My Christmas weekend!

The holidays just aren't same being away from my family. I miss them so much. I know we are all together in our hearts! My Christmas at the bottom of the world was one to remember this year. I was transitioning back to day shift over the holiday, it is going to be nice to see more faces around town. We had our town Christmas party to start off the weekend, it was a blast! I danced my ass off. Christmas Eve started off with a visit from 25 Adelle penguins. That night we had MAAG. I forgot what it stands for, but it is basically an art show with work that people have created down here. This year they also incorporated a cabaret. There is some serious talent down here. Christmas day was jam-packed with good stuff. Stated out with a White Elephant gift exchange with a bunch of my co-workers, I made away with a super trashy romance novel.. haha Then I went on a hike out to Castle Rock with my room mate Kyle, and a handful of people. The weather was iffy at the beginning but turned to be one of the nicest days yet. We made out way around the Castle Rock loop and arrived at the Kiwi ski hill! We lucked out and scored some gear and a bunch of laps on their rope-tow! This was a pretty huge deal for me, first day back on skis in over 2 years. Felt so good to get back to the sport that I have been so passionate about my whole life. Then Kyle and I hitched a ride up the hill in a rad Tucker snow cat. Finished the day off with some much needed sleep. I hope your holiday is one to remember as well!

 Merry Christmas!

The best department on station!

Wildlife! Adelles and Seals

The tree

Kiwi ski hill

Skiwi!

My roomie!

Merica'

Back on skis! Thanks Alasdair Turner for the amazing picture!

The Bike Age, Antarctica..

Stumbling upon this bike inside Scott's Hut at Cape Evans was a pleasant surprise. This was the last place I would expect to find a bike. It has been there for a century and it is showing its age. How did they ride this skinny tired things around on the snow anyways?

 

Side Job

This season I took on the task of getting the community bikes out and tuned up for everyone to enjoy. It has proved to be quite the project. I have formed a heaping mound of bikes that will make better lawn ornaments. Luckily I have managed to help a few of them to get rolling again. It is a nice change to throw my headphones in and turn some wrenches. This is my little place to get away...

Quite an interesting collection of parts/tools

Exploring the Pressure Ridges

I finally made it over to Scott Base to explore the Pressure Ridges. They are lucky enough to have these right out their back door. This is a section of sea ice that is under stress from currents and winds.  You end up with some really neat formations of jagged ice. Check it out!

Don't forget your change!

Nothing beats a quick dip in an ice pool!

Cape Evans

Road trip! The time finally came for me to take that special trip out to Cape Evans for all the hard work on my Halloween costume. I new it was going to be an awesome trip, but didn't expect it to be epic! We set out in a Hagglund to cross the crack-infested sea ice. It is an amphibious track vehicle that the program uses often down here for trips out on the sea ice. We bumped around for about an hour out to Cape Evans, making a couple stops along the way, some of which I am not supposed to say much about, but I will tease you with a couple pictures! The hut itself was outstanding, rich with history and chocked to rafters with artifacts from Robert Falcon Scott's Antarctic Expedition. Find more info about the Hut HERE .

The season is trucking along steadily, and work is going well. My team has changed completely from what it was at the beginning of the season. There have been some exciting nights and some not so... I am supposed to head the "Operation Bikes of McMurdo Tune-up" sometime soon. Looking forward to turning some wrenches again!

Out of this world.

Gravity defying.

I could have spent hours...

Ready for a feast.. or famine..

Science!

Dinner?

Scott't Hut with Barnes Glacier in the background.

The Hagglund

This picture does it's size no justice...

Icy Nights

I am finally getting into my groove down here. It was been a pretty interesting season thus far. I am on night shift for the first half of the season again. I had my first night off tonight and lucky for me, the weather has been beautiful, chilling, but beautiful. I had a nice walk and found some fun ice to capture.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween to all! McMurdo is notorious for it's costume parties and Halloween is it's crown jewel. I decided to step up my costume this year and I think it turned out well. I ended up winning the most creative category at the costume party. Couldn't be more excited, especially since I get to take a little trip out to Cape Evans as my prize!

 

 

Back to the Ice

Well, I made it back to the Ice. It is almost like I never left, feels pretty strange. I forgot what the cold felt like, hopefully I get my tough skin back fast! I had a good couple days in Christchurch, filled with orientation, botanic gardens, getting delayed on the flight down, surfing, getting more delayed, and eating lots of food. Here are a couple pics from the trip down here!

Merica! This thing was awesome! ha





Superheros against dirty windshields.



Catching some last minute waves!



Amazing mountains out the window on the way down.



I will have more for you later! Time to get settled in.

Hello Again!

It's been a while since my last post, and I figured what a better time to get things rolling again than now. It has been a great summer for me filled with work, adventures, biking, hiking, fishing, and friends. I am locked and loaded for another big adventure to the southern hemisphere. I start the journey tomorrow, making the long trip to Christchurch, NZ. There I will get geared up to head back to Antarctica for the "Summer." I can wait to share my experiences along the way. Stay tuned, much to come!

My days are numbered..

I can't believe that I only have a couple more weeks here at this amazing place. It is bitter sweet to say the least. I am looking forward to my travels and getting back home to see my friends and family.

Here are a few recent pictures!

The ice breaker.

Seeing open water is pretty cool!

Molting Emperor!

Mohawk!

Buddy ol' pal