I wasn't in McMurdo long. We arrived, had a quick briefing, ate some chow (where I met up with two friends of friends!), I got my flu shot, and then some of us went to explore Scott's hut and the Ob Tube (The Observation Tube under the ice.) Finally, I caught about five hours of sleep and departed at 6:40 AM after a hasty breakfast.
I had seen images of almost everything from other people's slide shows and movies. In fact, from that limited education I really thought I'd dislike McMurdo. I thought it might be ugly and sad. In fact, McMurdo surprised me. It wasn't sad at all, maybe a little ugly in the town, but the surrounding scenery and constant sparkling light made up for it. My short time there was tasty, informative, warm, friendly, fascinating and restful. Not bad for half a day!
First we were taken into town.
We've arrived, and it's not so cold! only -8C, that's just below freezing!
Driving past some cargo I spotted IceCube reels.
A beautiful shot of Mt. Erebus with two observations outposts visible. Check out that cool cloud hanging in the sky!
The little which chapel has protestant, catholic, and Baha'i services. Also yoga on Monday and Wednesday night.
After getting a little oriented and getting my flu shot, it was time to get some grub!
My first Antarctic meal was two soups, greens, and some chicken curry on rice noodles. Not too shabby!
This doesn't even show half of it. This place is bigger than many of the dining halls at UVA.
The activities board in the dinding hall keeps everyone informed.
I learned two new elements:
Our next stop was to Scott's hut. In 1911 his exploration party used this hut as a base for South Pole missions. Unfortunately his party never made it back from the pole. All of their stores remain in the big wooden hut. Here are some of my favorites:
This plaque marks the spot.
Digestive biscuits: as good now as they were then.
Scott's Antarctic Expedition Crate
Mutton! (that's lamb)
There were also crates of dog biscuits, kippered herring, and gooseberry jam. All perfectly preserved, more or less.
A last look into the hut. The whole thing is about four times this big!