Blogs from Antarctica, Antarctica - page 42

Hi Everyone, Here are two of the photos I took on a recent helicopter trip in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. I will post some more later. ... read more

Greetings from sunny and scenic McMurdo Station, which as the locals say, is located very near to Antarctica. CHECK OUT PHOTOS 1 and 2. The US Naval Ship Paul Buck arrived at the McMurdo Ice Pier on Wednesday January 26 and began unloading 6.1 million gallons of AN-8 and JP-5 diesel fuels. (Ships, airplanes and the power plant use these fuels.) This is very good news as without the fuel, the winter population of the station would have been reduced from the current planned level of 235 people to 4 - 20. Of less consequence to Deborah and me, but of more consequence to the US Antarctic Program; all of the upcoming 2005/2006 summer science season would have been cancelled, except for that supported by Palmer Station. Fortunately this did not come to pass and we ... read more

The majority of the participants in the US Antarctic Program do not get the opportunity to leave the area directly surrounding McMurdo Station. Safety is the number one priority, which is a good thing due to the remoteness of the town, so, with the exception of scientists and a few lucky people who’s jobs take them into the field, there are virtually no ways of getting out and exploring and seeing things such as mountain tops or wildlife, unless they wander into town. To help combat the boredom and restlessness that someone with a yearning for adventure experiences when they are surrounded by an amazingly beautiful, but off-limits wilderness, the National Science Foundation has allowed a few recreational trails to be made into the surrounding hills and they occasionally offer morale trips to visit some of ... read more

January 25th - The plane ride was very interesting. We were each given a large bagged lunch that could feed a small army and loaded on the plane men first and women second. The reasoning behind this is the bathroom the men use, which is a round curtain surrounding a large barrel with a funnel, is at the back of the plane near the cargo and the women get to use the crew bathroom up front. There are two isles with facing seats made of webbing nets and canvas over a very uncomfortable aluminum frame. We were seated facing each other with our knees interlocked like a zipper making it difficult to move to the front or back of the plane (actually difficult to move period). The plane took off on time and before we left ... read more

I will never get sick. I will never grow old. I will never die. ... read more