Tuesday, November 07, 2006

McMudhole


Most places have four seasons. I hear Vermont is
beautiful in the Fall. I know that Arizona is
wonderful in the Spring. Here at McMurdo, we
have three seasons. Ice and Snow season which
lasts roughly from May through October, Dust
season, which lasts from January through April
and this time of year. Mud season. Yesterday, it
got all the way up to 23 degrees farenheit. 23
isn't warm you may say. Right, but the sun sure
is warm and when it'shining 24 hours a day, it
gives lots of opportunity for snow and ice to melt.
It's still cold enough at night that the mud freezes
and stiffens into something resembling frozen chocolate
cake batter...mixed with rocks. During the day though
it gets squishy and small mud rivers flow down hill,
joining together to form large mud rivers. It's
kind of sureal. All of this will end in time though
when McMurdo will again become a dustbowl of a place,
putting the Okie version to shame. But for now, it's
interesting to watch people slop slop slop in the mud.
All in a place where people think it's only ice and
snow.

No comments: