This morning was Condition 2 - the winds are blowing snow and the temperatures are cold (surprise!) and the visibility is low. I took a radio with me and gallumphed down onto the sea ice in full ECW gear. I could still see the Tomato but it wasn't bright red today in these nasty conditions.
View of the two Tomatoes from the lab during Condition 2. (Photo by Marcus Kolb)
I started a propane heater inside the Tomato but it never really warmed up. Cold air was coming in from under the Tomato since it is raised on sleds for towing. A seal has been using the dive hole for a breathing hole - which helped keep the center of it clear of ice. Thank goodness for Weddell Seals!
Even though conditions outside were nasty, under the ice it was the same for the divers. Annie was our dive tender today. She worked with Bob Garrott's seal project last year.
We all take turns chipping ice out of the holes, but Nick and I have been teaming up on it the most frequently. Yesterday we found an icy heart in the middle of the hole.
Nick and the icy heart
I was so busy before I left for Antarctica that I didn't finish my get-to-kknow-the-team quizzes. There are quizzes on Nick and Bryan in the September 20th journal, and on Stacy and Rusty (arriving in November) in the September 21st journal.
Marcus and I are the two short-timers for the first leg of the SCINI team. We are now, after 3 weeks, at our half-way point in Antarctica. Our team calls us "Morkus and Mindy” after a 1970’s T.V. show. Marcus is the Director of Research and Development at VideoRay. He has a wonderful wife and four great kids. Which statement about Marcus is FALSE?
Marcus spent 2 weeks in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico on a National Geographic expedition investigating cenotes (sink holes) looking for human remains, Mayan artifacts and fauna.
Marcus was an air show pilot at the largest U.S. airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin for several years.
Marcus graduated magna cum laude from Pennsylvania State University in 1994 with a BS in Computer Engineering.
Marcus and his baby VideoRay
You can take a quiz on me too:
I didn’t get my driver’s license until I was 24 years old.
I have traveled to all the continents now that I am in Antarctica.
I have taught in 7 different schools in 5 different states.
Mindy and the icy heart
Quiz Answers for Marcus 1. True: Marcus used the VideoRay to scout new cenotes to see if they were connected to a cave system worth diver exploration. See the National Geographic article on this adventure here.
True: Marcus flew the small planes and ultralights designed by his father Homer Kolb every year demonstrating the capabilities of the planes. See the planes here.
False: Marcus never finished his degree though he did take additional classes at Drexel University in Philadelphia. He wanted to finish his degree at Drexel (which is closer to his job) but he was so involved at work with a large project, he didn't have time to finish. He now continues his education daily by reading technical literature and constantly learning about new technology.
Quiz Answers for Mindy 1. True: I wasn’t keen to drive when I was younger. I still think it is a huge responsibility. In Antarctica, I have now driven the Pisten Bullies, the Tucker, and the Mattracks truck, all vehicles with tracks on them instead of regular wheels. The good thing about them is it is hard to go above 15 mph.
False: I haven’t been to South America or to Africa or to very much of Asia either… There is a lot of world out there. Many of the people that work in Antarctica travel around the globe when they are in their off-season, and have seen a lot more of the world than I have!
True: I’ve taught in Minnesota, Alaska, Colorado, Utah and Arizona. I’ve loved all the places I’ve taught, and I have a special fondness for my current students at Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy!
Update on the stuck flights: Despite Bryan trying his "excalibur" action and trying to pull the flights out like Arthur in the "Sword in the Stone" - they are still there. Let's hope the ice in McMurdo Sound goes out sometime this summer...
Bryan in his best King Arthur imitation