16 January 2017 So what is there to do at McMurdo?

So what is there to do at McMurdo?

McMurdo is like a small town. But the community has to make a lot of their own entertainment because there is only limited access to television and internet. The entire bandwidth for the station is likely less than what your house has. My webcasts use up about 15% of the station's bandwidth. Luckily, there is plenty to do around McMurdo.

The dorms have a TV but the number of stations is limited.

There are a lot of hiking trails. You can check out cross country skies, fat tire bikes, or snowmobiles (after appropriate training).

The Hiking Trail at Arrival Heights. Wear boots with ankle support!

There are often science lectures and entertaining talks given by the scientists, artists, or journalists that pass through McMurdo. In fact, most folks are more than happy to talk about their research or job at McMurdo.

There are lots of fascinating speakers! Hey look ... It's my supervisor, Jim Madsen. Nice talk, Jim! Science is everywhere here.

There is a coffee shop that shows movies from time to time and the residents of McMurdo are very creative. There is a knitting club one can join, there was recently a ping pong tournament, and also an art show.

One of my favorite pieces at the art show!

The residents of McMurdo are very creative. There are numerous charity events, just the other day there was an event that supported Doctors Without Borders as well as a few other charities, it was called mustache roulette. Folks with facial hair had people bid on the ability to shave their beard/moustache in whatever way they saw fit. One resident had his 47 year old moustache shaved off ... quite the price to pay for charity.

Like I said ... creative.

Currently, there is a bit of excitement that the ice breaker is pulling in. Over the course of a few days it takes several passes through McMurdo Sound to clear the ice. It is common for wildlife to follow the ice breaker in. I haven't seen much yet, but the seals are a bit more active than they have been, so I am hopeful.

The Ice Breaker. It is seen here breaking ice. Hence the name.

Anyway, if you ever get down here don't expect to be bored, there is plenty of good natured fun to be had.

Below Zero Softball. The carpenter's team were victorious! If you ever get bored there is always seal watching. I think this guy is making snow angels.