Fata Morgana

What the heck is a fata morgana? According to the Wiki... a Fata Morgana is an unusual and very complex form of mirage, a form of superior mirage, which, like many other kinds of superior mirages, is seen in a narrow band right above the horizon.
This afternoon I was told to quickly go outside and look at the mountains across the sea ice. What did I see but a mirage that looked like a butte at the base of the mountains. I didn't have my camera handy but Kira came through once again...

If you look where the white snow of the sea ice meets the darker mountain formation you can see a long rectangular thing which is the mirage.
So cool!

Drinking on the Ice

There is something about the climate here or maybe it's really something in the water but holy smokes this place is intense. I have heard stories of how intense hang overs can be since before I even got here. Its kind of crazy. I've been doing very well pacing myself but water is so vital here I can't stress it enough. One has to drink one water for every drink otherwise disaster will occur! We have 3 drinking establishments here at McMurdo. I'll go in order of proximity to my dorm. First, Gallagers, which is the home of many events such as Bingo, Kareoke, live bands, and many a Saturday night dance party. Generally plays more up beat music, dance type. Next is Southern Exposure, more commonly known as Southern, which is for more the serious drinkers, more pub style. There is a pool table, shuffle board, TVs etc. Third is the Coffee House, very ski lodge- esque. Serving coffee, hot chocolate, wine, and limited liquor drinks. I am currently plugged into the internet here. None of these establishments have windows. All are closed on Monday nights.
These places have such a range of people in them every night that it amazes me, there are young, old, male, female, gay, lesbian, straight, every education range... it's incredible. All here together in this harsh place.
So the moral of the story is, drink lots of water!! And well, enjoy the people watching.

Halloween Mc Murdo Style

I am quickly learning that parties Mc Murdo style are pretty wild!
Last night I attended our Halloween Party as a trashy pop star(think Ke$ha or Lady GaGa) complete with a low cut shirt, skin tight pants and a gigantic blond wig. The party was held down the hill from my dorm in the gym building which is home to the basketball court decked out in Halloween decorations. We took a brief "Occupy" photo outside before dancing the night away to various songs played by a DJ. There was a costume contest that I didn't get to see as I got out of work and was getting ready when it occurred. We had a great time dancing and carrying on. To walk outside at midnight and it being as bright as 4 pm is still mind blowing to me.

Weather Conditions

 So we have some pretty serious weather to contend with here in Antarctica. The  folks here have come up with a rating system that allows us to see just how harsh it is and what can go on here.
Here is what our official intranet says...

Severe Weather Condition I

• Winds greater than 55 knots sustained for one minute, or
• Visibility less than 100 feet sustained for one minute, or
• Wind chill greater than -100°F sustained for one minute.

 

Severe Weather Condition II

• Winds 48 to 55 knots sustained for one minute, or
• Visibility less than ¼ mile, but greater than or equal to 100 feet sustained for one minute, or
• Wind chill -75°F to -100°F sustained for one minute.

 

Weather Condition III

• Winds less than 48 knots, and
• Visibility greater than or equal to ¼ mile, and
• Wind chill temperature warmer than -75°F.

 

The other day we got to a condition two here in town and condition one in most other locations(ie the runway, roads, New Zealand Base) 

While this was happening it was my day off and I was sitting in the dining area enjoying some lunch and we watched as building seemed to have disappeared. It was pretty wild.

Our activities are restricted as well when this happens...

Restrictions:

Severe Weather Condition I

Severe weather is in progress. All personnel must remain in buildings or the nearest shelter.

Severe Weather Condition II

Restricted pedestrian traffic only between buildings is allowed. Vehicular travel is only allowed in radio equipped, enclosed vehicles, and check out with the Firehouse, ext. 2555, is required.

Weather Condition III

Unrestricted travel and activity are allowed.

Luckily I work and live in the same building so I don't really every have to worry about whats going on outside.
Well, just a little info. Back to work. 

The Pictures I Promised

So the pictures that Kira took on our trip to the Ob Tube are here....

The Observation Tube!

My adventure yesterday was quick but thrilling! Where do I start!

Ok so yesterday was day off #2 since I arrived and the sky had cleared and not much wind, so perfect in my book! I have been trying to go out for a walk or hike of some sort but the weather has always turned out poorly when I planned something. So score 1 for me!

I started out at about 1 after finishing lunch with the process of dressing to go out. The temp was about -5 F with little to no wind. My layers went something like this, sock liners, wool knee socks, toe warmers, thermal underwear top and bottom, fleece pants, snow pants, thicker thermal type top, fleece pull over, big red(the famous jackets we are issued), fleece neck gator, fleece hat, hand warmers, mittens. And since it’s so sunny, my shades, water bottle, and camera!

We have to check out with the fire station for certain hikes, this was one of those adventures. We have to sign out, get a key, a radio, and authorization, list a contact person staying back and then we were off. The walk takes about 20 minutes I’d guess. This included one fall for me that was evidently a domino effect because Alicia and Kim promptly fell and almost slid into me already on my butt! No injuries just lots of laughs there! We had to detour to the newer ice runway road because the older part was very icy.

 We arrived at the ob tube, which is a cylindrical pale green colored metal tube about 30-40 feet tall(or deep I guess) and about 3 feet in diameter. The process of installing it involves cutting a hole in the ice and placing this tube down the hole and installing two horizontal beam like supports that lay parallel to the ice on the surface and are about 20 feet long. The top of the tube has a plywood cover

Said cover

on it which is locked(thus the key we got from the fire house). The “ladder” is rebar that’s bent to make a ladder like series of hand/foot holds until you are in the observation part where it switches to a rope ladder.

Alicia on the ladder

I was the first to descend from our group! 

ME!

Once down there I sat on the wooden box, which is used as a seat. The viewing area is smaller than an airplane bathroom with rectangular windows providing a 360-degree view.

What exactly does one see from the ob tube?

Ice Crystals on the outside of the window

Well, I’ve heard stories and seen pictures of people seeing divers(there is a dive hut near by that I could see the hole in the ice for), seals, penguins, and jellyfish. On this trip all we saw were these small(approx 2 inch I’m guessing) tadpole looking things. Maybe a type of jellyfish. The bottom of the sea ice was neat to see. There were icicle like things hanging down I could see and a rocky bottom towards land that quickly drops off. I plan to go back now that I know how to get there. I will post more pictures. I have some already on Facebook(https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.676653798649.2141778.44801562&type=1&l=ae43600e4b) and will get the ones the other girls I went with took of me!

New Zealand vs Australia World Cup Rugby Match

Sunday night I walked the approx 2 miles to the New Zealand Base, Scott Base, with Grant, firefighter here at McMurdo, and Julie, cook here that I arrived with. This was the first time I went out on any sort of outdoor adventure since I arrived. The view was amazing!! The weather had cleared and there wasn’t much wind. I got off work just before 8 pm and it took us about 40 minutes to walk there. You might ask what kind of a view I could really see between 8 and 9 pm… well remember that we have almost 24 hours of daylight. Technically the sun still sets but it’s always light out. The last sunset of the summer will be in just a few days.

We walked past the 3 large wind turbines that are just over the hill from McMurdo and down to Scott Base. Their base is set up with almost all the buildings connected via enclosed hallways. Very smart those Kiwis are! We watched the match in the bar and New Zealand won!! There were a few Aussies there who work at the base so the rivalry was even stronger! After the match was over Julie introduced me to some of the Kiwi cooks(who greeted me not with a hand shake but a hug!) who gave us a tour of their kitchen and dining area with the seating room attached. Their view is AMAZING!! They look out over the sea ice which has several pressure ridges(areas where the ice has buckled) a short walk away and two seals were laying out. They can also see Mt. Erebus the volcano. Words can’t describe it! And I was too stunned to take a picture! We got an invitation to go back(we can’t just visit their base and they can’t just stop by ours. Invitation only.) and tour the pressure ridges. They arranged for a ride back for us and of course hugs goodbye!

Pictures from the walk and my trip to the Ob Tube(next post) can be found at… https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.676653798649.2141778.44801562&type=1&l=ae43600e4b

The first week on the ice

So today is my first day off and I am so ready for it! I slept in until 10 this morning and it felt great.
A recap of the week...
We arrived Tuesday evening and I got settled(pictures and info in the previous post). Then Wednesday I worked from 8-6 which included alot of information and quick tour around the base then some hands on stuff. My normal schedule is 11am-9pm except for Sundays when we have brunch so our schedule is moved up an hour to 10-8. Our days are scheduled into blocks by our leads(supervisor like folks) so our time includes a mix of tasks to avoid boredom and repetitive motion injuries. The day includes some mix of doing dishes, washing pots and pans, refilling food(either hot food or cold food and desserts), cleaning and deep cleaning, and prep of milk, juice, or helping the cooks. We also have mandatory stretch breaks, meal breaks, and other short breaks in our day.
We have gotten in 2 flights since I arrived and the new folks are going through the same training. I feel like I have a pretty good handle on where things go and when to do them. Still learning little things that seem to change.
My free time has been spent at my new favorite place, the Coffee House, which is currently only open in the evenings but has a great ski lodge type feel and is usually a bit quieter. They also serve wine and limited other alcoholic drinks. I also spent parts of Saturday night(the night off before the day off for almost everyone else on base) at the two bars, Southern and Galagers. The gerbil gym is in the next building and I have been in to use the elliptical etc.
I live in the main building(Building 155) which is great for my morning commute, all inside!  In our time off we can walk around in slippers and not worry about the elements outside. The lounge in this building is directly above my room which has proven to be a bit annoying due to the thinness of the walls.
Well, thats all I have for now. Hopefully I will be able to get out and take some pictures. The weather has been a bit varied since I arrived and today isn't looking too nice out.
Oh and if you're interested in sending me mail or a package please email me and I will send you my address.

Welcome to McMurdo!

I made it! What a journey, but well worth it.

I didn’t sleep very well last(Monday) night because I was worried about missing the phone calls we got the previous night about delays and cancellations so I was looking at the phone and clock frequently. I got up at 5:30am and got myself together. The shuttle arrived at 6:15 and we were off to the Antarctic Terminal and Clothing Distribution Center. We had some last minute bag sorting to do and then dressed in our extreme cold weather gear before heading to the check in line where we sent our checked bags away along with our boomerang bag to be then weighed with our carry on bag and all ECW. Holy kilos!! Our boarding passes were yellow laminated cards on a necklace, which we would later turn in so no souvenir there! Erin and I then went to have our prepaid breakfast just a quick walk through the rain away. Up next was our what to expect briefing done by a Kiwi including a video and then we went through security and on to a bus. The bus brought us out to the runway where we boarded the C-17 run by a great crew from Washington state.

We were issued a bag lunch and then boarded and picked out our side facing seats. Let the adventure begin! Erin and I ended up sitting next to the mechanic type guy for the plane so we got to learn about all the boxes and hoses all over the plane. Once we were in flight we got a chance to tour the flight deck and meet the pilots and crew. I read a bit, chatted with Erin and our new Air Force neighbor. Once we got closer we could see the ice through the small door windows(no window seats on this plane!). 

Landing was kind of strange because there is nothing to reference your location to. The blast of cold air when the doors were opened was refreshing. The view when I stepped off the plane was breath-taking. The group of us that has been hanging out together were taking pics of each other with the plane and snow in the background. (Thus the pic in my previous post.) 

Erin, Levi, and Julie

One of the transport buses. Not the one I took.

Me and Sheila

View back to the plane. In Crary Lab warm!

 We were then loaded on to an awkward bus type vehicle for the drive to McMurdo about 10 minutes away. We unloaded at the Main Lab and had some orientation like talks and then got our keys for our rooms.

Doors into Crary Lab. Looks like a walk in freezer!

 We got our linen(provided for us) and then collected our bags from the post office. Dinner was next then a talk about outdoor safety followed by some serious unpacking and getting settled. A shower was the last order of business and then sleep!!

My bed in my new room with all my stuff!

Made it to McMurdo!

Just have time to say I made it. Will post more soon!

Monday: Flight day

Last night I spent some time repacking and prepping for my departure. We had a 6:15 shuttle departure. I got a call at about 4:30 am saying our flight was delayed 3 hours. So I reset my alarm clock and slept a bit more. By 7:30 I was awake and got myself together, called mom on Skype and then got another call saying the flights for the day are cancelled. We still had to catch the 9:15 shuttle to get more per diem money as well as shuttle vouchers. The rain tapered off during the day allowing us to enjoy the park a bit more. The rest of the day was spent eating, bowling, and walking all over town. I didn’t bring a plug adapter so that plus some TimTam cookies were on my shopping list. I have been charging my laptop and composing before I use my allotment of free internet provided by the hotel.

We will try again tomorrow on the same schedule.

My time in Christchurch, more preparations

I have been staying at the Ashley Hotel, which is a few blocks west of Hagley Park, a large park that includes a botanical garden and lots of trails and playing fields. Co-worker Erin and I went for a run/walk through the park to celebrate being off the planes!  Erin, Levi, and I walked for about an hour and a half trying to find some other Antarctica people but failed. We had dinner at Sophie’s Café and took a free bus back to near our hotel and collapsed for the night.

Yesterday morning we headed to the CDC, Clothing Distribution Center(not Centers for Disease Control!) and were issued our ECW, extreme cold weather gear. The process included lots of information and trying on so many layers! We had to try every zipper, snap and item to ensure it fits and works properly. 

We will have to wear most of the ECW on the plane and the rest packed in our bags. Our bags fall into 3 categories: carry-on, boomerang bag, and checked bags. The first and last your are probably familiar with but a boomerang bag is the one we get back in the event our plane takes off but can’t land on the ice.

Some pics of the gear issue process…

Examples

My Bags

Work uniform

Julie with the hats

Holy Hot!

Bunny boots!

Feeling my inner Vermont child

My name tag on "Big Red"

After all this a group of us kitchen rats spent time walking around the botanical gardens(signs of spring everywhere!) and then touring the edges of the devastated downtown area that was damaged by the earthquake and is not fenced off. Very scary and sad at the same time. 

Beautiful flowering trees

Lots of flowers!

Some damage

An example of one of many buildings.

Goodbye USA, Hello New Zealand!

Here I go again, leaving the United States for a while again. The flight from Denver was beautiful when I wasn’t napping! We flew over the Grand Canyon which was beautiful. The time we spent in LAX was marked by my co-worker, Heather, leaving her ticket and passport on the plane. Oops! She got it back, thank goodness. We spent some time walking around and then dinner #1 at Chili’s. The big group of us Polar folks spent time chatting and playing little games as we waited through some delays in boarding. Once on board my seat neighbor was Zac, a fuel guy at McMurdo, we shared lots of laughs and watched a documentary about a man that worked at McMurdo and came back crazy. I hope that isn’t a sign! We had dinner #2 on the plane before tiredness set in.

Zac

I took my drugs so I could sleep some. At that point it was after midnight so I had some natural help with the sleep. I did wake up a few times but got some shut eye. Breakfast was so-so. We enjoyed some more tv time before landing and Zac forgetting his wallet and passport in the seat back pocket! There seems to be a theme here!

Customs and immigration were pretty easy. Not a huge line which was nice and then showed my boots to ensure they are clean. We then had to cart our luggage to the domestic terminal, recheck, bag tag and ticket for the last flight of the day. I slept most of the flight to Christchurch but awoke in time to see some snow capped mountains as we made our descent into the area. 

We were greeted at the airport by a couple of the US Antarctic Program folks and we got some info and collected our bags. After we loaded up the shuttles we made our way to our respective hotels. 

My room in the Ashley hotel