Back in the Swing of it

So welcome to Fuels in McM. This is the group of wonderful people I work with. We do have three people that will leave for Pole for the season and there is a person missing who is currently out at a field camp, but other than that, this is the group of people I work with. If you can't find me just look for the blue helmet with the cones sticking out.

Our first Mainbody science lecture was from the guys on Planet Earth. This was a great presentation and if anyone out there hasn't seen the 12hrs of film I recommend getting them for the winter. They had some amazing footage and at the end of their presentation talked about their new series called "Life." Planet Earth was more about cool environments while Life is more about amazing animals. They are down here for a little while so they can get footage of our cool animals.
So I didn't post any pics of arriving on the ice so here is a pic of the C-17. Since there is no Ice Runway this year we landed out at Pegasus which is the white ice runway built on the McMurdo Ice Shelf (part of the Ross Ice Shelf). Weather, since showing up has been pretty nice. We did have a day of condition 2 and even a day where the windchill was -45, but other than that very sunny and warm.
Shortly after arriving, Eric my roommate and Kricket a new friend, decided to climb Ob hill and get some pics. It was a fun hike and we all had great stories to share. Kricket is now off to Pole where she is the Foreman in Fuels. I was hoping to go visit her this season but found out that I'm stuck in McM for most of the year except for a trip to Marble Point (helicopter refueling site) for Christmas. It should still be a fun year and Kricket has said she may take me to Kwaj (Island in the Marshal Islands where my friend Amber use to work) after we re-deploying. I'll keep my fingers crossed.
The last quick story to tell you all is about my sledding adventure this past Sunday. My friend Brian who just wintered and I were going to sled down Castle Rock. One of our new friends Heather was going to join us for the thrill. However at the last minute Brian bailed so he could go on a trip to the ice caves. Heather was up for the trip so we filed our e-foot plan and headed for the trail. I don't really have time for the details but even though Heather is smiling in this pic, you can tell by the cracks in her goggles that it was an interesting ride down. The short story is that after I bailed out of the sled (she was in back so she knew I bailed) she hit the jump on the side of the trail at about 35mph. This shot her ~50feet through the air (no joke) where she landed on her face and stomach. She made it back to the firehouse under her own free will but is now being monitored for internal bleeding. I talked to her tonight and the med team may be sending her back to CHCH for medical treatment. Let's all keep our fingers crossed for Heather and also for our sledding privileges down here. Heather is crazy and is already talking about another trip (I must first fix the sled).

I hope everyone is having a great fall. I miss you all and yes life is going well down here. My job is great and so are the people. Last night, after fueling the plane, I got to have dinner with my friend Brian on the C-17 after it broke and he didn't get to head back to CHCH. This is apparently the first time the C-17 has spent the night down here and it will spend tonight as well. However I hope tomorrow when I go out to fuel it again, Brian will get to leave the ice after his long winter.

Cheers

Zim Brother's Xmas Special

I'm back and I have a lot of great stories. I would like to start with the Zim Brother's Xmas Special. Last year Ed and Zim (don't know his real name) preformed a concert in the waste barn with special McM songs. One of my favorites was the "12 Day's in Christchurch". I think you know how the tune goes. The song is making fun of what happens when weather is bad in McM and you can't fly. "On the first day in Christchurch Raytheon gave to me, $140 Kiwi..." Well, I didn't make it all the way to day 12 but I did see day 10 so let me share with you my version of the 12 days in CHCH (just to let you know we typically arrive on one day, get our ECW the next and leave on the third but not this year).

On the 30th of Sep I landed in Auckland after a 13 hr flight from LAX and was able to see my friend Vince. I met Vince on the ice last year and his normal job is a police officer at the airport. It was easy to find him but not as easy to explain to all my new friends why I was being escorted around by the police. It was great to see Vince and I can't wait until January when he comes back down to the ice. To stay on the theme of the 12 Days In CHCH, Raytheon gave to me $70 kiwi (remember the budget cuts) and a room at Hotel So. The room was small, but it had mood lighting in the shower, a TV channel that was just a wood fire, sun lights for an alarm clock, and free internet. I loved this place (I later got bumped to the YMCA).
On the second day in CHCH Raytheon gave to me two wool socks (and the rest of my ECW) and $70 kiwi. Yep day two was spent trying on "Big Red" (my jacket) and all the rest of warm clothing that will keep me warm this season. This time I knew what I was doing and I ended up returning about 2/3 of my initial gear for better fitting or alternate style clothing.
On the Third Day in CHCH Raytheon Gave to me a fun hike from Sumner to Lytelton with great views and amazing fish and chips at our destination and $70 kiwi. Matt and Matt joined me on this trip, they are both fellow fuelies. One Matt was a Jano last year and was at pole the same time I was and the other Matt was a fellow GA.

On the forth day in CHCH Raytheon gave to me... and $70 kiwi. Okay this day is tough to explain so let me just explain what was happening in CHCH. So every other day another plane full of people arrive in CHCH from Denver. However due to a persistent storm, flight 1 can't get out. I'm on flight 2 so I get to sit back and relax. A typical day starts off with getting up at 8ish, getting breakfast somewhere, catching the shuttle to the CDC (Clothing Distribution Center) and collecting my $70 and two more shuttle vouchers. I then go back into town, eat lunch, wander around, eat dinner, more wandering only to go to bed and repeat the next day. Well, eventually it turns into a game of who can find the most exciting things to do. I'll explain further some of my activities, but others were a trip to Hanmer Hot Springs, Skiing, Surfing, Paragliding, Horseback Riding, Bungee Jumping... The best part is we were all on the clock. Yeah, paid vacation. One day I was going to play golf with a few friends but the place didn't hire (rent) clubs on Sundays. However we did get a great walk in through the botanical gardens and saw these ducks.

Laser tag was a fun day. Me and three friends signed up to play laser tag. As we waited for our time slot we played air hockey and fooze ball when 8 other ice people showed up. Long story short we spent 30 minutes running around shooting kiwis that were on the other team (they beat us). The good news is that I scored the most points on my team (thanks Dad for helping me with the shooting).None of these stories would be complete without telling about Go-Karting. Wow, these things move. After the first couple laps this guy caught me in a corner and I hit the wall doing about 15mph. May not sound like much but I was very stiff the next day from it. (Don't worry Gamma, I had a helmet and a seat belt on and Go-Karts are more safe than rugby). To end our 15min race, me and two others did a little "rubbing", broke the track, and had to end our laps a little early (others in the group also "rubbed" a little that added to the plastic all over the ground).

Paintball was another fun day. I joined the ATO (Antarctic Terminal Operations - cargo people) in a fun game of paintball (can you believe I get paid for this). The game lasted 3 hrs and was a ton of fun. I shot my roommate Eric in the back and in the chest, and even hit Jano Matt with a couple shots. I had one fun moment when I was hiding in the bushes when the other team was sneaking in from behind our fort. I didn't hear the person behind me until it was too late. I got off the first couple shots, but from a few feet away he tagged me in the jaw. I spent the rest of the day picking paint out of my beard. The other team won, but we were a person short and had the sun in our eyes. This day I also had the enjoyment of having a stick go through my Croc and into my foot. I've been limping ever since. I also have these funny red marks all over my body from where I got shot.

My version of the 12 Days in CHCH also included a boomerang flight. Flight 1 finally made it out and they sent the C-17 back for flight 2. At 10pm we all headed out to the CDC. by 1am we were taxing on the runway and left for McM. The flight is 5hrs long and at 4:45 the load master got on the PA and announced "Folks, in a moment you are going to feel the plane bank and turn. This is our plane returning to CHCH and we are not landing at Pegasus Airfield in McM today. Get comfortable for the 4:30 ride home." Yup 9.5hrs on a plane only to end up were we started.

The best part to my 10 days in CHCH was the food. I had sushi 4x, Lamb Souvlaki 4x, Indian 3x, french toast with bananas and bacon 2x, Mexican 2x, ... Yeah I ate well. More stories to come, but I am back on the ice and safe and sound. Temp is -20ish and work has already begun! Once again I am happy to be here and am nothing but smiles. My next post will blow you away so stay tuned!

Cheers