Southbound

Finally, on fifth day after arriving at Christchurch, I board the C-17 cargo for the five-hour trip to McMurdo Station.  We, the 8 passengers, were fortunate.  Because McMurdo is operating at peak capacity, there were only eight of us passengers (mostly scientists) going down.  But there were tons of cargo--including what I estimated to be around ten thousand pounds of mail.  Though there wasn't a lot of space to move around, there was plenty of freedom to do so. In my opinion, this is the only way to fly.

 

Crew Rest

Here are some of our first glimpses of the "Harsh Continent," taken from the porholes at the front and back of the cargo bay.





Father Doyle

Father Doyle picked me up on Tuesday, and we drove to the high bluffs overlooking the coast.  It reminded me a little of the houses perched above Malibu on the California coast.  No worries about mud slides, though.  These are built on volcanic rock.  I didn’t bring my camera, and it was a bit hazy, so I don’t have any pictures.  We saw some of the damage from a 7.1 earthquake last October, and I met Fr. Dan’s delightful 84 year old mum.  Over a sandwich and a pint of Guinness, the good Father gave me a language lesson. 

Now, most of you know that when you fill up with “petrol,” you check under the “bonnet”.  You stow your your luggage in the “boot”, and wash the “wind screen.”  When you need a place to park, you look for a “car park” (cah pahk).  While going through the car park, make sure to slow down for the “judder bar.”  If you’re a visitor in town you may want to “hire” a car.  If you come to an intersection, you may have to “give way” to oncoming traffic so you don’t end up with a dent in the “wing.”  If you need to dress up, you can also hire a suit.  Possibly you'd want to hire a “flat”—not for your car, but for a place to stay. When you go inside, you’ll find a sink in the kitchen and a basin (pronounced “byson”) in the bathroom, or “bog”.  There are no restrooms here, only “toilets.”  If you buy groceries, you may want to pick up a “shopping trolley.”  If you plan a walk, you may want to take a “bum bag” (just what it sounds like).  If you order a biscuit, you’ll get a cookie. 

Well, I’ve got too much time on my hands.  Let’s take a break with a few pictures.

Soon—God willing—I’ll be writing you from “the ice,” unless I catch a “boomerang,” which happens when we reach the point of “safe return,” and it doesn’t look so safe.  In that case, after a five hour flight, we turn around and fly five hours back to Christchurch.  I don’t think I would enjoy that, but if it came to a vote, I’d vote for “safe.”   The people waiting on “the ice” for a ride home don’t really appreciate a “boomerang” either.

I should say that it is considered a privilege, here, to be able to go to “the ice.”  Like the sign in the airport that I posted earlier indicated, this is as close as many (including New Zealanders) will ever get to the Antarctic.  One of the biggest tourist attractions in New Zealand is International Antarctic Center.  People from all over the world, literally line up to buy a $55 ticket to see a penguin display, feel an “arctic storm,” and ride over an obstacle course in a Hagglund snow coach.  Meanwhile, right across the street, the C-17 awaits to carry us members of the US Antarctic Program to experience the real deal.

Morning Walkabout

Here's a few random shots around the hotel area.

Awe Shucks!

This just in--For logistical reasons I'll be waiting for a while longer here at Christchurch than I expected .  I know all of you are eager to see some pictures of penquins and ice flows and stuff, but you'll have to settle for a few more pictures of New Zealand.  Fr. Dan Doyle here has promised to show me a few of the sites.  I, too, will have to settle--for living on hotel food, seeing the sites, exercising and hot-tubbing, without any particular responsibilities.  God is good!  You know what they say, "hurry up and wait."

I did pick up my Extreme Cold Weather gear today.  This is what I'll look like. It's sort of the modern version of the abominable snowman.  Actually, everyone looks like this, so nametags are important.  I'm not sure what that does for the dating scene, but that's not any of my concern. 

This is only the outer layer.  It goes much deeper.  I'm thinking I could wear something like this to any Montana football game and be toasty warm.  In fact I probably wouldn't want to cheer much--I might break into a sweat.  Bet I could do a mean "moon walk" in these.

Wannaficatrubaya

World travel is not as exotic as it once was—an airport is an airport; a hotel is a hotel; a Starbucks is a Starbucks, etc.  There are some differences that stand out all the more in the sameness of the world.

New Zealand could be America, except for some obvious differences.  I’ve never been anywhere where cars drive on the left side of the road before.  I wasn’t prepared for how disorienting it can be.  Beginning in the van ride from the airport to the hotel, I feel like I’m in a film that’s been reversed, like when you take a negative and print it with the wrong side up.  (If you don’t know what a negative is, ask an older adult).  Not only is it curious, it can be dangerous.  Yesterday, I got a free bus pass from the hotel clerk to go downtown.  “The next bus comes in seven minutes, be sure you go that way,” she said, as she pointed to the right, "so catch the bus on the other side of the street."  “Oh, thanks,” I said, “I would have waited on the wrong side of the street.”  Getting to the bus stop, I realized I’d forgotten to bring my camera from the hotel room.  I ran across the first three lanes fine, but was looking the wrong way.  I nearly stepped right out in front of a couple of cars.  I’ve heard of people getting killed that way, and now I know why.  (Don’t worry, Ruth, I’ll be OK.)

We don't often realize that when we meet somone going the other way in a hallway, we tend to move to the right to avoid a collision.  While trying to pass a woman in a hotel corridor, I kept moving to my right and she kept moving to her left.  She was very persistent, as we stood facing each other at the wall, that that she was going to take that path, whether I had enough sense to move over, or not. 

In the gift shop, I saw a map of the world.  The South Pole and Antarctica are at the top--then New Zealand and Australia--then all of the other continents accordingly.  It's all in how you look at things.  By the way--the blood doesn't rush to our heads as we walk around down here.

With the language barrier, the Kiwi’s have an advantage.  They are exposed to American English every time they turn on the TV or watch a movie.  Like most of the world, they know more about what’s going on in American politics than a lot of Americans do.

“Wannaficatrubaya foyo peen,” said a man to me on the Qantas airplane, coming down here. 

“Pardon me?”  I said. 

Yo peen, yo peen!  (He makes a writing motion) 

“Oh, certainly!” said I, as I handed him my pen.

“Wouldya like some craked peepa w’tha?” says the waitress serving my fish and chips.

(I’m catching on now…long vowels and a few missing consonants)

“Cracked pepper?” yes, thank you.”

Speaking of fish chips, if you want some (potato) chips, ask for “crisps,” otherwise you’ll get something looking to us, like french-fries.

 

Places like Strarbucks can be found in buildings much older than we are used to

Christchurch, New Zealand

Spring is in full bloom in Christchurch New Zealand.  After twenty-nine hours of travel, the first task at Christchurch was to get a hot shower at the hotel.  The second might have been to get a nap, but not without exploring the town square first.  In that long, long night of flying, I had crossed both the equator and the date line.  So I traded fall for spring, and Friday melted into Sunday—a Sunday with the most perfect weather anyone could describe or imagine.  It seemed that everyone was at the cathedral square, basking in the sun and enjoying a food fare, art museums and a seemingly endless botanical garden.  I can see why people say this is a stark contrast to the ice of Antarctica.  The “Kiwis” (New Zealanders) have been very nice and are very proud of their role in supporting the scientific exploration of the Antarctic Circle.  They speak English, of course, but it’s just different enough that at times is seems like another language altogether.

Tomorrow I’ll get outfitted with ECW—Extreme Cold Weather gear.  Then very soon, I’ll be climbing aboard a big C17 to make the long transit down to ‘the Ice.’ In the mean time, I intend to get a good meal and a long night’s sleep.  I’ll leave you with just a few of the pictures I took while in downtown Christchurch today.

Christ Church Cathedral where the Erebus Chalace is kept during the winter on the ice. 
During the summer, the chalace resides at the Chapel of the Snows, at McMurdo Station

November in Christchurch

A sign at the Christchurch airport

A Little Poem

Five hours in LA…what more can I say.

Lord, help me to see the down time as a blessing.

Meanwhile, the McMurdo community holds a memorial service in sympathy for four French comrades who died in a helicopter crash in bad weather last week; including the pilot, a mechanic and two researchers from l'Institut polaire Paul-Emile Victor, in Brest, Brittany, France.  Sometimes it’s good to have a chaplain around.

Reflections

“Are you excited?” you say.  The answer is complex, as emotions often are.  As leaving time draws near, there are seemingly a myriad of details to accomplish.  I’ll never complete the minutia of my mental check lists, but I’m confident that I’ll go prepared.  After all, there is very little to take where fashion and variety are not a real concern.  The important thing is not to leave anything essential behind.  I won’t be turning around to pick it up.  But I want to be sure to leave things as orderly as I can.  I will be leaving co-workers with extra duty. 

Honestly I’m not very anxious about all of that—I guess I’m fairly used to handling a lot of details and preparations.  More importantly, I’ll be leaving my wife and family.  They are strong, and will do well without me.  Leaving is hard, but we’ve done this before; and I know we will be stronger in the end.  Still, it’s hard.

There will be the stress of twenty-some hours of flying time to New Zealand, and then several days of preparation for the final trip to “the ice.”  Then I’ll enter a world where seventy-two hour work weeks are the norm; Ten degrees Fahrenheit is considered a pretty balmy day; and the twenty-four hour sun plays havoc with one’s body clock.  They tell me that I should be expected to be deprived of smells, sounds, color, warmth and moisture.  I will travel by myself to a place I’ve never been and a people I’ve never known.  It sounds very Biblical, doesn’t it?  “Get yourself up, and go to the place that I will show you.”  At least Abraham got to take his loved ones with him.  I think I would be way more excited if I could do that.

With all that aside; yes, I am excited.  It’s amazing, when I mention the subject, how many people tell me they have been to, or know someone who has been to “the ice.”  Thousands go every year.  Still, there are relatively few people in the world who will experience such a pristine and exotic environment.  In a very modest way I hope that you can live just a little of it through my eyes and senses.  I hope to capture pictures and stories that will broaden my awareness and spice up conversation for years to come.  That is, until someone says, “If you mention Antarctica one more time, I’m going to… a) barf, b) throttle you, c) scream.”  With that in mind, my intention is to keep my posts as brief, yet interesting as possible, so you don’t do one of the above.  More later…thanks for your support and prayers.

My Journey Soon Begins

So I go on not knowing,—I would not if I might; 

I would rather walk in the dark with God than go alone in the light; 

I would rather walk with Him by faith than walk alone by sight.

From the poem, “Not Knowing,” by Mary Gardiner Brainard

U.S. STATIONS AND CAMPS IN ANTARCTICA

The largest Antarctic station, established in December 1955, is McMurdo Station (77 degrees 51'S 166 degrees 40'E).  This station, the logistics hub of the U.S. Antarctic Program, is built on the bare volcanic rock of Hut Point Peninsula on Ross Island, the farthest south solid ground that is accessible by ship.

Its 85 or so buildings range in size from a small radio shack to large, three-story structures. Repair facilities, dormitories, administrative buildings, a firehouse, power plant, water distillation plant, wharf, stores, clubs, and warehouses are linked by above-ground water, sewer, telephone, and power lines.

Local features include Mount Erebus (an active volcano), McMurdo Sound (the station's namesake, named for Lt. Archibald McMurdo of James Clark Ross's 1841 expedition), the Ross Ice Shelf, and the ice-free (dry) valleys of southern Victoria Land.

At the very bottom of the world, the scientists of the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station (90 degrees S) conduct research that includes glaciology, geophysics, meteorology, upper atmosphere physics, astronomy, astrophysics, and biomedical studies. The station's name honors Roald Amundsen and Robert F. Scott, who attained the South Pole in 1911 and 1912.

Palmer Station (64 degrees 46'S 64 degrees 03'W) situated on a protected harbor on the southwestern coast of Anvers Island, off the Antarctica Peninsula, is the only U.S. antarctic station north of the Antarctic Circle. Designated by the National Science Foundation as a long term ecological research (LTER) site,

Palmer Station is ideally located for biological studies of birds, seals, and other components of the marine ecosystem, meteorology, upper atmosphere physics, glaciology, and geology. Palmer Station is named for Nathaniel B. Palmer, a Connecticut sealer who, in 1820, may have been the first person to see Antarctica. (British and Russian ships were in the area at about the same time.)

In addition to the stations, a range of camps conduct research in the field.  On the site of the former Byrd Station, Byrd Surface Camp is operated during the summer as a fuel stop and weather station for planes flying between McMurdo and destinations in West Antarctica. Typical summer population is eight personnel. The camp consists of sled-mounted modules.

Operation Deep Freeze

Operation Deep Freeze represents the U.S. military’s support of science and research activities conducted by the U.S. Antarctic Program under the direction of the National Science Foundation (NSF).  Joint Task Force-Support Forces Antarctica (JTF-SFA) involves Air Force, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve Command, Army, Navy, and Coast Guard personnel.

U.S. Air Force aircraft which support JTF-SFA include propeller driven LC-130s, operated by the New York Air National Guard’s 109^th Airlift Wing, and the C-17 Globemasters, operated by the 62^nd and 446^th Airlift Wings, McChord Air Force Base, WA.  The LC-130, equipped with skis for snow and ice landings, is used for heavy airlift and Containerized Delivery System airdrop throughout Antarctica.  The bigger C-17 is used for long-range transport of people, equipment and supplies between Christchurch, New Zealand and McMurdo Station, Antarctica.

Christchurch International Airport is the staging point for deployment to McMurdo Station, the central base of operations for all Antarctic programs conducted on the Pacific side of Antarctica and support of the U.S. Amundsen-Scott Station at the South Pole.

--Gleened from information published by the 13th Air Force Office of Public Affairs

Initial training and familiariztion, Scotia, NY, July 2010.  Note the Skis on the front of this LC-130

When landing gear is lowered, the skis come down first. 

In another configuration, the skis raise back up to allow landing on the wheels.