It's a white one!

So with many years of avoiding the snow, I'm finally at a place where there is lots - and a white Christmas it was! We had a huge feast on Christmas Eve for most of the population had both these days off and could drink to their content. It was full of Christmas music, movie marathons, rubgy, board games, race around the world and snow sculpting.

Some construction people even made a Christmas tree out of various pipes for the outdoor tree by the pole marker.




Our tree in the galley.
















The South Pole tree made of pipes and misc items.

Lion not yet complete

Inside the Dome

I've finally gone inside the dome and took some pics. We currently use the dome (the 2nd South Pole station) as storage although the construction crew is slowly disassembling it. It keeps getting buried every year from the wind and re-located ice crystals and bulldozers have to dig it out.

It was amazing to see there was snow inside the station. I was thinking the snow was there from the snow drifts and wind but from what I hear, the dome was constructed right on top of the snow so it's a constant -50F inside.




After 45 minutes, my eylashes started to frost













Me at the dome entrance

The blue room - I don't know why it's called that since it is not blue but white with frost. This is where the galley keeps most of the baking ingredients - bags of flour, frozen fruit, candy, etc.









Inside the center of the dome, there is an opening with 5 holes. Perhaps it is for air circulation? But you can see the flag flown through the holes.





This is part of the original housing for the people that lived in the dome.










Surplus goods - food and supplies.

Sun dog

A sun dog is the sunlight refracting off the ice crystals in the air... kinda like a rainbow (except rainbows are water molecules). There was a sun dog in the sky a few weeks ago - it usually appears 22 degrees to the left or right of the sun and has a halo around it.

Race around the world

The race around the world is an annual event where you run 3 laps (equivalent to 2 miles)... during this race, you go through all 24 time zones and literally are running around the world. The fastest male and female who race return to McMurdo for another race. This years winners are Curtis (ran in15:14) and Rose (ran in 20:17)...they say it's not the cold that gets you while running - it's the elevation.

We had a weather webcam re-directed to 90 degrees South to record the POW/MIA ceremony as well as the race. The rules were quite easy - you could walk, run, ski, bike, snowmobile, etc... use any means to complete the laps. Some were quite inventive - some of the cargo and electrical people attached couches on sleds to haul people.




Laura and Mandi












Other snow mobilers





Some walked, ran, biked, skiied





















Ice Cube had a shower float












Bob with his Texas flag



Nicole and Chris












Rose - women's 1st place with 20:17





Curtis - men's 1st place with 15:14

POW/MIA

We just completed a ceremony honoring the POW/ MIA and veterans - here on Christmas day. There are 27 of us prior service military here stationed at Pole. That's quite abit since the population is curerntly at 243. We flew both the POW and American flag until midnight on one of the construction cranes. This is the 4th year veterans have done this. Then in the summer some of us will take the flag to Washington DC and fly it by the Veterans memorial... Last year, John McCain signed the flag and it is currently flying at the memorial in DC.




Raising of the flags at 0800 Christmas. Lowering of flags at 0000 Dec 26.

Summer Solstice

Yesterday was the summer solstice here in the southern hemisphere.

Air drop

Last night, we had a huge food supply drop. It was 60,000 pounds worth of food which is suppose to carry the winter over folks for 2 winter seasons. They did this early because sometimes, when they wait until January or February, it's already too cold to fly so the wintering over Polies are short on their season food supply.

It normally takes a C-130 plane about 3 hours to fly from McMurdo to South Pole - it's about 730 miles. But the C-17 airplane is bigger and faster - it flies the same route in about 1 1/2 hrs. So the food drop was made by the C-17. There were 8 drops and 4 parachutes per load to land everything.

There were 8 of these loads - that's a lot of food!

Anita

Wow, I didn't realize I was getting behind in my blogs!

So there's this balloon called Anita. I forget what it stands for but its huge. The weather people at McMurdo released Anita on Friday or Saturday and somehow it got off course. It's suppose to be released and circumvent the earth...but something went wrong and it started flying south towards us. So 2 days later, we can see it with our own eyes.

The size is 40,000 square feet - it's so big the this new South Pole station can fit inside it. Anyway, it was 30 miles up in the air when I saw it with my own eyes... then there were a bunch of people looking at it through a telescope so of course, I took some pics.

What Anita does is look for neutrinos (see Dec 7th blog for neutrino info). It detects radio waves in the earth's crust and finds these neutrinos so the drill team can triangulate the mass of neutrinos, drill holes in the earths crust and insert doms to find out where in space the neutrinos come from...

The telescope inverts is so anita is seen upside-down although the balloon portion really is on top. You can see the wire which is suppose to be red and the little box it is carrying. The box is what detects the radio waves/ neutrinos.

Tuesday's dinner

So this time I was really prepared. Laura (the shift sous chef) claimed her Thanksgiving holiday so she took Tuesday night off work. I made midrats and had lots of fun. I was thinking of Texas, and missing crawfish boils. So that's what I decided to make - except we didn't have crawfish. We had lobster, but I didn't think anyone would mind the change. So for dinner we had a lobster boil with potatoes and carrots, jambalaya, gumbo and black beans with rice. It was an interesting meal and makes me want to get back to Texas as fast as I can for crawfish! Although I think the crawfish season is in March in the Louisiana region.

I think everyone was pretty happy with the meal. Seems like with Christmas coming around, everyone is getting grumpier and grumpier. I don't know if most of them are bah humbug sorts of people or they just miss their family. But there were quite a bit of people laughing and joking around. Isn't that cool how a meal can make someone happy or at least change their attitude for the better? But perhaps it was the spices in the meal - black pepper, cayenne and jalapenos - they can get your mouth breathing fire... maybe the other end too. But the compliments keep coming in so that's mighty nice.

More cold, perhaps ugh!

Well folks, I'm getting ready for my next adventure. Granted it's a bit early but I think having options are always a good thing. My contract for Pole expires in February, but I think I'll go sight-see for a bit and return to the States in March - maybe do a bit more traveling. I'm not sure yet of those plans but summer season starts in May and I have my next destination in mind. A couple destinations...

I've applied for a couple seasonal jobs as well as some permanent ones in Canada, Alaska, Vermont, Washington and of course Texas - and decided to winter-over on the Ice for the rest of the year (so far, I'm an Ice alternate). The offers are slowly coming in even though I won't need a job for a bit. This is kind of a short season but well worth it.

I guess I get a bit nervous when I procrastinate but alot of people want immediate availability so that discounts a few of the jobs I've already applied for. Yeah, can you believe it I was thinking about giving the seasonal trail a breather. But I think as the offers come in, I'm re-evaluating. There's so much of the world yet to see - how can I think about settling down in a crusty ol' job?

It's so inspiring to meet all these different people from all walks of life. I think that's why I liked the military so much - if it weren't for that I would never of met some really neat and interesting people. But like the military, we all start off as strangers and become friends and listen to some amazing stories from each other. Anyway, I think it's great that there are all these people older and younger than me that have the adventureous spirit and desire to see the world.


This is the 2nd year I've applied for Alaska so there must be something there calling my name. I've applied both at Glacier Bay and Denali. I've always wanted to go to Denali - the waterfalls are suppose to be amazing. But Glacier is right on the ocean and there's a lot of sea stuff to do - plus, I'll forgo hot weather for the ocean anyday. Temperatures get around 60F in the summer. That just might be a little tropical compared to -20F! So I'm leaning more towards Glacier - the interview went well and I think I'm just going to wait and see what happens.

Hmmm, incredible! I guess people can actually climatize to the cold. Crazy that I would! Right now it's -26F with a windchill of -37F and it's kind of warm out. Ha! To hear me say that it's warm - perhaps the thin air is getting to my brain?

iPod recharging

Captain D of the Karma Chameleon is totally brilliant! I got my iPod fixed - she just told me how to reset it and it's recharging now. How exciting is that! And here I thought it was broken... technology these days.

Dome complete

I was given the task of making a gingerbread for the holidays. I made the 2nd South Pole station - the dome.

Decorating the gingerbread dome

Dome complete... ok so it needs more snow.

Revised with original 12 coutry flags - Argentina, Chile, Belgium, France, Australia, UK, US, Norway, New Zealand, South Africa, Netherlands and Japan.

The real dome.

It willed it's life away

My iPod died. It played until the battery died and now it won't recharge. No more music... just complete silience. I think the cold may have gotten to it... it just won't work anymore, won't recharge, won't turn on, won't play my music. What a short life it led - it's not even 2 years old. Sad, sad, sad. Oh great! Now I have that song sad, bad terrible day stuck in my head...

So, what's for dinner?

Usually there's the 4 of us working midrats - Laura, Jake, Nicole and I. Saturdays are Laura and Nicole's day off so it's just Jake and I working and Sundays are our day off and they work. Most of the time there's food already prepared - that's what they did last Saturday making extra pizza for the midrats shift. So every other Saturday is pizza night and every other Saturday is pasta night - pizza twice a month as with pasta. Sounds easy enough.

Tonight was pasta night for the regular dinner crowd. I just assumed there was enough made for the midrats shift and I started my to-do list of desserts. My boss, James, came up to me about a 1/2 hr into my shift asking what's for dinner? I think I did a double take to see if he was joking but he was quite serious. So with no advanced notice I was suppose to make dinner for midrats. Ok, so that was a little freaky...panic! Well, I guess you know what happens when you assume things.

It was a really good thing I went to storage last week and took a little inventory of what we have in stock. I recalled seeing some marsala so the light bulb in my brain clicked on. You got it... chicken marsala. It's the easiest thing you can make in a time crunch - pasta, chicken, wine... it's all good!

It turned out alright and it was even ready 5 minutes early. We're suppose to plan for 70 people but it's always difficult to judge how much food to make since some people come up 3 or 4 times and some people don't eat at all. Also, there was a toga party out in summercamp and I didn't know if people were going to come in to eat or stay out there - sometimes non-midrats people sneak in to eat although they are suppose to make reservations in adavnce just so we have a warning and can prepare enough food. Anyway, I made more than enough so that was good. Whenever I cook my only worry is that I don't make enough and run out.

So, I guess all went well. Today was just another crazy shift. And now I know... every other Saturday, I'll be making dinner.

Midrat pondering

I was just thinking - thinking about civilization and the lack of. I like both yet they are such opposites. In the city life, there are so many distractions that can help or hinder your life. There are other people, your job, places to go and see, things to do, new people to meet, etc.

There's a guy I met here that was in Desert Storm/ Desert Shield in the Air Force. We were talking about some stories and how he still has nightmares. Although I was only there for 3 months, it's just different - the feelings, the thoughts that go through your mind. Andy spoke of how he changed - how he was once outgoing and now he doesn't really like people, stays quiet and to himself. He said even though it's been 16 years, it still feels like yesterday in the Gulf and that since he's been here at Pole, he's thought alot about that time.

It's strange because I too have been thinking of the past. I think quite often. Do I miss the military? Sometimes. Really, I do and wish I would have stayed in. Thoughts of re-enlisting are a constant in my mind - especially since there are still things I want to do in the Army. Other times I'm happy to be out... a majority of the time I think I made the right decision and I'm happy to be out. I guess even though it's been over 3 years, I'm still trying to adjust to civilian life. Every once in a while I check out the paramilitary job sites - and debate with myself whether I should try out a semi-military structure. There are quite a few jobs out there. I'm sure you can imagine where since most of these locales are in the news quite often.

So this is what goes on in my mind working mid rats on a mellow night...

The lack of civilization would be an example of where I'm at now. With the local population at 244, there aren't many people - you've met them all and everyone knows each other. It's a really small world. It's kind of nice yet kind of irritating that there's no sense of privacy. There's not a place you can just hangout by yourself... except in your own room.

Coming here, I knew it would be a nice break from the world. Sometimes, it gets to be too much and it's nice just to get away - no cell phones just a slower pace of life. I knew I could be without a cell phone being used to deployments and utilizing calling cards. It was just the internet I was a bit worried about. Once I found out there was internet available, I was content and willing to come here. I'd go anywhere internet is available. I can go without (literally) speaking with people but I like to email people and get information via the internet - just to keep in touch with the world but not really a part of it. Life gets much simpler without all the distractions. I guess sometimes I just like the seclusion.

When we were in Croatia, there were only 28 of us and the other side of camp were the Croatian Army. We didn't intermingle much except for weekend parties. Our platoon rotation was a month - there was no one else that spoke English and we lived in storage containers converted into sleeping quarters - 2 people per room. A lot of the soldiers got cabin fever being pent up in an enclosed camp and not able to leave except on missions. I kinda liked it - the remoteness. When we returned to Hungary, even though the post was small, there were just so many people to get used to again. It was a bit overwhelming.

I'm wondering if maybe there will be consequences in coming to Pole. Surely, it hasn't done anything to my career but I was willing to put that aside just for the experience of saying I've been to the South Pole. In socializing, I find myself becoming more of a recluse the more I travel through seasonal jobs. It's just that you make friends then after a bit, you leave for the next place and start over. So it's similar to the military in a sense that you move around a lot. At least as a civilian, I dictate where I'll be heading off to.

As far as the future, I know I need to focus and I thought by traveling I'd get work experience but it's just not the same quality as working in a fine dining restaurant or hotel. I guess I see others setting personal goals and trying to attain it and my goal thus far has been fairly simple - travel. It seems I'm still having a difficult time trying to figure out what I want to do when I grow up. There are still so many things I'd like to do. The big debate within is whether to settle or remain a vagabond. So far, the nomadic lifestyle has been the way to go.

Ice cube and Snow stakes

Me in the middle of nowhere...

I went on a sight-seeing tour of couple of places on Monday. Ice cube was the first place I went. It is not far from the main station but we got to ride on a snow mobile - their project is to drill holes in the ice with a firn drill and plant these round balls in the ice... these round things are called doms each worth $5,000 each. The goal this year is to plant 14 of them in the ice about a square by 2 miles deep. The point of this is that the doms look for subatomic particles called neutrinos, which are so tiny, they pass through everything and occasionally collide with a water molecule nucleus and emit a light that the dom senses. With this sensor, scientists can triangulate its trajectory, and find out where in outerspace it came from. Neutrinos are otherwise invisible, and would give these scientists clues to the existence of undetected supernovas, black holes, or other stuff in the universe. Also, because the neutrinos are almost completely massless, they head in a straight line, unhindered by gravity from earth, other planets or galaxies, and give a pretty accurate trajectory. The plan is to see where these neutrinos are coming from and when there are many neutrinos found in a certain area, the scientists can maneuver a telescope into space toward the direction the neutrinos came from.

The mid-rat crew with

firn drill.

Dom

The hole where the dom will go.

There is another project involving the largest telescope in the world. It's taken quite a while to build this - and is still being built. A part of this telescope was on the plane on my return to Pole. Just the nuts and bolts alone weigh 6500 tons. It's a big telescope called the 10 meter. It's main purpose is to discover the beginning of earth - and go back all the way to the big bang.

My other trip was called snow stakes. A little less technical but still interesting. I went out with one of the meteorologists to measure these stakes in the snow - they get checked on annually to see how strong the wind is and to measure the snow drift from the previous year as with the angle of the stake. There were 40 stakes in all that took us roughly 12 miles from the station and about 6 hours to check all of them. It was really great - being that far away, there was nothing in sight except snow and sky. Course, on the way back we played a round of Antarctic golf.

Nothing but snow and sun... Lance and I checking a snow stake.

7 miles from the main station

Me in front of our mode of transportation - a piston bully.

My first attempt at golf.

All of us - Jason, me, Lynette, Lance and Emrys finishing up on golf.

12 miles from station - out of sight except for our vehicle tracks on where we came from.