Happy Birthday Micaela, from McMurdo, Antarctica!!!!
McMurdo Posting Day and Time- 12-30-07 1:35PM Central Standard Posting Day and Time- 12-29-07 6:35PM
MCMURDO WEATHER Temperature 28F Wind Chill 16F Wind Direction Southeast Wind Speed 14mph
Answer to Yesterday’s WATIZIT Sound
Mr. Mike from Blanco wins the prize, the sound was an audible traffic signal in Christchurch, New Zealand.
This is a rather long report, but then, 12-29-07 was a long day.
HURRY UP!!! I tossed and turned trying to sleep for a few hours, but I was too excited to get much sleep. We were scheduled to fly from New Zealand to McMurdo Antarctica this morning at about 2:30AM. My alarm goes off at 1:15AM I grab my bags and go down stairs, everyone else is already in the prearranged shuttle bus to the CDC/airport.
HURRY UP!!! At CDC we quickly put on all of our ECW (red parka, bunny boots, snow pants) and go through security screening.
Putting on ECW
Suiting up
wait…… We are told to hang out in the waiting area.
HURRY UP!!! Catch a shuttle to the C17 Air Force Cargo Plane.
C17
C17
HURRY UP!!! We get situated in our seats and then, wait.....
Inside C17
Passengers and Cargo in C17
wait....After an hour or so the Air Force pilot says that there is a problem with an engine, and they will shut down the plane and find the problem.
HURRY UP!!! catch the shuttle bus back to CDC.
wait..... hangout in the waiting area while they fix the plane. An hour or so later they announce we will try this all again tomorrow morning.
Hurry Up!!!! Catch the shuttle bus back to the CDC, rearrange our bags and catch a shuttle bus (HURRY UP!!!) back to the B&B where we are staying, about 8 hours after we left at 1:30AM
George in Shuttle
George on one of our shuttle trips.
wait……….As we walk into the B&B the clerk tells us, nobody go anywhere, CDC just called, we may be flying out today after all. They will call and let us know in the next couple of hours.
HURRY UP!!! I am out of cash, having to pay for each shuttle trip. So I ask if there is time for me to run down the street to an ATM. She says go ahead we won’t hear back from them at the earliest- 45 minutes. I am gone about 10 minutes, when I get back, everyone is on the sidewalk loading their bags back into the shuttle bus. HURRY UP!!!!
Boarding Shuttle
Catching our last shuttle to the airport.
At CDC we are told HURRY UP!!!! They want to be in the air in 30 - 40 minutes. Reorganize our bags, go through screening, catch the shuttle bus, climb into the plane, strap into your seats beside loads of cargo, engines rev and we are off!!!! HURRY UP!!!
AWS Team on C17
wait……... It’s a five hour flight to Pegasus airstrip on The Ice.
HURRY UP!!! Grab your gear unload, put on sunglasses, step into a black and white featureless disorienting landscape, frozen sea ice, and trudge to Ivan The Terra Bus.
Ivan the Terra Bus
Ivan the Terra Bus
C17 at Pegasus
C17 at Pegasus airstrip
wait…….. it is a 45 minute shuttle ride to McMurdo.
HURRY UP!!!! Unload and shuffle into the "chapel” .
wait…….listen to numerous people throwing information at us.
Get checked into our dorm rooms and finally it is time for dinner, it is about 7:00PM.
No More Hurry Up, No More Waiting.
RELAX!!!
Wow!!! I'm in Antarctica!!!