached that show how long and how deep they swim. They even have a little ‘bridge’ set up that the penguins must cross to get into and out of the water.  It is a scale – so now they know how much each weighs before and after eating.

One scientist invited us to come and volunteer as a dive assistant on our days off. I’m thinking about it.  I wish one of them would’ve invited us to help out at Mt. EREBUS!!!!  There is a live web cam  on top of Mt. Erebus – but it is run on solar power.  It is just now ‘reviving’ after the winter darkness.  Pretty soon it will be at full capacity and we will be able to sit in the warm Crary lab to watch it!  They  have tons of clippings saved from previous explosions. We viewed a few.  The Erebus crystals are formed when the lava gets to cool slow enough for the minerals to ‘do their thing’.  The huge airy ‘bombs’ are formed when the explosion sends them hurling far enough that rapid cooling occurs.  Again, there are only 2 places in the world that have this mineral type make up of crystals. The other is in Kenya. 

I did get to the aquarium section, and now have another SEA SPIDER photo!  This guide didn’t let us hold it.   One of them is TWICE the size I held last year. I had my photo taken with my head beside it. I’ll have to get that posted on here!  (soon – very soon).
But for now… time to eat breakfast (the most important meal of the day)…. I NEED all that energy to get me through the mornings!!!  (What do I eat?  CHEERIOS -with a scoop of granola added- and a muffin!)  Along with TWO glasses of water.  I am being very good at drinking two glasses at EACH MEAL… plus extra in between!   
…off to breakfast….

Posted October 30, 2008 Comments(0)

Well – it looks like we may get a little SNOW today. (hahaha)

Yesterday was a long one for me.  I volunteered to help out with some late airfield activity.  We’ve had a C-17 waiting on a repair part – (which was coming in on a Kiwi plane – referred to as “P-3″) I don’t know WHY their plane is called that  – I would assume the C in C-17 is for cargo.  If anyone knows these answers – feel free to post here for all! 

I picked up the flight crew for our C-17 and took them out to Pegasus Airfield, so they could begin warming the plane.  I was able to use an “Airporter” since the snow is somewhat firm.  The pilots actually applauded my driving skill! There’s a long section of ‘road’ that is full of drifts and ruts, of which I had to turn the steering wheel left and right continuously to keep the vehicle going straight! They commented on the workout one gets driving here.  It is extremely hard to fall asleep at the wheel on this route! 

After dropping them off at their plane,  I waited for about an hour for the P-3 to land.  (Turns out that plane was carrying not only the “PART”…. but 3 people to make the repair!)  What I do know, is that it was the first time I had to cross/drive through the RUNWAY.  Thank goodness this is not a busy airport!  It still was intimidating. I kept glancing around the sky – just to make sure some rogue plane wasn’t trying to come in on my head!

It took another hour for this P-3 crew to shut down and ‘winterize’ for the night.  I drove them to Scott base. Then I headed back to McMurdo. It was 10:00 PM when I walked into my dorm room!

I did take some photos while out at Pegasus Airfield. I will go check now to see if I have any worth posting!

Oh… Thank you Kim – for posting a better LINK on the “websites to check” post a couple of days ago. It’s good to know people are reading!  (and HELPING!!!)

Posted October 29, 2008 Comments(0)

I can’t believe Halloween is almost here!  Everyone around here is buzzing with anticipation of the big halloween party and seeing what costumes people will come up with.  I posted some pretty ‘unusual’ characters on last year’s site. I plan to attend this one – WITH CAMERA in hand. (I’m not going in costume.) I do love dressing up, but simply HATE carrying any extra pounds in luggage!

I should’ve kept track of how many days it snows here.  I think we’ve only had about 3 so far with none.  That reminds me of how dangerous all that snow can be on the mountain/hill between here and Scott Base.  There are no guard rails, and I watched a ‘situation’ unfold before my very eyes yesterday.  The ending was happy, and I was able to get my vehicle stopped.  (But if you see a HUGE Challenger with TRACKS, sliding- and you are driving a vehicle with SMOOTH tires. Well…. let’s just say it was a tense moment or two!!!)   I did calmly radio back to the office… “if someone wants a ride to Scott Base – say no until further notice!”  (Insert one of those ‘winky smiles’!)

Time to start my day.  We will be going on our typical shifts starting Monday.  I have the 5:30 Am – 5:30 PM shift!!!!  HIP-HIP-Hooray!

Posted October 28, 2008 Comments(0)

I almost forgot to include the websites given to me by a couple of teachers. They are down here doing research and are able to do live feeds back to some inner city kids.  They wrote down (in my little “green brain”) information about how you and students can download some information – or simply follow along with what is happening.  The one lady was from the Andrill project.

I haven’t gone to these sites yet – so you may have to navigate around a bit to find the information. I will type it out as they wrote it in my notebook.  Good luck – let me know what you find. I believe they will only be here a few more weeks, so if you have questions – ask now and allow me some time to locate them again!

www.andrill.org/projectcircle  

Global Nomads – video conference  www.gng.org    OFFSHORE NEW HARBOR PROJECT

Mrs. Shakira Petit and Andrea Balbas, Geologist were the 2 teachers.

You can also google : ICE STORIES and should find more on what they are doing.

Posted October 27, 2008 Comments(1)

Well.. yesterday was Italian day – meaning I was sent out to Pegasus airfield to ‘sit’ with 20 Italians who were passing through.  They flew in on our C-17 and were waiting on helicopters to take them onto their station.  I was better prepared this year as I have a friend from Italy (Hi Gino) who was helping me learn Italian before I returned!  He will be pleased to know I was able to introduce myself as their guide – point out the restroom, and when I left saying “Arrivederci” – they all shouted it back with a “bella guida”.  If ever any Romanians pass through – I have another friend (Hi Dimitru) ready and willing to help! 

After work last night, I spent a great deal of time going through my photos, and ‘shrinking’ them in size so I could post here. (We still have to watch our bandwidth – and if a photo size is too large, it will time out the server.)  The ice cave photos are incredible just from the standpoint that I never LOOK at the camera – I simply AIM and SHOOT!  And when outside – it was so bright, I couldn’t see anything on the screen.

You now can look at Scott’s Discovery Hut at McMurdo – Cape Evans Hut, which is further ‘up the coast’, and the Ice Cave located in the “Glacial Tongue” of Mt. Erebus!!! 

The shuttle driver’s have scheduled an outing this Friday night – back to Cape Evans and the ice caves! This will be for the new drivers who have not had the chance to see these things. (Plus it gives more practice time to the TOUR GUIDES!)  I really feel I’ve had enough experience with DIGGING OUT a stuck delta. (I know the photo shows me standing INSIDE the cab. I’m sure I must’ve gotten out later.)  It was a perfect time to point ahead and yell “MUSH, you huskies”….. (then duck back inside the cab to avoid flying snowballs!)

I did include some photos of what all gets taken on an excursion like to Cape Evans.  The one photo is of Bill Sunde (also from Abilene!) passing the “HUMAN WASTE” buckets up to me in the back of a delta. There are strong rumors that NEXT YEAR no one will be allowed to relieve himself out on the ice shelf. Men (and women) will have to carry and use the P bottles. (photo also included!)  We had towing ropes for the 2 sleds holding our survival tents. We had 53 people on this outing – and we had to pack and carry enough food and gear to last a couple of days should anything go wrong. Having the sleds pull the gear made for more room inside. Of course SHOVELS are a must – as was the 2 sheets of plywood to stick under the tires as an aid to getting out of the extremely mushy, slushy, bottomless snow!   All of that emphasized how rugged these first explorers had to be. We were exhausted after one day of sludging through. And most of tour trip was FLAT.  I can’t imagine trying to climb these glaciers or the Transantarctic mountain range.

Time to move my clothes from the washer to the dryer. I don’t have to go in until 0730 this morning so got up early to do my laundry.

Posted October 27, 2008 Comments(0)

I think I may have missed a day, as things were pretty exciting around here!  First I’ll start with yesterday’s trip to the ICE CAVE!  There were 3 Delta loads of ‘Volunteer Tour Guides’ who were in “training” to do the ice caves. Of course we should schedule a trip of our own first – before adding in participants!  Since a few had never been to Cape Evans – we started there first.  (I wrote about it a couple of days ago.) the anchor is still visible outside on the beach. The men awoke one morning to discover the ship was “gone”.  It is quite easy for anyone to stand on that beach and get a close ”feel” to what that experience must have felt like!!  I did take more photos.  It is truly amazing to stand where these explorers stood.

On our way back to McMurdo (Cape Evans is approximately ONE and 1/2 HOURS away) – we stopped at the Erebus glacial tongue for our “training”!!!  That was incredible!  This glacier is moving 12 inches PER DAY.
I tried NOT to think about it moving while I’m INSIDE it.  We did have to slide down an “ice chute”. to enter. (Yes, I was wondering HOW you slide back UP that shoot on the way OUT.)  The cave is very small – but breathtaking – and scary – and slippery!  I touched a glacier.  A MOVING glacier.  I stood inside the cave, touching the moving glacier, and smiled.  …”cool”…  We only spent 5 minutes inside – I grabbed as many photos as I could. (With hopes that I will return and give a few tours of it on my own later.)  The climb OUT…. was ‘toe holds” notched into the snow on either side of our sliding down chute.  Obviously some long-legged man formed them.  I felt like I was doing some “Antarctica- Sumo-dance” move each time I stretched from one side… up and over … to the other side.

The reason we had to RUSH through our ice cave tour was due to 2 of the 3 deltas getting stuck SEVERAL times on the way back. NOPE- I wasn’t driving.  We were also letting some of the volunteer drivers get some practice in. So I was inside the cab as an observer.  I also was an observer to all the shoveling it took!  The Deltas carry two long, thick plywood boards to use under the wheels for these special little occasions.  The Delta behind us, passed us…. and made it 200 feet before getting stuck.  We dug out… passed them for 200 feet and got stuck.  They dug out – passed us….and we jump-frogged like that most of the way back!!!   (Also, my record is still intact- my “Indian name” still holds!)

The day was absolutely perfect -except for the melting snow on the sea ice.  The day before had been CONDITION TWO.   Horrible winds… blowing/blinding snow. All the locations except for inside the town of McMurdo were Condition Two, which meant you had to call the Firehouse before leaving to state who you were – where you were going and and ETA.  Then once you reached that location – you had to radio back to let them know you made it.  I walked quite a distance in it – just to enjoy. (Had the wind to my back – which helped me get back to the office faster!)  Had it been in my face… I would’ve radioed for help!

There are more things to tell.  TEACHERS: I have some websites to post here soon…..but right now I have to get to breakfast and up the hill to work!

Posted October 26, 2008 Comments(1)

Hello. It looks like another great day.  (Should be dropping yet to -9)  Last night I did my first Discovery Hut Tour for 16 people. I and another shuttle driver teamed up to take them. She gave tours last year, so it was nice to have an experienced person along.  Everyone does have to dress warm. ECW (Extreme Cold Weather) gear is essential for the cold winds that blow.  I had on my “Big Red” (11 pound parka)  Glove liners and the POSSUM liners in my boots!  I did not get cold. In fact – during the return walk to McMurdo, I was sweating (not good) and had to keep opening up my layers to cool off.  I have some photos of inside the Discovery Hut. I will post those soon – and let you know!

I spent more time yesterday training the 2 newest drivers how to work dispatch.  I started with one in the morning, and assumed someone else would be assigned the task in the afternoon for the 2nd person.  NOooooo.  Oh well, someone has to do it!

…… now for more interesting ‘stuff’:

Wintering at Cape Evans
Although they didn’t have much, spirits in the hut remained high during the winter. Scott credited that to the fact that everyone stayed relatively busy during this time. There were a number of scientific experiments being done. The equipment that was going to be used for the polar traverse had to be checked and mended. The men kept detailed records of the weather around McMurdo Sound. Cherry-Garrard began producing the South Polar Times once again, and kept a good record of life in the hut at Cape Evans. The men celebrated Mid-Winter Day on June 22nd as it it were Christmas. The men were good at livery. They often had evening lectures. One of the scientists would talk about the recent findings of his work, or they would simply tell stories and laugh. When the weather was good they would even go out on the sea ice and play soccer. During the winter three of the men, Wilson, Cherry-Garrard, and Bowers, left on an expedition to Cape Crozier. Wilson wanted to study the incubation of Emperor penguins. Although the expedition was successful in the fact that the men did collect samples from the penguins, it was almost deadly. The men made it back to Cape Evans barely alive, and when Cherry-Garrard published a book about the journey it would forever be known as “The Worst Journey in the World.” On August 23, 1911, the sun rose for the first time in six months. After two more near tragedies, Atkinson almost being lost in a blizzard and the ponies nearly dying of colic, all thought were turned toward the pole. As the supplies were readied for the journey, the men wondered who would get to be in Scott’s final polar party.

Posted October 23, 2008 Comments(1)

Well okay – we are starting out this day at a nice ONE degree F.  (Nice balmy day – until the wind picks up later and it will be around -9F with windchill!) 

Oooh, last night’s leadership training was great. Found out we ‘guides’ will be taking people to the ICE CAVES and Pressure Ridges – as well as the regular Discovery Hut, Cape Evans and Cape Royds. This Sunday we will be having a TRAINING TRIP to the ICE CAVES!

The Caves are located in the Erebus tongue / glacier that is long and narrow (hence the name). We were shown how and where we enter. Some climbing, some bending, some sliding down a slope on bottoms and Wallah! We stand in a beautiful area!  Sunday – we will leave at noon – and it may take us 6 hours or longer. There are some new guides that haven’t been to Cape Evans, so this trip will include that ‘stop’ as well.

About the hut at Cape Evans: (taken from our training info)

In 1908 Robert Falcon Scott decided that he would take a sabbatical from his life as a military man and once again set out to the southern most continent to stake his claim. He did not know at the time that his “run” for the South Pole would become a race, or that it would be the last journey he would ever take. After a few years of fundraising, Scott was ready to go to the Pole. In 1910 he and his men sailed from New Zealand into the familiar seas leading to McMurdo Sound. The journey is unforgettable, and the men have become heroes.

The Trip to Antarctica
For his trip to Antarctica, Scott purchased the Terra Nova. He had originally, wanted to bring the Discovery(The ship used on his first expedition), but the owners would not sell it to him. He settled for the Discovery’s sister ship, Terra Nova that had also been used during the first expedition. During the trip South, Scott wished more than once that he had chosen a different chip. It was warm, but it leaked. During a storm on December 2, 1910, the bilge pumps stopped working and the crew had to empty water from the ship using buckets. The storm also caused problems for the animals. The dogs that were leashed on the top deck were being thrown around and the horses in the underbelly of the ship were slowly being covered in water. When all was said and done the expedition lost one dog and two ponies. It was a difficult loss, especially since one dog and one pony had died before the Terra Nova left port. It could have been seen as a bad omen, but the captain and crew kept in good spirits. Just over a month after they had left New Zealand, the men of the Terra Nova spotted the smoking peak of Mt. Erebus. The initial plan was to land near Cape Crozier, but they were unable to do so because of the sea ice. They sailed back to the familiar territory of McMurdo Sound and stopped at the Skuary, which Scott quickly renamed Cape Evans in honor of his second in command, Teddy Evans. As the men were unloading the boat, disaster struck once again. Ponting, the expedition’s photographer, was almost eaten by a group of killer whales (Orca) and one of the very expensive motorized sledges that Scott had brought fell through the sea ice leaving them with only two.

The Hut at Cape Evans
The hut that was originally built in New Zealand the previous October  was unloaded onto the shore, put together, and occupied within two weeks. The hut is 50 feet long, 25 feet wide, and reached to nine feet at the peak. Its double doors, during Scott’s expedition, were insulated with quilted seaweed and lined with felt. The roof was covered with three-ply rubberoid and the floor was laid with linoleum. The hut was equipped with acetylene gas jets, stoves, clotheslines, clocks, and a gramophone. The stoves were used to heat the hut. The floor was kept below freezing so that any snow that got into the hut could be easily swept out. Mid-body level was kept at about 50 degrees, and the rafters would get up to 70 degrees (all Fahrenheit). The warmth of the air at the top of the hut was used to melt buckets of ice for the men  to use for their baths once a week. The two sides of the hut were separated using crates, mostly of wine. On the left side of the hut were the officer’s quarters, and the crewmen slept on the right. Scott slept by himself on the far left corner of the hut. His room was separated from the rest using sheets. He used a linoleum-covered table as a desk for work. It is the table that now holds books and the penguin. Across from Scott’s bed were the beds of Edward Atkinson, the expedition’s surgeon, and George Simpson its meteorologist. On the other side of the wall from Scott’s room there is a grouping of beds. That is where the rest of the officers, including Oates, Cherry-Garrard, Bowers, and Meares. This section was known as “The Tenements” because it was so cramped and there were very few items other than necessities. Oates’ only luxury was a bust of Napoleon that he kept next to his bed. Ponting made himself a darkroom and slept in it.

To be continued!…….

Posted October 22, 2008 Comments(0)

….How nice that your birthday falls on COOKIE DAY down here!  I will have a chocolate chip cookie in your honor.

Yesterday – was another windy, cold day.  I spent the majority of it training others.  The morning was spent showing courier duties and locations, the afternoon I ‘supervised’ – or was backup for the new drivers, who were “training” newer drivers!  The afternoon was harder, as I had to stand around in the cold observing (and getting cold) while the others actually worked on checking out the vehicles.  The sky did clear, allowing for some beautiful views around McMurdo.

Several of us are feeling the jet lag or time change or something, as we can barely make it until 8:00 Pm before crawling into bed!  My roommates are the same way.  We all have different duties down here, yet were all yawning at the same time and ready for sleep!

Today will be more training. Tonight, will be more training on Hut Tours.  
I am READY to get on a more normal schedule.

Posted October 21, 2008 Comments(0)

Tomorrow is my youngest daughter’s birthday!  She dropped me a note to say she has a sunburn. That reminded me of my “frozen buns” of the other day. They really were ‘damaged’ – I have been applying lotion to the frozen areas.  Another 10 minutes and I may have had to go to medical over it!

I was having dinner with a South Pole worker (or Polie as we lovingly refer to them) and he told of his working conditions. He works with pipes. There are tunnels UNDER the south pole station where they run conduits, electrical lines and other various miscellaneous pipes, & tubes. Those tunnels are 40 FEET below the station.   In the SUMMER (like now) the average temperature INSIDE a tunnel is -50.  Stressing INSIDE the tunnel – MINUS 50 F.) Hey! – but NO WIND!!!   In the winter, it can be -80. My friend said there were a couple of times when he walked a great distance to where the work was needed and be so cold – he had to turn back to warm up!   

Last year I spoke with someone who explained how they take group photos in those tunnels. As with any cold area, when you exhale – you get that POOF of breath. They have to coordinate the EXHALE – hold it….. wait for the POOF to lift and disappear, then CLICK! 

Enjoy your day!  (I’m at -9 windchill and a little snow.)

Posted October 20, 2008 Comments(2)