Tragedy in Oklahoma

A tornado tore through the small city of Moore, Oklahoma.  It's
a suburb of Oklahoma City.  We are always worried when we
hear of tornadoes in Oklahoma because we have family that
live there.  In this case, my nephew Matt works at Bob Moore
Ford (noted by the red circle on the map) which was only a
few miles north of the tornado's path.  This particular disaster
reminded me a bit of the earthquake a few years ago in
Christchurch, New Zealand.  Lynn was in the middle of the
Central Business District during the quake and Facebook
became a valuable tool to help find people.  My sister Terri,
who is in Indiana and me were both trying to find out if
Matt was ok and both of us were using Facebook.  Luckily
our friends Marta and Sara (who are originally from Norman)
are in Norman this week and were posting updates on Facebook.
I asked Marta if anyone had heard anything about the area around
Matt's dealership since at that time, we didn't know the path of
the tornado.  A friend of Marta's was able to report that her friend
worked at the same dealership, she had spoken to Matt's boss and
Matt was safe!  It turns out much of the area's cell phone and
internet was down due to the storm and Matt couldn't contact
anyone.  What a small world it is that a friend of a friend of a friend
was able to tell us Matt was ok.  As much as social media can be
a headache...in times like this, it turns out to be a great thing!

Southbound

I'm beginning my 13th season on the Ice and my 11th journey south. Every season's flight is very different, and this year is no exception. I would have preferred to fly on the C-17, but instead I arrived on the A-319 Airbus. It's funny though how a little experience helps one have a better flight. I lined up where I needed to after the safety briefing in Christchurch and got a good seat on the bus to the plane, which in turn, got me
a great seat on the flight.

 
About 3.5 hours into the flight, we started to fly over the Transantarctic Mountains, which form the spine of the Antarctic continent. I never tire of this view of the mountains and glaciers. There is a Qantas flight that makes a similar route to ours on New Years Eve and that costs approximately $10,000 per person. Yes, I get paid to make this flight!


Once we start veering toward Ross Island (where McMurdo is located) we start flying over McMurdo Sound. There are lots of icebergs this season. Although they look smallish, each of these is probably about
the size of a city block.


I've seen this view many times, being on the ramp, (this would be called the tarmac at regular airports) but I don't get to see it often from inside a plane. It doesn't look that much different from last year, although I believe the Ice Runway is a bit closer to Scott Base this year.


This is the typical shot of folks leaving the plane after arriving from the Ice. I was contacted by a representative from the NSF (National Science Foundation) for a photo just like this for one of their early season documents. I submitted it, so I hope it gets used.

The Travels of My Bag

Presumably, after galavanting around the South Pacific, my missing bag decided to show up. I was watching television at my hotel (The Elms) at 8pm tonight and the phone rang. I was very excited because I thought it would be the front desk telling me my flight tomorrow would be cancelled. Ha! No such luck. However, I was lucky that they had my bag at "Reception" and I should come pick it up. Upon dragging this 51.5 pound monster to my room (I already had my 70 pound duffle bag) it looked no worse for wear, but had many new tags on it. I have no idea where it went, but I was glad it found its way "home"!

Spill Prevention

Christchurch is amazingly still struggling with quakes and aftershocks, a full two years since their first major earthquake. The citizens have a good attitude, but I also think they have a "let me up, I've had enough" feeling. One thing I love to do when I visit different countries is to shop at their grocery stores. New Zealand is no exception. I love all the bright colors and different options they offer compared to our stores back home. I needed to pick up a few items to take down to the Ice, so I visited my favorite supermarket in New Zealand, Countdown. They've had so many aftershocks the store has apparently taken the bull by the horns and have done what they can to stop items from falling on the floor. All aisles with glass items now have plastic barriers that stop things from falling on the floor and breaking every time an aftershock hits. Ingenious and innovative. I'm sure they also have less calls for "Cleanup on Aisle 6"!

Serious Lamb Burger

My very long flights from the States to New Zealand didn't leave me any time on the 29th to see anything, anyone or get anything done in Christchurch. Also, as a result of the time change in New Zealand, I lost an hour of sleep as well. After four full hours of sleep, I rose and was whisked away by shuttle to the CDC for my clothing issue, and orientation at the Sudima Hotel. Clothing of course went very smoothly, but I had to plan a bit differently since my one bag with most of my clothing did not arrive with me in Auckland. What frustrates me is the fact that they have no idea where it is. I hope it shows up before I head to the Ice. While we were on break during our orientation session, me and a couple of friends headed to a new McDonalds nearby. It's been built since the quake and I think it used to be CalTex petro station. Anyway, I like to try new things and they certainly had a new thing on the menu. The Serious Lamb Burger! Ok...to understand this, you have to understand the Kiwis. They love beets (beet root) and fried eggs on their hamburgers. They also love lamb. So, what they did was combine their regular Kiwi Burger (which is beef) with lamb and made essentially a LambBurger! It was...ok. Not the greatest thing in the world, but not truly horrible either. However, I don't think I'll be jonesing for one during the next five months!

Back On The Ice

I landed today at McMurdo, marking my 12th season
on the Ice. It was really one of the easiest, most
uneventful trips I think I've ever had down here.
We did have a one day delay in Christchurch due to
the weather in McMurdo, but overall the whole trip
was pretty seamless. After two days of orientation
in Denver, we hopped on a relatively short flight to
Los Angeles and a six hour layover. Then a 13 hour
flight to Auckland, where I enjoyed some really good
airport sushi and then down to Christchurch. I'll
post some more photos of the damage in Christchurch
soon, but to sum it up in one word, that would be
"devastating". Having that extra day in Christchurch
meant that I was able to visit some of my favorite
places in Christchurch and then came the flight down
to the Ice. I was fortunate enough to fly again on
the Skytraders Airbus that is making trips courtesy
of USAP's agreement with the Australian Antarctic
Division. I sat in the exact same seat as my trip
down last year and got some fantastic photos of Mt.
Erebus and Ross Island on the approach to the brand
new Ice Runway. It was great to be reunited with Lynn
after six weeks and we settled into our cozy temporary
dorm room. We'll be making our permanent move in about
two weeks when our winter-over friend departs our
summer room. Until then...back to work!

Lynn's Still in Christchurch

Sometimes you fly...sometimes you don't. Sometimes you don't
even stay in the same hotel you thought you were going to stay in.
Lynn was scheduled to fly to McMurdo yesterday, yet she's still in
Christchurch. Weather at McMurdo has hampered flights and the
earliest she'll go is tomorrow. I can definitely think of worse places
to be stranded than in Christchurch. She's surrounded by nice
friends and they've even taken her out and about since she doesn't
have a car. Although it's not the same Christchurch we've known
all these years (Lynn says the earthquake damage is heartbreaking),
it still feels like a second home to us. One of these days, she'll be
continuing her journey south.

Lynn's Packing to Go South

Lynn wasn't planning on going South to The Ice this year.

She was an Alternate. Then, out of the blue, she received

a phone call, telling her that she was now the Primary.

Plus, she would be going down at Winfly, not Mainbody.

This means that she'll be leaving for orientation in

Denver on August 21st and headed for New Zealand on

August 23rd, with a on-Ice date of August 27th. Each

person is allowed 140 pounds of luggage. Usually it's not

hard to come under the weight limit, but sometimes it's

hard to fit everything in the bags. We've solved that

problem by getting space bags that remove all the air

and gives you a compact bag to place inside your bags.

Here's Lynn demonstrating the procedure.

Marin

Even though it's right across the Golden Gate Bridge from a

major city, much of Marin County has a almost rural feeling to

it. If I lived in San Francisco, I would want to come here

frequently just to decompress from all the busy-ness of the city.


I really enjoy coming to Muir Beach when we're here. It reminds

me a bit of Taylor's Mistake, near Christchurch New Zealand. It's

compact, peaceful and there aren't huge crowds. Lynn enjoys

watching the waves and I think it reminds her a bit of the beaches

in New England, where she grew up. While we were walking on

the beach, we were lucky enough to see a small pod of porpoises!


The National Park Service and the Golden Gate National

Parks Conservancy are restoring the wetlands near

the beach, returning the area to a more natural state.


Once you drive north from the beach, the drive is pretty

steep and you'll come to the Muir Beach Overlook. Walking

down a small trail will allow you to see for miles up and

down the coast.


During World War II, this entire area was lined with small

bunker-type facilities called Base-End Stations. From these

stations, soldiers would view ships and triangulate the speed,

distance and direction to coordinate with nearby Artillery Units.

All of the hardware has now been removed, but it would have

been a cold and blustery assignment to work at one of these

stations.

While we were driving north to Stinson Beach, we saw these

interesting looking sail boats headed south along the shore.

In all, there were seven of them and they reminded me a bit of

Chinese Junks or Polynesian Catamarans. I would find out

later, they were indeed Catamarans, and of New Zealand

Māori origin! They had left New Zealand in April on a

trans-Pacific voyage to tell of the plight of the world's oceans

and of Pacific peoples. It's really amazing that one part of

"our" world is connecting with another part, so far from each

other, and totally by chance!


You can read more about the voyage and the voyagers by

clicking THIS link...


Stinson Beach is a more traditional bathing beach located

just up the coast from Muir Beach. It was a weekday, so

it wasn't very crowded. However, not a lot of people were

getting into the water since it was a chilly 56 degrees

Fahrenheit. The water never gets that warm in these parts.

It takes a pretty brave soul to swim in these waters on a

regular basis.

Just up from Stinson Beach is a really pretty drive up

Mount Tamalpais, or Mount Tam for short. It's the

highest point in Marin County at 2,574 feet and most

of it is protected parkland. There are lots of pretty

views and beautiful woods on the drive to the top.

Once you get to the top, the view is pretty remarkable. It was

a fairly hazy day, but you could still see San Francisco and the

East Bay pretty clearly, as well as most of the Marin Headlands.

Well worth the drive up the twisting road.

In other visits we've seen Muir Woods National Monument where

there are huge Redwoods and Point Reyes National Seashore.

Both of which are also located in Marin County. However, we

just didn't have time to go there on this visit. Maybe next time.

Will Lynn Get Her Stuff Back?

The earthquake happened in Christchurch on February 22nd, and lots of
folks would like to get their items back that they had to leave in their
hotels. Lynn was one of those people and we really understand that it
is dangerous to go into some of these buildings. In fact, we're prepared
that she may not get her stuff back at all. However, I guess we'd like
to know either way. So for right now, it is resting comfortably in the
All Seasons Cashel hotel, in a room very similar to the photo I've posted
above. I posed the question on Facebook if anyone had heard
anything about luggage being returned. I received several notes
back. The latest from Bill S. being the most encouraging. Apparently
it is being addressed by the head of RPSC (the company we work with
on the Ice. There is "a plan in place to retrieve these items...it will be
a month or more..." Below is an article recently posted in the Christchurch
Press newspaper.

A logistical nightmare looms for Christchurch hotels as they try to reunite
thousands of overseas visitors with personal possessions abandoned when
the February 22 earthquake struck.

The tourists fled the city immediately and many had no option but to leave
their belongings behind in hotel rooms in the badly damaged CBD.

They are now getting tired of waiting for their property to be shipped home.

The Hotel Council's Bruce Garrett said hoteliers had been working closely
with the authorities to get access so they could retrieve luggage and personal
items, but so far most hotels were off-limits to all but engineers and Civil
Defence.

That situation was expected to change shortly and as soon as access was
granted, work would begin on the enormous task of clearing hotel rooms of the p
of the personal items left behind.

There had been a flood of inquiries from people overseas wanting their
belongings back and some were becoming frustrated by the length of time
it was taking

"People have been understanding of the circumstances, but their patience is
starting to run out," Garrett said.

"It's difficult for them to comprehend what is involved in getting in and getting
their luggage out.

"They can't understand why we can't just go in and get it."

In some cases, cranes would be needed to get to hotel rooms, but it seemed
possible all personal belongings would be retrieved.

Garrett said who then paid to have the items shipped back to their owners
was still being discussed.

"It's not something most insurance policies would cover," he said.

It had been suggested that Tourism New Zealand could pick up the tab as
a public relations exercise, but the agency did not have a budget for that.


This seems encouraging and we are keeping our fingers crossed.

Time To Go

Before I left the Ice, we had a number of "All Hands Meetings" in which
I was tasked to talk to folks and pretty much explain to them that the
City of Christchurch was not the place for them. It was rather disheartening,
but all of the places that Ice folks like to go, such as our favorite restaurants,
coffee houses, parks, etc. were not able to be visited...if they even still
existed. In fact, the plan for most folks leaving the Ice was to drop off
their Extreme Cold Weather (ECW) gear in Christchurch, and then immediately
board a plane for Auckland. Of course, folks were given an option to not get
on this plane and stay on the South Island. I was one of those folks since
Lynn and I already had tickets to go to Tasmania via Sydney.
After saying farewell to Leighton and our friends at the Travel Office, we
checked in for our flight. Lynn was definitely ready to go as last night we
had a couple of really strong aftershocks. Several Search and Rescue groups
from other countries walked through the terminal and they were given
very loud rounds of applause by the folks in the airport. Then, a very
solemn moment occurred. At 12:51, two minutes of silence were observed
to commemorate that it had been one week since the devastating earthquake.
It was very moving and I had never been in an airport that was SO quiet.
It's very sad to be leaving New Zealand, but since we are not involved in
the recovery effort, it's best to be out of the way.

The Powell Recovery Center

I arrived in Christchurch and was lucky enough to be met at the Clothing
Distribution Centre by our friends, Christine and Antz. They live in Southshore,
on the beach, and have been nice enough to take in Lynn and our friend,
Kaska for the past few nights. When we drove from the airport area to their
house, I could see a lot of damage, but we weren't able to drive into the
Central Business District where much of the major damage occurred. They
have a beautiful cozy house a block from the beach. I visited here last year
and they're wonderful hosts.


Antz is essentially an electronic genius! Even though the house had no
running water or electricity due to the earthquake, Antz was able to hook
up the generator, phone service and even internet. I'm pretty sure that
no one else in the neighborhood had these luxuries.


I was very impressed with the City of Christchurch's and New Zealand's
ability to make things work. Even though the power was still out, porta potties
were placed on every other block, giving at least a small bit of comfort to
the residents. In general, the folks in New Zealand are keeping a Stiff Upper
Lip and are struggling through this.

Lynn's in New Zealand

After spending two days in Denver to go through orientation,
Lynn left last night for New Zealand. She'll be there about two
weeks, taking a U.S. Air Force Loadplanning Class with other
folks from ATO going down to the Ice this season. She's
understandably nervous because of the recent earthquake
and aftershocks that have struck Christchurch and Canterbury.
She and her group were greeted at the airport today by our
friend, Leighton, who is the head of the Travel department.
He gave them the skinny on what the status was of the city
and what they could expect. Thank you for doing that Leighton.
Lynn will learn a lot in the next few weeks and I'll be joining her
in about ten days. I'm looking forward to it!

Viva España!

For the first time since June 20th, 1993, I raised my voice while watching
a sporting event on television! On that date, Chicago Bulls guard, John
Paxson hit a late three point shot to give the Bulls the NBA championship
over the Phoenix Suns at America West Arena in Phoenix. Me? I was on
my couch in Naperville, Illinois watching the game. It was one of those
moments that makes a sports fan jubuliant and yell out with excitement.
17 years later, I'm not much of a sports fan, but today I let out that same
yell, as Andres Iniesta scored late in extra time of the FIFA World Cup
final to give Spain it's first title. I'm far from a expert of soccer (football),
but it was exciting as the team I was rooting for in the game (my favorites
going into the tournament were the USA and New Zealand) came away with
a win in a game who's outcome was far from certain. Exciting...yes. A major
milestone in my life...no. I reserve that moment for when the Chicago Cubs
win the World Series. Hopefully I'll still be young enough to get off the couch
to yell and be excited!

Hotel So

This week, I've been staying at a very cool hotel. The Hotel So.
It's modern, clean and for the most part, the staff is friendly.
It has a nice little bar/restaurant, free wireless internet and
is located in a really convenient location, right in the middle
of downtown. It's also very eco-friendly.


The rooms are really nice too, with all modern ammenities.
However, they are tiny tiny tiny. Small for one person, they
would be way too small for two people. However, it's pretty
economical and since I'm not staying in my room that much
except for sleeping, it works out fine. If I have to stay in
Christchurch by myself again, I'll probably stay here, but if
I'm staying with Lynn, we'll probably choose something more
roomy, like the Crowne Plaza or the Camelot.

Breakfast at Strawberry Fare

I met Susie this morning at Strawberry Fare for breakfast.
Lynn and I have been going to Strawberry Fare for years for
their desserts, but I never knew until now that they also were
open for breakfast. It was excellent, and like their deserts,
very decadent. Susie received a gift certificate from the
Station Manager before she left the Ice for all the difficulties
he caused her all season, so she was kind enough to share
it with me. She's leaving later in the day for a 10 day stay
in Wanaka, visiting with friends that have rented a house
there. As my time in Christchurch is starting to near an
end, more and more Ice people are leaving. It will be good
to move on as well.

The Powell Family Theatre

My friends, Christine and Antz, invited me over to their house
in Southshore (less than a block from the beach) for dinner
and a movie at the Powell Family Theatre (PFT). The PFT
actually rotates in location. I've visited it before on the Ice,
but this is my first time in NZ. The theatre basically just
consists of really comfy chairs, a projection screen and
great projection theatre and sound system. We watched
Public Enemies, starring Johnny Depp. Of course, I forgot
my camera, so I didn't get any photos of their nice house,
but since they're both very tech savvy, I figured they would
enjoy a photo I made of their house using Google Maps
Streetview!

Eating and Drinking

I think one of the things you miss the most about being on the
Ice is the ability to make choices. Especially things you eat and
drink. Especially when you re-enter the world in Christchurch, and
there are so many good restaurants and choices. I went to lunch today
with Melanie and Amy to the Belgian Beer Cafe Torenhof. Susie
introduced me to it in October and it's become one of my favorite
places to eat. They also have really good Belgian Beer as well.


When I left lunch, I walked over to the Asian Market. Lynn and I have
been going here for quite a few years now and although we don't need
any food right now, they have a special Green Tea that Lynn likes, so
I got a few tins to take home.


I also like the Chinese Gunpowder Tea, so I got a box of it to take home
as well.


It's funny because I'm not a big drinker at all, but somehow beer when
you're coming off the Ice tastes so much better. I went to Winnie
Bagoes for my friend Bamma's birthday party and because many
of her friends are also my friends as well, it was great to see so
many people I knew. I had pizza, which to be honest, Winnie Bagoes
has some of the better pizza in New Zealand and a Mac's Great White,
which is also a Belgian-style Beer. At the end of the day, both
my stomach...and liver...were happy!

Back in The World

The highlight of my first day back in the real world was visiting
my friend Leighton at his house for an ATO cookout and get
together. Leighton is the manager of the Christchurch Travel
Office for the US Antarctic Program. He and his wife have a
wonderful house a few miles north of downtown in Northlands
and there was certainly a good crowd. Lots of folks from both
the Ice and from the office in Christchurch. Leighton and his
wife of course were very gracious hosts and served up great
food and beverages.


One of the entrees though I can definitely live without in the
future was Whitebait. Yes, I tried it and yes, the Kiwis love it.
However...I did not. It's funny that it has to be covered up in
kind of a hash brown-type substance to even make it close to
palatable. Picture udon noodles with eyes. That's what it looks
like...and actually tastes a bit like as well. Ugh.


Before I left, Leighton was proud to show us his garage. I have to
say, this is the only garage I've ever seen that is carpeted. Yes,
carpeted! Someone asked what he would do if his car leaked oil
and he exclaimed that Chevrolets never leak oil. Hmm...they must
have different Chevys in New Zealand than they do in the States!

The Maori Flag

For those that read this blog that aren't very familiar
with New Zealand, the original, indigenous people of
New Zealand are a Polynesian people called the Maori.
Maori and English are the official languages of New
Zealand and the Maoris are a very strong influence in
the culture and ideology of the nation...especially on
the North Island. At midrats tonight, there was a
large contingent of New Zealand Defence Force members
who had had a few too many, whooping it up in the Galley
as it is their last night at McMurdo before going home.
These folks were all Maori and one gentleman was waving
a large Maori flag.

I'm not a resident of New Zealand and I'm not a Maori.
However, I am a vexillologist and I do have an opinion
about the Maori flag...both for aesthetic and political
reasons. Overall, it's not a bad design. Easy to
recognize, fairly modern, yet tells a story. However,
it can also be a political lightning bolt. In New
Zealand, as in America, many feel that the indigenous
people got the shaft. Whether you feel that way, or not,
the Maoris feel that way and they have a right to their
opinion. In a room full of Anglo Kiwis, (especially an
older generation) the Maori flag being hoisted might
have flared tempers. In the galley, however, it was
just another flag. Even to the one Anglo Kiwi that I was
eating dinner with. I'll give the Maoris that were
having dinner the benefit of the doubt that they were
just having a good time, proclaiming their pride in
being Maori and not trying to stir up any trouble.
After all, that's what it SHOULD be all about.
As for whether New Zealand needs a new flag or not, that's
a different opinion for a different blog post...

From the Flags Of The World Website:

The Tino Rangatiratanga flag is increasingly becoming
well recognised as a symbol of Maoridom.
John Harrison, 15 September 1998

I recently read some details of the Maori Independence
(Tino Rangatiratanga) movement’s flag. The flag is black
over white over red, with the thin white stripe being
broken by a circular — almost spiral — pattern towards
the hoist. It was designed in 1990 by Hiraina Marsden,
Jan Smith and Linda Munn, and was the winning design in
a national contest to find a “Maori Flag”. The symbology
of the flag is as follows:

BLACK represents Te Korekore (the realm of potential being).
It thus symbolises the long darkness from which the earth
emerged, as well as signifying Rangi - the heavens, a male,
formless, floating, passive force.

RED represents Te Whei Ao (coming into being). It symbolises Papatuanuku, the earth-mother, the sustainer of all
living things, and thus both the land and active forces.

WHITE represents Te Ao Marama (the realm of being and
light). It symbolises the physical world, purity, harmony,
enlightenment and balance.

The spiral-like KORU, symbolic of a curling
fern frond, represents the unfolding of new life, hope
for the future and the process of renewal.

As a whole, the design represents the balance of the
forces of nature, masculine and feminine, active and
passive, potential and physical, air and earth. It
can also be interpreted as symbolising the white
cloud rolling across the face of the land, as in
the Maori name for New Zealand, Aotearoa ("Land of
the long white cloud"). Source: Otago University
Student Newspaper The Critic, Issue 10, April 1996.
James Dignan, 21 August 1996

In the newspaper Dominion of 4 February 1998 there
was a news report about a Maori-sovereignty flag of
ed, black and white which was flown above the national
flag of New Zealand at a publicly-funded primary school
of one hundred students, seventy of whom are Maori,
in the Northland community of Helena Bay, 40 km
northeast of Whangarei. This decision to fly the
flag was reported to have angered several politicians
and local residents who claimed the flag is offensive
and inappropriate. Labour Maori-affairs spokesman
Dover Samuels said that the red, black and white flag
was not the Maori flag but rather a symbol for Maoris
who believed New Zealand was a sovereign Maori state.