Last Couple Months On Ice

Okay, I know it's been a long time since I've updated this but I have a good reason. You see while I was on the ice I wasn't able to upload any pictures (don't know why). I tried a few times and finally gave up. Since then I've been harassed by a few people to update this thing. Well, here we go. I've upload a ton of photos and I'll add a few short stories. There are a bunch to follow so I hope you all enjoy my pictures and tales of life on the ice and around the South Pacific.

For new years there was the famous party called Icestock. Good music, good food, and good friends all gathered in McMurdo to bring in the new year.

Then there was the annual New Zealand vs United States Rugby game. This year the Americans came the closest they ever have to scoring. However we didn't score but did hold our own against the kiwis. Like Red Sox fans, maybe next year.

The end of the season, things started to get pretty cold. I don't know if I am just getting soft, but I found this great red suit in the Fuels Barn and thought I would wear it for a day of work. Maybe it was a little too warm.

Some of the last days on the ice the Fuels Department had a ton of work to do in the freezing cold. We spent days picking up the fuel pits at Willy Field. This involved pigging (shooting a foam bullet down the fuel line) the 5-6km hose that goes out to Willy. We then had to break all the connections and pick up the variety of hose used. It was cold, but there was a part of it that was fun. The station was starting to wind down and the sun was getting low.

Eventually it was time to pick up my room. I was organized this year and managed to make a list of everything I was leaving on the ice. This made it so that I know what to bring next time. The station at this point was getting really small as everyone left and I really started to feel a bond with my co-workers.

The last night on the ice, we got a report that two Adelie penguins were walking up the road down by the waste water plant. I strolled down to get a look at the awkward little birds.

The sad part about leaving is the good friends that you are leaving behind to keep the station running over the winter. Brian and Clare are two of the best people I've ever met and they will be stuck until Oct. However I'm headed down next season in Aug so I'll get to spend about a month with them.

Last flight! Last flight was on the Australian Airbus, yeah, a regular airplane. It was great. Once we took off, it was the last plane until August 21. The 148ish people left behind, will be there without anyone coming or going until then. But for the 70 people leaving, it was time to say good bye, give some hugs, and hop on the plane. After takeoff, we banked and turned towards the station. It was time to do the traditional last flight buzz of the station and the final good bye. Next we banked and took a trip around Mt Erebus. It was amazing flying in a plane with windows. In the back of a C-17 or C-130 you are sitting in a cargo hold and you don't have windows, well its a different story in the airbus.

I was lucky enough to get a seat in first class. We had flight attendants and all!!!!! I wish words could truly explain how exciting this moment was but nothing can truly convey the experience.

Okay, so now I'm back in NZ and I have many more stories to come and I'll get them out in the next couple days. Sorry for the long break, but again, it wasn't my fault.