Blog 4 - A Lonely Night!

    So tonight marks the first night I get to sit behind the Dispatcher Desk, by my lonesome, for the entire night! Yes, that is correct, the entire night! Every night one of the firefighters gets put on Dispatch duty for the evening. During this time we are responsible for all the phone and radio traffic that takes place here in McMurdo. Any call that originates on Base, or even from the Mainland, gets routed through the Dispatch Center and it is up to us to get the caller to their desired destination, or to give them the information they are looking for.

    Now the Dispatch job does not only involve phone calls or radio traffic, it also involves dealing with someone we call FRED. Now FRED is our friendly fire, trouble, emergency warning system that is connected to all buildings based here in McMurdo. If a fire alarm sounds in a building, FRED tells us, if the heat goes out in a building, FRED tells us. Now FRED is like any person and he can be very temperamental or moody at times. On his good days he's a normal person who tells us what we need and that's it. On other days though FRED can get very PISSY and send us erroneous calls or trouble alarms just because he feels like it. For the most part FRED is good, but when it's 0300 in the morning and FRED decides to go crazy, it's not a really good relationship you build with him that day.

    So it is my duty to man the desk tonight and to hope FRED stays in a good mood. I can handle the phone calls and all, but if FRED starts going off, I just might have to get my boss up from his wonderful sleep and ask for a little help???

    Right now I'm typing this blog out and listening to some music. I'll probably stay up until 12 or 1 and then maybe try and sleep. Oh, I forgot to tell you, the Dispatch Office is connected to another room that has a bed inside it. This is the place the nightly Dispatcher can cuddle up and try and catch some ZZZZZ's if they are able to hear the phone ring, or FRED get angry in the other room. I might try a nap or two, but I think I can also sleep in the chair just like I did when I was at school and sleeping during certain classes! :-)

    Well that pretty much ends my work day on Saturday and starts my work day on Sunday, or at least Sunday morning. Our day today on Base was a little different because our weather was brought to a Condition 2 from a Condition 3. There are a lot of reasons that help rank the weather from a Condition 3 to a Condition 1, but just to make it easy; a Condition 3 is when things are all fine and dandy and everyone can go about their business and do their duties, a Condition 2 on the other hand means the wind is blowing too hard, the temperature has fallen to far, or the visibility has reduced a bunch. With a Condition 2 there is a warning to everyone, restrictions on certain duties, and just all around more caution for all. Then comes the Condition 1, or the worst scenario here. A Condition 1 means everything pretty much stops. No traveling here, there, or anywhere. No driving, walking, or anything outside, unless it is a dire emergency and you have permission. A Condition 1 happens from high winds, very cold temperatures, and little to NO visibility. Condition 1s usually bring out the ropes between buildings to help people move between them if needed.

    So those are our Weather Condition descriptions here in McMurdo. This is our first Condition 2 here in town, and a lot of us NEWBIES are looking forward to seeing our first Condition 1 here in town. They don't happen often, but they usually do happen once or twice a winter, so we still have plenty of time!!!!

    OK, that about does it for my day here at McMurdo. Started out calmer, but then moved into a little bit windier, cold conditions. Our daylight is waning away more and more every day and it will soon be leaving us for good, but in the meantime it lessens more and more each day. Winter is coming!!!!

    I hope to get out there and get some more photos of town so all can get an idea what exists down here in Antarctica for us. Believe it or not, you'll be pretty damned surprised what we all have here, way more than most people would imagine for being so far from anywhere!!!

    Hope everyone is enjoying the warmer temperatures that I'm sure are arriving for all of you. I on the other hand enjoy the colder temperatures and look forward to more!!! Enjoy and I'll all Blog ya later!!!

    OH, I almost forgot the craziest thing that happened today, some of us got a chance to see a very rare and elusive animal that lives here in Antarctica. This animal is not very well studied, or understood, and most people didn't think is really exists, but the photo I have pretty much varifies it for everyone. I hope you all can see it well, the photo may be a little off, but I'm pretty sure you'll be able to make it out and be able to tell people you've seen it and believe it. OK, here it is, and I hope you all enjoy it!!!!

Blog 3 - Antarctica Photos!

   I know the first two blogs were long winded and all, so I thought I'd just do another blog quickly with all  the other photos I took while I was on the flight from Christchurch to here. These photos will give you a better idea at how wide open and vast this place is, oh, an also very white.

  I hope you all enjoy the photos and I know a lot more will be coming down the road. Enjoy!!

That about does it for the photos I took from the plane as we approached Antarctica and as we flew over some of it toward McMurdo. Lots of white and Mountains around here. You'll see in some of the photos you can see a few valleys that you can see the gravel and all. Those are the Dry Valleys and a lot of research goes on there in the summers. Was also the place where NASA tested the Mars Rover because of the cold and similarity to Mars's surface. FYI!

Hope you enjoyed and I hope the next blog comes soon!

Blog 2 - Off to The Ice!!!

OK, so we arrived in Christchurch, NZ on Wednesday March 3, or Tuesday March 2 for all those living across the International Date Line, at about 1 in the afternoon. We all got off the plane and collected our luggage at baggage claim; well at least some of us collected it while others visited the counter to see if their bags made it to Finland instead of New Zealand.


After that was taken care of we headed through Customs, which had a pretty long line, but they separated you into different lines and some people got asked questions and maybe searched, while others, like I, were sent through the line where you put your luggage into this big X-ray, scanner, sniffer, detector machine and that was it. Worked out pretty well for everyone!

We headed out of the Airport and caught our ride to our hotel. We were staying at the Hotel So in Downtown Christchurch. Now Hotel So is a little different than most hotels you find in the States. In the states you can get the cheapest room at a Motel 6 and it’s still a pretty decent size room. Well the rooms at Hotel So are a little different, they are small. Let’s just say that luckily it was just me and my luggage, because at a room about 10’x6’, with a small bathroom with glass walls and doors, you wouldn’t be able to fit much else in there. Oh, and no windows!!! I must admit it wasn’t that bad, and if you were traveling it would be good, but at least windows!! Here’s a little diagram of the room the best I can:

The group of us spent two nights in Christchurch, with only some sightseeing and collecting our ECW (Extreme Cold Weather) Gear to do. We had all of Wednesday to ourselves and then we had to meet at noon on Thursday to go and get our gear. We all headed to the CDC (Clothing Distribution Center) and collected all that was set out for us. As a regulation by Raytheon Polar all employees are to be outfitted with certain types of ECW for their trip to Antarctica. Now you need to wear this stuff on the plane to Antarctica, but once here you are at your own discretion if you want to continue to wear it.


Here’s a list of what we get:

2 Large Goose Down Parkas
1 Pair Wind Pants
1 Set Extreme Thermal Underwear
1 Set Medium Thermal Underwear
2 Pairs of Gloves
1 Neck Gater
1 Balaclava
1 Hat
1 Pair of Goggles
2 Pair Wool Socks
and finally the best of the best, 1 Pair of Bunny Boots!

                                                                    Some ECW Gear

The Bunny Boots I’m sure are everyone’s favorite item because they are sooooooo big and cumbersome that I don’t think I’ve seen many people wear them since arriving, except maybe when they go out on hikes?

                                                                        Bunny Boots

We collect all our gear, get a little video to watch about being in Antarctica, get a lowdown on what the morning routine will be when we arrive at the airport, and then we were off again back to the hotel and for our last night in Christchurch, we hoped!!

When you head to Antarctica for the winter you are allowed to bring three bags, but the total weight of all your gear, including the ECW, can not be more than 150 lbs. You are allowed two carry-on bags like normal and you also have to set aside what is called a Boomerang bag. A boomerang bag is one you fill with a day or so of clothes and toiletries so if they plane goes half way there, and then has to come back because of weather, or boomerangs, they don’t have to unpack all the other pallets, they just pull those bags off the top and hand them to you. We hoped that we wouldn’t have to use this, but we still had to get it together none the less.

So our Thursday night was kind of short, since we had to be down at the curb and meet the bus at 0500 hours. Well 0500, or should I say, 0400 arrived pretty early for all of us, but we were all excited to get this last part of our trip moving, since we kind of had been traveling and waiting for this since we left Denver that Monday (US time) afternoon.

Well everyone made it on time, got on the bus, and we were all on our way to the airport. Now the CDC is connected to the airport so we headed there, got the gear on we needed to wear on the plane, made sure all our baggage was marked correctly, and then went through the check-in/weigh-in process to get our boarding passes. All gear, and yourself, had to be weighed to get on the plane, since they need to know how much will be going, so they might be able to put “Extra” stuff on there if needed.

Once checked-in we waited for a bit, got a little talking to by a customs person, watched a video, and then waited some more. Finally, the crew of the plane was ready and we were loaded onto the bus to take us to our plane.

So what plane we were going to fly in was still a wonder to us. There are usually 3 types of planes they fly to Antarctica. One is the old fashion LC-130 Hercules, used for lots of cargo, big cargo, and lots of people. Not a very comfortable ride I’ve been told, and there aren’t any windows in there. This flight takes about 8 hours to get to McMurdo. The next type of plane is a regular C-130, which is a little smaller, but is still not very comfy and still no windows. This plane takes about 7 hours to McMurdo. Finally there is C-17 Jet Powered plane. This is the Big Mother of the three. This sucker can carry a lot and fly even more. It can go from Christchurch, almost land, then Boomerang around, and make it back to Christchurch, about 4600 miles! This plane takes about 5 hours to get to McMurdo.


                                                                   C-130 Hercules

Regular C-130

C-17 Jet

Oh, I just found out that they also fly a regular commercial type aircraft down to McMurdo. This plane is a regular commercial jet, an Airbus A319, and this has all the amenities of a regular flight and it takes only about 4 hours to get to McMurdo. This is the plane most people want to take, but most people don’t get to take. It’s comfy, quiet, and there’s actually a flight crew onboard.

                                                            And Good Little Airbus A319

Well the time came for us to make it to our plane and luckily we found out it would be the lovely Airbus taking us to The Ice. This was a very nice luxury since we would all have comfy seats, a window to look out of, in flight service, Oh, and did I mention there was a large First Class section we could all sit in??? In any case it was a great plane to take to the ice and having lots of windows to look out of, on a very clear day, was a blessing for all us “First Timers”!!

The flight was great and didn’t seem very long. We all walked around, looked out of the windows to see the ocean, find icebergs, or to finally catch glimpse of Antarctica, and we all took lots of pictures of inside, and outside, the plane.

While flying the pilots kept the cockpit doors open so we could go up there and look out the front windows to see what we could, and to also ask them any questions we had about the flight and anything else. It was great to have the opportunity to see what was coming toward you from the front and to have a chance to ask questions about where we were heading.

This is where all the photos come in from the flight. I was excited to see my first Icebergs, got a chance to see Balleny Islands, a small bit of islands in the Antarctic Polar Sea, that is usually covered with clouds and usually not seen, lots of ocean, and then finally LAND!!! You couldn’t mistake it, lots of white land, with lots of mountains coming up on all sides of us and getting everyone very excited. From here I’ll just let the photos talk about what we saw.

                                                                       First Icebergs

Large Iceberg

Balleny Island

Antarctic Coast

Antarctic Mountains

Well the plane was finally starting to descend and we all were getting our gear ready for us to head out onto the ice. The landing was smooth, just like at an airport, I guess since we were landing on hard ICE that pretty much resembled concrete for all extenuating purposes. So we land, the door opens, and down the stairs we get to go. Out in the distance are a bunch of little buildings, lots of vehicles, and lots of people. It was a little cold, but not very bad with all our gear on. Once out of the plane we headed to one of the vehicles that would take us to McMurdo proper, a nice 45 minute drive, since you can’t really drive faster than 25 or 30 mph along the path to base.

                                 Where the Open Water and Shelf Ice start getting closer together

McMurdo Shelf Ice/Runway

                                          Getting off the plane! OK, not us, but what it's like.

                              OK, these are people actually waiting for us at the Pegasus Air Field

As we were loading onto the vehicles someone said our local welcoming party was over by the fuel tank. A single Emperor Penguin, who was alone and finishing his molting of feathers, was there to say Hi, let us take come photos, and just there to let us know we were actually in Antarctica! Now the penguin was away from water on the solid ice shelf, but once his molting was done, we really didn’t have very far to go to get to the ice edge where he could find a spot or a hole to make it back into the water for the winter.

                                                                      Emperor Penguin

So that about did it. We safely arrived at McMurdo Station, Antarctica and were now on a little trip to the town itself. The ride was interesting and exciting. We made it to town, had a little welcoming meeting at the Chalet, and then were whisked off to our luggage and our dorms so we could get settled and organized.

That pretty much describes the first day here on The Ice. That evening there was a little gathering in the Galley, the Finally Flight toast, where everyone got together and toasted off the last flight for the season with a little champagne and company.

Now is when the real world starts to kick in. After that first day, and first weekend, the rest of the time here in Antarctica is about work and seeing all that this place has to offer. Soon I’ll get photos together of what the town looks like, the fire department, and just basic life here on The Ice in winter. There are a total of 198 people here this winter with 149 men and 49 women. Everyone seems pretty nice and approachable, which I kind of would think that since if you weren’t you really most likely wouldn’t be here???

OK, so keep checking in and I’ll keep updating you all on what goes on down here in McMurdo in the middle of winter. One more thing, we still have plenty of sunlight, but we are loosing it at about 15 minutes a day and we will completely loose it on April 24th at 1:36 in the afternoon. After that we won’t see the sun again until August 19th at 12:24 in the afternoon. I’m really looking forward to the complete darkness, but I’ll have to see how “Complete” it really is.

Enjoy and I’ll update soon!

Blog 1 - The Journey Began!

Remember Me????

 

  So let's see, it started back on Saturday February 27, 2010, when I started my journey to Antarctica via Denver, CO actually Centennial CO. I started by heading to the headquarters of Raytheon Polar Services Company http://www.rpsc.raytheon.com/ , the contractor that hired me as a firefighter, to attend some quick training and last minute adminastrative tasks.

  After I arrived late Saturday, had a full day of training on Sunday, and then had a whirlwind finale on Monday morning, we all (~15 of us) were bussed to Denver International to catch our flight to LA. To say that this was the start of a long trip might be a little of an understatement. Our trip to the airport started right around noon, our fligtht to LA around 1630, lost an hour in flight, waited in LA until 2230, and then had a 14hr. 55min. flight to Sydney, loosing more than just hours, but an entire day! You can figure out how long it took, all I know is it was kind of long!?!

   So the flight to Sydney was on Quantas Airlines and I must say flying them made the long? flight seem pretty manageable. I was lucky enough to have an empty seat next to me and had lots of Aussies around me to talk with. Each seat has their own entertainment system where you can watch lots of movies, tv shows, tons of music, and travel information and videos to watch. It was Awesome!!!! I highly recommend them and really look forward to my return trip! The food was great, the alcohol was free, and the lady Aussie flight attendents didn't hurt either!;-)

   Now the only thing I have bad to say about Quantas is that they are hardcore when it to trying to upgrade with them. I first tried to call as soon as I got my flight arrangement and they told me it would be about $11,500 to upgrade. That's right ELEVEN THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED! Well that was a quick NO on my part. Though the phone call didn't work I wasn't going to give up. When i got to LA I left security and headed to the front desk of Quantas.  A little side here, very interesting how all 6 of the people behind the counter just happen to be very attractive, young, blonde Australian ladies!!!! Not sure why, but it was. Anyway, I went up to the counter, used every ounce of charm I had (guess not enough) and tried to upgrade there. We'll I did a little better since the price now was only $2000 for an upgrade. Now, I'm not asking first class, I was only asking Business or Premium Economy, both of which were on the top floor of the jet. I couldn't believe it was still that much. I tried my hardest, but I feel the Aussie ladies don't like us American boys so it didn't work. I wasn't done though!!!! I figured I still had the actual gate in the terminal to try, figuring the closer the flight time came, the more they would be willing to offer a seat at a reduced cost. NOT!!! Just so happens the lady who was at the terminal gate happened to be one that was at the ticket counter earlier. I was stumped!!! I had to admit defeat and deal with what I had, which all and all turned out great!!!

   So we finally arrived in Sydney at like 0900 two days after we left or something??? When we got off the plane I was lucky enough to get a picture of the A380 jet we flew, which happens to be the largest jet at this time. I think? Here it is:

Here's also a basic photo of part of the Sydney airport:

Ohhhhhh!

   So after we landed we rushed to our connecting flight to Christchurch, New Zealand. This flight was another 2.5 to 3 hours long, but it actually seemed to go by alright and the views out the windows, going over the coast and the New Zealand Alps were awesome!!!

   Here's a quick photo of the outside of the Christchurch Airport:

   Once we got to Christchurch we gathered our luggage, some of us did, and headed out to the parking lot for our shuttle to the Hotel So in downtown Christchurch. I'll hit Christchurch and the hotel next time, but all I know is I was only two days, barring weather, from getting on a flight and heading to Antarctica. A lot closer now than I was before!

   OK, I'll leave you with one little taste of the views heading to Antarctica on the flight. Enjoy and I'll fill in more soon!!!