Technically I am not an "empty nester", my 2 adult children are currently living at home. I am no longer feeling the need to chaperon, chauffeur, cook and clean (the 4 C's as I call it). If fifty is the new thirty, then I am ready to go! I have decided to see as much of the planet as I can afford. I started with the hardest place, Antarctica. I got a job at McMurdo Station on Ross Island.
People say what was it like? Big, white, far away, like being on another planet. Parts were fabulous, parts were horrible. I met the greatest people there, all with a stories of their own. I wrote to many people each week with a different theme. I was asked to publish some of them and so here it is. The above picture of me was taken on a trip to Cape Evans. We rode in a delta and that thing over my shoulder is an ice slug, a Weddell seal. Here's my first communique:
Greetings from the bottom of the Earth
Hello to all, what an experience getting here! I had window seats for the entire trip with the exception of the C17 military transport to McMurdo. I flew right over the fires in California. They were very bright at the nighttime take off from LAX. I got an entire row to myself on the trip to New Zealand, so I got a good night's rest for being on a plane! I am still adjusting to the time though but I think it was an easier transition than going east to Europe or Africa.
New Zealand is great, in the height of spring and all flowers and gardens were in their finest. It smelled good too. The houses are all neat and tidy, no slums to speak of and the streets of Christchurch are very clean. They do drive on the opposite side of the road from the US so it takes a bit to get used to crossing streets. Had only a short time there, the Y is a nice place to stay. We flew out on the 26th to the ice. Flying in the C17 was neat, but weird not to be able to see or have a sense of where one is on take of and landing. The flight was over a lot of ocean, I have included what it looked like flying over the continent. Antarctica is larger than the lower 48 in the USA. There are lots of mountains and glaciers easily visible from the C17. Landed on the sea ice where the ice is about 7 feet thick, obviously enough to hold the weight of the enormous plane.
The day I landed was the nicest one they've had down here for some time, it was a balmy 1 above and no wind. I traveled south with lots of "polies", folks shipping out to Pole. They are still here in town (McMurdo), so it's pretty crowded. Speaking of crowded, my room is a glorified broom closet, albeit one with a great view of Mt. Discovery, one of the three largest mountains in the area. It's pretty warm in the all the buildings. The food is not too bad, although the milk is made (pretty well) from powder. All the buildings have the equivalent to an air lock, much like being in space or what living on another planet might be like.
Last night was the first of what I am told are many big parties. It was the annual Halloween party, and it was jammed packed. They get pretty creative with the costumes! As it got hotter and hotter with the wild dancing in the old gymnasium (which was dark except for the special lighting), when ever anyone opened the doors, bright light would spill in as well as huge amounts of condensation and the effect was to make the whole place become enveloped in fog, like dry ice effects on a very large scale. Just about everyone has those red coats called big red, locating yours own is interesting. Hundreds are hung or thrown on the floor and they are almost identical. Everyone has their name on a Velcro strip so that you know who is who outside and which one is yours inside. Really have to remember exactly where you dropped it. I did lose a mitten though, I will try to retrieve it later today. Sunglasses are required at all times outside, even at 3 AM.
I have an office to myself, and it's bigger than my room, overlooks all the action out on the runway and later in the season, the dock for the icebreakers and, fuel ship and freighter. I thought maybe I'd move in there! There is lots to do, I am helping with the conversion of the power, water and waste water treatment plants to a new system of accounting for time worked, work orders and maintenance schedules. Its the life link for the base, if the power goes out, we are screwed! I am getting a hepatitis vaccine to work there although I will not be doing anything with the plant contents.
I also hope to be taking a winter survival course way out on the bay, which is frozen to a depth of 20 feet. I will have to sleep outside and learn to survive on the survival kit all are issued when leaving the base in any vehicle. I am hoping to put it off a long as possible so that it will be warmer. It's really the wind that gets one here. I will sleep in either a tent or an igloo that I will build. My "travel mate" Karen who I met in Denver is one of the survival instructors. She is an experienced mountain climber and instructor who works at Denali in Alaska. We've hit it off pretty well.
There is lots to do here, 3 or 4 bars, workout places, movies, a library, a store, where I already spent money, a funky bowling alley with humans as pin setters like in the old 'n timey days, and as I have yet to discover, outside activities. I hope to get out for a hike today, it is sunny, but too windy for skiing at the moment. it's 2, wc -35, spring weather for sure! Lots damn colder at Pole, like -65. Sun is up all the time, there are dark covers for the windows, it’s an adjustment.
New Zealand is great, in the height of spring and all flowers and gardens were in their finest. It smelled good too. The houses are all neat and tidy, no slums to speak of and the streets of Christchurch are very clean. They do drive on the opposite side of the road from the US so it takes a bit to get used to crossing streets. Had only a short time there, the Y is a nice place to stay. We flew out on the 26th to the ice. Flying in the C17 was neat, but weird not to be able to see or have a sense of where one is on take of and landing. The flight was over a lot of ocean, I have included what it looked like flying over the continent. Antarctica is larger than the lower 48 in the USA. There are lots of mountains and glaciers easily visible from the C17. Landed on the sea ice where the ice is about 7 feet thick, obviously enough to hold the weight of the enormous plane.
The day I landed was the nicest one they've had down here for some time, it was a balmy 1 above and no wind. I traveled south with lots of "polies", folks shipping out to Pole. They are still here in town (McMurdo), so it's pretty crowded. Speaking of crowded, my room is a glorified broom closet, albeit one with a great view of Mt. Discovery, one of the three largest mountains in the area. It's pretty warm in the all the buildings. The food is not too bad, although the milk is made (pretty well) from powder. All the buildings have the equivalent to an air lock, much like being in space or what living on another planet might be like.
Last night was the first of what I am told are many big parties. It was the annual Halloween party, and it was jammed packed. They get pretty creative with the costumes! As it got hotter and hotter with the wild dancing in the old gymnasium (which was dark except for the special lighting), when ever anyone opened the doors, bright light would spill in as well as huge amounts of condensation and the effect was to make the whole place become enveloped in fog, like dry ice effects on a very large scale. Just about everyone has those red coats called big red, locating yours own is interesting. Hundreds are hung or thrown on the floor and they are almost identical. Everyone has their name on a Velcro strip so that you know who is who outside and which one is yours inside. Really have to remember exactly where you dropped it. I did lose a mitten though, I will try to retrieve it later today. Sunglasses are required at all times outside, even at 3 AM.
I have an office to myself, and it's bigger than my room, overlooks all the action out on the runway and later in the season, the dock for the icebreakers and, fuel ship and freighter. I thought maybe I'd move in there! There is lots to do, I am helping with the conversion of the power, water and waste water treatment plants to a new system of accounting for time worked, work orders and maintenance schedules. Its the life link for the base, if the power goes out, we are screwed! I am getting a hepatitis vaccine to work there although I will not be doing anything with the plant contents.
I also hope to be taking a winter survival course way out on the bay, which is frozen to a depth of 20 feet. I will have to sleep outside and learn to survive on the survival kit all are issued when leaving the base in any vehicle. I am hoping to put it off a long as possible so that it will be warmer. It's really the wind that gets one here. I will sleep in either a tent or an igloo that I will build. My "travel mate" Karen who I met in Denver is one of the survival instructors. She is an experienced mountain climber and instructor who works at Denali in Alaska. We've hit it off pretty well.
There is lots to do here, 3 or 4 bars, workout places, movies, a library, a store, where I already spent money, a funky bowling alley with humans as pin setters like in the old 'n timey days, and as I have yet to discover, outside activities. I hope to get out for a hike today, it is sunny, but too windy for skiing at the moment. it's 2, wc -35, spring weather for sure! Lots damn colder at Pole, like -65. Sun is up all the time, there are dark covers for the windows, it’s an adjustment.
It’s been kind of hard to get on the sleep schedule when it is light all the time, they provide a shade for the window but it really is not enough to stop the light. The sun is directly outside the window and it gets hot! I brought a fan with me, I am a fan addict and the white noise is good. The walls in this building are thin as paper, and I am definitely the oldest woman in the building. I share a bathroom with 22 other young women, 2 sinks, 2 stalls, 2 showers. Interesting. Privacy is fleeting at best. Modesty is highly overrated!
What a different world!
What a different world!
More to Follow.....
2 comments:
Welcome to the blogosphere, Audrey.
Very impressive! Congratulations on being the first in the family to set up a blog. Great initial posting. Love the picture!
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