Returning to the Ice

Well everyone, I think I'm back to the blogging gig (or at least I'll try). So the summer was fun but there were some trying times. It rained almost the whole month of September on Fox Island and I was very happy to leave that island behind. Overall it was a fun summer but only time will tell if I'll repeat Fox Island next year.

So I am writing from Denver. The past month has been a blur starting with working about 3 weeks straight on Fox Island, having a couple days in Anchorage visiting Shawna, Ovi, and Ana, flying home for six days before returning to RPSC headquarters in Denver on the 25th. I have not been caught up on sleep for over a month and I don't see it getting better anytime soon. The hiring process for my job this year went about the same as last with many issues with the PQ but it all working out in the end. Around the middle of August I was offered a Winfly position (fly down to the ice early to open the station up) but turned it down to finish my contract on Fox Island. Also if I took the Winfly position I would not have had a chance to return home. When I turned this position down I was thinking I would be leaving VT in Oct but found out at the beginning of Sep that I was headed to Denver on the 25th.

So here I am, sitting in a hotel room in Denver on the night before the flight to New Zealand. Being back here has brought a smile back to my face that I don't believe was this big all summer. I have already seen some great friends from last year and met many more. Tomorrow I finish up training and head to Denver International Airport. From there, there will be a short flight to LAX and then a 13hr flight to NZ. I'm not looking forward to the flight but once I land I'll get to see my friend Vince in Auckland for a few hours before continuing on to CHCH. I can't believe this time of year is already back. I have this nervous feeling identical to what I felt when I was a kid on Christmas Eve. The Ice is truly a great place full of great people where all of your cares melt away (or maybe the freeze away). I'm wondering if this year I'll "loose my cool" as I step off the plane and back onto the ice, I guess only time will tell.

This year there are a lot of changes to the program. First off I am going to be a Fuels Operator. I love the people working in my department. One guy was a GA with me last year and another was a close friend. As a Fulie I'll be fueling planes and buildings. Yup all that schooling to pump gas (I know my dad is proud). Other changes are due to budget cuts that we have been told are due to high fuel prices.

• No ice runway
• No liquor sold in the station store
• One person Recreation department (use to be 5)
• No "hold in CHCH" mail
• 1/2 the travel funds
• No issued Long Underwear or Socks
• No issued sunglasses
• Fewer freshies (veggies) and mail flights
• Mandatory Flu Shot (I got mine today and even got a care bear bandaid- I guess they could have saved money and got regular bandaids)

I hope to take pictures this year, but my adventures will be a little more tame this time around. I have about 3 more nights left before I start my second longest day. I miss you all.

"If you don't know where you're going, any road will get you there" - Old Man Rice

Cheers
Skippy

Fox Island

Hello Everyone,

So I last left off back in NZ. Since then a lot has happened but unfortunately I have not been motivated enough to update the blog. So here is a little about what has happened. Before leaving NZ I got to spend some time with a new friend Vince who is a police officer. I got to do a night shift ride along with one of his friends in the heart of Auckland. Although it was a slow evening, I still thought it was fun to learn about what these guys do.

After coming back to the States, I spent about 1.5 weeks in VT/NY visiting friends and family. I wish I had a little more time with my Old Man but I'll get to see him more this fall. I was home for about 11 days and each day was full of trying to get as much out of it as I could. However time went way to quickly and before I knew it I was back on the road.

I left for Alaska on the 1st of May. I have great friends here that I haven't seen in about eight years but that I still keep in contact with. I was surprised by them when I was walking down to the baggage claim and ran into them at 11:30 at night. It's really nice to know I have friends like that. They gave me a ride to the backpacker I was staying at but I spent the next few nights at Shawna's and Ovi's house. Shawna and Ovi have a cute little daughter about the age of Ella. Ana is a little cutie and fun to be around.

My Job this summer is the Assistant Manager on Fox Island. Fox Island is located about 14 miles from the town of Seward. When I worked here in college we had one "bag" phone and a radio. Now we have, a 4Wheeler, regular phones, internet (company use only at the moment), electricity... I guess the days of Gilligan's Island are over. My responsibilities include cooking food, managing about 15 people, ordering supplies, overseeing overnight guests, maintenance (and the list goes on. So far the job isn't worth it but I did get two unexpected raises which was kind of nice. Some days the job is very taxing and I can't wait for the day to be over but all I have to do is look around me and acknowledge life could be worst.

We have all kinds of wildlife here including whales, bears, eagles, moose, goats...

This summer I have been tagged by my manager as being a flirt. This started when one day I told a cute young lady that she looked familiar. After a 5-10 minute conversation we found out we've been caving in NY together. This is twice this has happened to me this year with the caving people and it's getting a little weird.

Last week I went to a solstice festival up in Moose Pass. While I was there I ran into 4 ice friends and met Janet who I didn't know in McM but was there this year studying seals. Janet is now working at the Sea life Center in Seward and said she would give me a behind the scenes tours some time.

At night on the Island we do movies in the day lodge on a big screen projector, go hiking, kayaking, play board games... This picture is of Emily (one of the Kayak Guides) from a trip we did up to the saddle behind the day lodge. On my days off I still hitch hike around (one trip to Anchorage and one to Moose Pass). I've met some very nice and interesting people this way. I'm thinking about hitching to Anchorage sometime soon to buy an electric motor scooter for getting around Seward. However I do understand that the exercise is good for me.

As for Antarctica, I just found out last week that I got hired to be a Fuels Operator this next season. For my new job I'll be fueling planes, buildings, testing fuel, filling tanks... The pay is almost double what I got last year and I'm really looking forward to it. Today I had my doctor's appointment and I my dental appointment is scheduled for next week. I have many more stories to tell, but I think this is a good start and at least it will get some people up to date.

Happy Birth Day Ella Darlene Rice (June 30, 2007).

Not All Who Wander Are Lost

Okay, I'll be the first to admit "I'm lost". Well, I know where I am, but have no idea where I'm headed or how to get there. When I last left off, I had just done some paragliding on the North Island. Since then I've had and interesting time. I never thought I would be homeless on the streets of Wellington or that I would sleep on a bench outside the train station, but here we are.

After I left Hastings I was going to start traveling back to the South Island. I told the woman at the back packer I found a cheep bus ticket and she helped me out by finding me a 3 o'clock ferry ticket from Wellington to Picton. It was very nice of her but I should have double checked her handy work. I left the next morning with the cute English girl from the backpacker and took the 5 hr bus ride to Wellington. After I got there I said goodbye and headed for the Ferry Terminal. I walked in and informed the nice chap that I was there for the 3 "o'clock" ferry. He informed me that I must be at the wrong ferry since they didn't have a 3 o'clock ferry. I knew I had the right ferry, but unfortunately I didn't have the right 3 o'clock. The nice chap informed me that I had a 0300 not 1500 departure time and that I was 12 hrs late. He could see my despair and he re- booked my ticket for the next 0300 departure since the rest for the day trips were full. I was going to look for a backpacker to crash at, but they were all full for the Rock 2 Wellington concert that weekend featuring Kiss, Poison, White Snake, and Ozzy Osbourne to name a few. So I was homeless until my Ferry ride.

So I went to the Te Papa museum (which is free) and checked my back pack into the free coat check and visited the museum for 3 hours. Then I ate some food on the water front where I saw a huge stingray. Next I took a nap on a bench outside the train station before checking in my luggage at the Ferry. I then slept in their terminal until boarding time. The ferry ride is 5.5 hrs and is normally really beautiful but it was night, so I slept. They had Harry Potter and Bratz playing for movies, but I slept the whole way. When I got to Picton, I waited for the sun to rise before leaving the terminal. I next wandered around town until it was a "decent" time to find a back packer. The first place was full, but the next just had an opening (as I paid, the women changed her mind and they had to turn her away as they gave me the key) I spent the day hiking and returned to the BP for free pudding.

The next day I hitched to Nelson and had one of the funniest rides. This Austrian woman picked me up. She claimed just just learned how to drive an automatic car. She was wrong, she does not know how. Ever time she stopped she would shift into low. Then at about 50k/h she would shift to 2nd. At 80-100 k/h she would shift to drive. That poor little transmission on the hire (rental) car was taking it hard. Plus because you need to apply the bake to shift from park, she would hit the brakes whenever shifting. It was too funny watching to tell her the truth.

When I got to Nelson, all the backpackers were full so I hitched a little way out of the city to a small camp ground. It was a nice place, but a little too far from town with way too many sand flies (just like black flies). The next day I hitched a ride back in and found the sister BP to the one I stayed at in Picton. This meant more free pudding. This was also Easter and all the stores were closed. I really needed to find some food, but nothing was open. The next day my self and a fellow traveler took the free bikes from the BP and headed to the beach. My old man would love all the sand dollars we found. At this point I was getting stressed b/c I didn't have a farm to work on and I was spending money too quickly. However, good things come to those who wait and before I knew it I had two WWOOFing opportunities.

The first place was in Richmond which is just south of Nelson. This was the best place yet with only 4-4.5 hrs of work a day and all the fresh peaches I could eat. Every meal was made with food from their land except dairy and bread. I guess the venison also wasn't from their land, but a friend of theirs had shot it nearby. After work, I would take a bike into town or out to Rabbit Island and walk along the beaches. Very relaxing and a good addition to the trip.

The next farm I was at was in Mapua which is about 15 min from Richmond. The Hosts ran a woodworking studio where they made wooden bowls. I thought this was interesting because that is what my ancestors use to do back in VT. Again, I had 4hrs of work a day and then trips into town. Most of the time the host would drive me to Richmond or Motueka and I would hitch back. One afternoon I had to turn a ride down when the driver was so drunk that he could hardly talk and when he went into the store to buy a pack of cigarettes, he almost fell over. I like getting rides, but I'm not desperate.

After all that work, it was time for some fun before heading back home. So to start this off, I went on a backpacking trip of the Abel Tasman. WOW, my pictures don't do it justice. This was a walk through lush rain forests surrounded by sandy beaches.

Saw some great wildlife including lots of birds. At night we had Possums fighting outside the tents and if you went out with a flashlight you could easily find 5-10 of them. We also saw lots of baby seals. I talked to some guys doing some kayaking and they said the seals would jump up and ride on the kayak (I've seen pictures so I know it's true). I heard wild boar and even some Stags roaring.

An interesting aspect of this hike is that you need to do sections at just the right time. There are a few estuary crossings that must be made at low tide. I had a couple close calls, but those stories can be saved for latter.

I met a great English couple that I spend 2 of the days hiking with. One night we went out and collected Mussels for dinner and ate fresh mussels cooked in soup noodles. Boy was it good. Also as we collected the mussels, 4 baby seals came over to see what we were doing and played with us. Unfortunately I left my camera in the tent.The last morning I got up early and made it to the end of the trail. I knew I was going to be on a remote road and hitching was going to be tough. However after 1.5hrs and only seeing 2 cars, a nice young chap picked me up and gave me a ride into Takaka. I then hitched back to the place in Mapua I was WWOOFing and took a shower and got some good hot food in my stomach.

The end of my trip to date has been a lot of Hitch Hiking. From Mapua to Richmond, Reefton to visit Ged (former WWOOFing host) at the gold mine, Waipara, Kaikoura, and back to CHCH. That is about about 11 hours in a car and about 4.5 hours standing on the side of the road. The back packer I stayed at in Kaikoura as great, for $20 I got a bed and the use of a sauna, hot tub, pool, pool table, TV lounge, kitchen... Not bad!

So now I must get "cleaned up" and ready to travel north. I really need a haircut and a good shower. I'll be home soon, but on May 1st I head north again to Alaska. Before I left for Antarctica, Ian O'Brien (4 years old) drew me a map on how to get home but unfortunately I only caught on to the big arrow and the word North. Thank you Ian, but next time I'll get it right. I miss you all and hope to see most of you next week

Cheers

True Friends

I received this picture from one of my friends not to long ago. In the picture is Betty, Steph, and Bama. They were on a trip together in NZ and thought of me when they saw these cereal boxes. I hope everyone gets a kick out of these pictures. I hope to update more but for now I must go.

Cheers

What A Bad Day

Okay, I recently had a horrible day but it's not what you think, it's because I could hear my Dad's voice in my head giving me advice. But, we'll get into that in a minute.
So I left CHCH a week ago, but before I left I ran into a couple friends from the ice. It was fun to see familiar faces once again and we even found a cool little bar with live music to spend the evening (although I stopped drinking after I left the ice but don't worry, it will only last a little while). I caught a plane to Wellington when I was going to spend the evening at the famous Beethoven House. I was told by a friend on the ice that each morning you are woken for breakfast by the sounds of the classical composer. However the true Beethoven house is full of drug dealing sketchy people. I saw maybe 5 deals go down in an hour from people that weren't even staying at the back packer. The dogs that lived there pooped all over the floor, and cleaning I don't think had been done since Beethoven was alive. However, I left the next day and was headed to Hawke's Bay via bus.

I got in around 6:30pm and thought I could just find a backpacker to stay at. However the first two I went to were full. The next on the list didn't have a good rating so I was afraid to stay there but there was a forth option. This fourth option did not have a rating since it was new but I gave it a shot. They had one free bed left and were willing to come pick me up so I took it. This place is beautiful. The people are friendly and the owners clean every day. I love it hear.

The reason I came to Hawke's Bay is to take a paragliding course. I wanted to get my PG2 licence and was under the impression it was $1250. However it required a PQ1 licence which I didn't have which cost $620. So this is where my Dad's voice came in to my head. I did not need the PG2 licence since I didn't even have a paraglider. So, I did the PG1 course.

Barry, my instructor was a little odd, but his office is in a storage unit. He has been flying for 15 years, but I don't think he has been teaching all that long.

I was able to complete 7 flights off the hill which were a little scary, but I did it and it was a ton of fun. I'm not sure if I'll try again later in life, but it was worth the adventure. So next I'm off to the south Island again via the Ferry and I hope I can find a new farm. I also need to find a new summer job but I'm thinking about asking Stryker if they'll take me back again for the summer. Who knows.

Cheers,
Skippy

West Coast

Hello Everyone, I am currently back in CHCH waiting to head north to Wellington. So what have I been up to in the past couple weeks. Well I left Gore (the sheep Farm) on a rainy Sunday Morning. I took me 1.5hrs to get the first ride but I was able to make it up to Cromwell. I then waited an hour, still in the rain, for the next ride to Wanaka. At that point I gave up and decided to spend the night in Wanaka.

While wandering around town (after the rain stopped), I ran into some ice friends. They were headed to a great little movie theatre. The movie was okay, but we watched it from big soft couches. There is even a car in there that you can watch the movie from. After a long day with friends I headed back to the backpacker I was staying at.

The next morning I headed north up the West Coast. It took an hour to get the first ride but after that I only waited <30sec>

My new WWOOFing farm was interesting. I got to run a tractor, tow a horse trailer, drive stick again, work with sheep, horses, chickens... The farm was fun but one night it got interesting. I couldn't figure out why the wife couldn't drive and kept going to these meetings. Well one night when the husband was at work she started acting funny. Within an hour she could hardly walk and wasn't talking right. I finally figured out she was an Alcoholic (the meetings and no driving thing). It was a long evening as she passed out 4 times and destroyed their house. I started the first couple hours by picking up behind her, but after a while I gave up (it wasn't my house). I finally left her for the night in the living room (stairs were not an option) and decided that once an hour I would go check on her. With that be hind me Work was great.

On Saturday I went to the Wild Foods Festival. WOW that was fun! I ate things such as crocodile, kangaroo, ostrich, huhu grubs, worms, paunga, venison... I ran into a ton of ice people there and I felt like I was home again. The picture is of Neoma after eating a live Huhu Grub.

After the Festival I left with Ben an Neoma for WestPort. I was going to Couch Surf with them at this really cool place on the beach. The house was built by Dave, the owner, who had no other building experience. The house was so nice. Plus all night you could here the waves crashing.

On the way back to Greymouth (where I was WWOOFing) we stopped off at Pancake Rocks to see the sights. A little disappointing. I then went back to WWOOFing and hitch back to CHCH on Tuesday. Two fun women picked me up and drove me all the way from Greymouth to the YMCA in CHCH (3.5hrs). Aurthur's Pass is unbelievable an any pictures I took didn't come close to capturing the sights. I'm leaving in an hour for Wellington and have already booked my return flight home. I will be home on the 19th of April at 2330. I know late at night, but I hope someone will be able to come pick me up in Burlington :)

Cheers

Marama Farm

I know it's been a while since I've updated this, but here is what I'm up to. I arrived in Christchurch back on the 15th and found out that I was going to be staying at the YMCA. I finally had my own room. I even had a great balcony that looked out over the city. It was a little rainy out so my friend Megan and I made a few road trips to find the sun. I did find it, but it wasn't as warm as we were hoping. I spent about 5 days in Christchurch sleeping on floors and going out at night with friends. Every couple days a new wave of people came off the ice and it was exciting to see everyone again.

At first I thought WWOOFing was going to be easy. I emailed a couple places but didn't get a response. Then I realized finding a farm was going to be a challenge so I emailed 7-8 places. The next day I had a farm lined up and everything was good. I arranged a couch to surf on in Timaru for the night before and was going to hitch down. Well, the next day that farm fell through but another person offered me a place. I tried calling them a few times but was unable to talk to the person in charge. Finally the next day I had an email indicating that the second farm had fallen through. I was not having a lucky go of this. I emailed another 7-10 farms the next day hoping one of them may come through. On Tuesday I received an email from Graham Clarke indicating hew as interested in my Antarctic travels but that he already had 3 WWOOFers. By that night, he had emailed me telling me to come anyway. The next morning I caught the bus out of town at 6:30 and thumbed my way down to Waipahi. By bus this would have taken 9 hours but with my good old trusty thumb it only took 8.5hrs. I had a little trouble getting through Dunedin but a very nice guy saw me and gave me a ride out of town where I was quickly picked up. The longest I waited for a ride (besides my walk through Dunedin) was about 15 min. I also managed to do this huge trek with only 4 rides.

So now I am on my WWOOFing adventure. At the farm there was already a German couple and another American. They are hard workers and fun to be around. I was told there would be 4-6 hours of work a day but that has now turned into 8-14. I would complain, but the boss is now out of town, and I'll be headed out next week to the next farm. On the farm there is 6000 Ewes, 2000 Lambs, and a few cattle. Work includes mending fences, crutching sheep (wiping their bums), herding sheep, picking up dead sheep, and cooking meals.
We do have some fun moments like when Graham took us to the Moonshine festival. I tried moonshine hokey-poky ice cream and it was great. We also went to a little cafe one day for lunch. The farm hand (also named Graham) is from England and his family took us all fishing one night. I caught the only fish which was a flounder type fish. The funny part of it is that I caught it with my hands in a little pond next to the river.
Since Boss Graham is away this week, we invited Neighbor Graham and his family over for dinner. It was a great feed with a bunch of great people. The WWOOFers all chipped in some cash for the food.

I don't know where I'm headed to next, but I hope to find a farm somewhere on the West Coast of the South Island. I don't know exactly when I'm headed back to the States, but right now I'm thinking it will most likely be the middle of April. I don't have a summer job yet and still don't have a job lined up for the ice next year. All of this is starting to stress me out a little, but I'm sure in the end everything will work out. If anyone has any good ideas for me for summer work, please add it to the comments.