Visiting With Susie

Over the last few days, we've been having a nice visit from our friend,
Susie.  She stopped while driving through the area since she has old
ties to Grand Junction and we've gotten to do a number of fun things
with her.  Earlier this evening, she and Lynn attended a function at the
Western Colorado Center For The Arts and then we all stopped by
The Hot Tomato Cafe in nearby Fruita.  We had wanted to come here
for dinner for some time, and having Susie in town was a great excuse!
Susie's headed out of town tomorrow and has big travel plans for the
next couple of months.  We hope to see her when she gets back!

Helo Landing Map

My friend, Susie, helped put together the USAP
Helicopter Landing Facilities map for this year,and
was nice enough to send me an electronic copy. I've
I've broken it down into separate maps for easier
viewing.

Click on each map for a larger version.


ALL FACILITIES


ROSS ISLAND


KOETTLITZ GLACIER


DRY VALLEYS


BYRD GLACIER

Meeting Jeanne

Over the years, I've had some folks read my blog regularly
that I don't know. I've shared correspondence with some,
so in a way I've gotten to know them. Other people are
either family or friends that might read my blog because
they either know me or feel obligated..LOL. Jeanne is
kind of a hybrid of both. Jeanne is my friend Susie's
Mom, and she's been following my blog for a number of
years. I have to be totally honest though. She wasn't
reading because she was fascinated with me or what
was going on with my life. She read it to see what was
going on with her daughter, who I would often mention
in my blog posts. Today, I finally got to meet Jeanne,
and she's every bit as nice as her daughter. I hope she
continues to read my blog and I bet the odds are pretty
good that she'll appear in a few future posts.

The Joys of Getting Older

Yesterday we went to Lois' Place for breakfast with Susie.
When we started looking at the menus, I noticed that Susie
was using the ol' extending one's arms trick in order to
read the menu. It seems I too, suffer from this malady.
It's not that my eyes are getting weaker, it's just that my
arms aren't long enough! I loaned her my very weak
Wal-Mart special reading glasses, and that seemed to do
the trick of making her arms long enough! Later, our
conversation turned to her long drive from Washington
State to our home here in Grand Junction. We both agreed
that it was best to drive during daylight hours because it
was harder to see at night. Aaargh. Just shoot me now!!!

Susie's Here!

We're enjoying a nice visit from our friend, Susie!

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.

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!

Off The Ice...With Perks!

Today I completed my 10th season on the Ice! Ten seasons of a
very different lifestyle, yet one I enjoy. There were only six of us
ATO folks leaving today. Because we're in ATO and we're in charge
of the bags being loaded onto the plane, our bags got to go on top
of the baggage pallet. More about this later. Usually all ATO employees
get to go out on our own separate transport, but because there were
only six of us, and three were working the plane, loading and unloading
cargo, only Amy, Melanie and I were riding out to Pegasus Airfield.
Supply Melanie though was nice enough to reserve us our own seats
at the front of Ivan, so we got a special ride anyway. When we got
out to Pegasus, we milled with the other folks on our plane (99 in all)
and waited to board. Then, unexpectedly, Bear called our names on
the radio and we got to board the C-17 first, getting the seats we
wanted. In that case, Melanie and I wanted a seat on the side with
a outlet to plug our electronics into. The ride back to Christchurch
was pretty uneventful and five hours later we were in 75 degree weather
and sunny skies. Because our bags were on top of the baggage pallet,
they were amongst the first onto to conveyer belt and for the first
time ever, I was the first one from our plane through customs! I
believe this is Karma since a few years ago, I was pulled aside on a
random search and spent 45 minutes telling someone what everything
in my bag was. So we walked over to the CDC (Clothing Distribution
Center) which is always good since we've been sitting for the last
five hours. I turned in all my gear, got my hotel reservations and
again, all six of us ATO folks were on the first shuttle leaving the
building! My room at the Hotel So is very pleasant but we were hungry
Amy, Melanie and I went to Bailie's. Bailie's isn't my usual hangout
but it's a traditional watering hole for Ice folks. We got food and
was surprised when Susie appeared! She was on her way home and
saw us go into the Bar. She bought me a drink in thanks for my work
the last day, closing out Air Services for the season. We joined other
Ice folks and then I called it a night. A long day, but very satisfying.
Another season completed,

Almost Time to Go

It has been very gray for over a week, and everyone that
is not wintering has either left, or is in the process of it.
Today, my friends Dave and Kelly and friend and co-worker,
Susie left. Over 160 people are now in Christchurch that
were formerly McMurdoans. There are three ATO folks
staying in McMurdo until a special flight leaves on March
5th, taking mostly Fuelies out. These folks are involved in
wrapping up the fuel lines leading to Pegasus Airfield.
Otherwise, there are 99 people leaving tomorrow. Six of
those folks will be from ATO. Amy and I will be working
our own transport and the remaining Cargo Handlers will
be loading their own plane. It has been a good season,
but we are all ready to leave "The Rock".

Where My Stuff Will Be

Today, my boss, Susie was kind enough to give me some
time off to move the rest of my stuff to storage. And what I
mean by storage is not anything like what you would find in
the real world. ATO supplies it's folks with a Milvan. A Milvan
is a metal box. The kind you see on trains or cargo ships.
All of my things that can freeze, are in this Milvan for the
winter. We also get to keep our DNF (Do Not Freeze) items
in a small room inside Building 140. It's a very generous
storage policy and I feel grateful for it.

Redeployment Meetings

We held our last Redeployment Meeting yesterday.
The Redeployment Meetings are always a highlight
of our season in Air Services and a sign that the
end is near for the summer season. This year,
Leighton, who is in charge of the Christchurch
travel office came down to present the gory
details of the travel options to all of the RPSC
and NANA folks. Susie presented other Air
Services info at five of the meetings and I
made our presentation at three of the meetings,
including the two held for night shift employees.
Now, the not so fun part comes along...entering
all of the data from everyone's Redeployment
Form into the database, including travel options,
hotel choices, dates etc. I'll be wearing out
my eyeballs, staring at a computer screen for the
next several weeks, doing my part to enter over
500 person's forms. It will be good when this
part of my job is done for the season.

Christmas at Dave & Kelly's

On Christmas Eve, I was invited to hang out with
my friends Dave and Kelly, in their room with other
folks from our shift. They advertised it as BYOG
(Bring Your Own Glass) and the guys were
fantastic hosts, providing as much in the way of
beverages that anyone would want! i'm also sure
we broke some fire code regulations by having this
many people in one small dorm room!


I also got a chance to get a nice photo with two
of my favorite people...Susie and Kaska.

Thanks to Dave and Kelly for the great photos!

My Last Day...on Days

Today was my last day. Wait, let me clarify
that. For one thing, it's always day here this
time of year. The sun never sets. I also don't
have an illness so it's not THE last day. It's
just my last day on "days". My last day on the
6am to 6pm shift. After 72 hours of transitioning,
(adjusting my sleep patterns 180 degrees) I will
be working from 6pm to 6am. Effectively working
"nights". I enjoy working the night shift as
there are a lot fewer people around and it almost
feels like a winter season here. However, I will
miss working with several people in the office who
are not moving to nights...most notably Kristan,
Nichole and Jane in the field camp cargo office,
Bill and Pete down the hall and of course, my
boss, Susie. They stay on the day shift all season.
All my other shift-mates will be making the
move to the night shift as well, including Kaska,
but it will have a different feeling. It may take
a few weeks to adjust. However, with only eight
plus weeks left in the season and the very busy
redeployment season coming up, it is sure to fly by.

My Substitute Lynns

Although Lynn isn't with me this season, I have
three guardian angels looking over me, and for the
first time this season, they were all in the same
place. Kaska (in front) was my card-playing Lynn
stand in this weekend, Carrie (middle) was my going
to a party Lynn stand in this weekend and Susie (back)
was my going to Thanksgiving dinner Lynn stand in this
weekend. Of course, I think that they would all agree
that none of them holds a candle to the real Lynn in
my mind, it did make a long holiday weekend a little
nicer to have them all around.

"This is what I want"

Susie (my boss) gave me a task today of doing
some research. During our crew tours this year,
we've been borrowing the stamp from the mail room
and taking it out to the runway so that the crews
can stamp their postcards, passports, etc.
However, the stamp is in somewhat fragile condition
and we probably should have our own, so we're
looking at buying our own stamp. Not hard to do
if you can just drive down the street to a store
and say "This is what I want". Not so easy when
the closest store like this is at least a five
hour plane ride away. Yes, the internet comes
in useful for purposes like this. But not that
useful as the designing software on stamping
websites doesn't work that well and even at it's
best isn't just quite right...do you know what I
mean? So it's come down to this. I've scanned a
copy of our current stamp and am emailing it to
different places on the web that make stamps.
Kind of the same as going down the street and
saying "This is what I want"...only doing it with
an internet twist. Will we actually get "what
we want"? Only time...and probably patience,
will tell.

Air Service Reps

Pictured left to right:
Mia, Amy, Susie, me, Kaska, Billy T, Kristin

Last year, when Lynn was in New Zealand, she sent me
a bottle of champagne that I should share with my
small group of co-workers at the end of the year, in
celebration of a successful season. Well, we never had
time to open it and it sat in a drawer all winter long.
Tonight was the beginning of the season ATO party.
A chance to get everyone in the department together
for one last relaxing time before we go onto 12 hour
shifts and things get really busy. As it turns out, all
of the Air Service Reps are back on station for another
season. Kristin is now working with Science Cargo
and we're joined by Mia this year. Amy will be working
with Mia on the night shift and Kaska and I will be
working on the day shift. Susie is our Supervisor and
Billy T is our Department Manager. It was a good chance
for everyone to get together, and we finally enjoyed our
champagne.

Liverwurst

I've been jonesing for Liverwurst lately for
some reason, and today, it was actually brought
up twice by people around me...and not by me!
It must be a Midwestern thing, because I like
it...Susie, who grew up in Iowa likes it and
Lynn who didn't grow up in the Midwest, doesn't
like it. In fact, Lynn calls it Liver-the-worst.
Yes, it is bad for me, but yes, I like it
anyway. The best sandwich ever is liverwurst
and mayonaise on wheat bread! Only 4 more months
til I get to have this again!

Another Trip to Pegasus

My boss, Susie, is trying to get me out of
the office as much as possible over the next
few days as I'll pretty much be chained to
the desk for most of the season. This means
that I got to drive back out to Pegasus
Runway again today. This time, to take
people out, going north, instead of picking
people up that just arrived. I drove an
Airporter (pictured) and my friend and
roommate, Jed, got to ride shotgun!


It was a beautiful afternoon and there
were only 12 folks from McMurdo and 4
people from Scott Base headed north.
The same plane brought 107 people in
just a few minutes before my people
headed to the plane.


When you're out at the runway, you also get
to see the other side of ATO (Cargo) work.
They bring large quanties of items out, but
it seems like there are usually more things
to remove from the plane and bring into town.


This photo gives you a good idea just how big
the cargo pallettes are and how big the vehicles
that they work with are. The Cargo Handlers
climb all over these things like monkeys! They're
very agile.


As big as the loaders and cargo are, they are
still dwarfed by the C-17 itself!


I had to wait with the Airporter until the plane
actually took off; just in case the plane didn't
leave, I would have to return the passengers to
town. Since the plane did leave, I roMcMurdo, de back to
McMurdo all by myself. It's a pretty drive and
the scenery is wonderful! This is a view of
the south tip of Ross Island (where McMurdo is
located) and Observation Hill, Arrival Heights
and Castle Rock are predominant.

A Sunny Spring Day

Late in the afternoon yesterday, I found out that I
would again be delayed and the soonest I will be
leaving Christchurch is October 4th (October 3rd in
the States). Oh darn. Another day in Christchurch
AND getting paid for it? A good deal I'd say. I also
received a note under my hotel room door that told
me that this morning, I would be moving to a different
hotel. I dumpier, not so nice place you might say?
No, actually an upgrade to the Crowne
Plaza on Victoria Park. The hotel I had been staying
at, the Grand Chancellor, was nice, but this new hotel
is even nicer, and I get a great view of Victoria Park
and am only two blocks from the Library (yes, that's
important to me). Plus, I still continue to have it paid
for by the company! Apparently many of us had to
move from our old hotel because people are starting
to back up, arriving in Christchurch. I guess they
felt that we have been here so long, they would upgrade
us instead of the new arrivals. Works for me! The
Crowne Plaza is also where several of my
friends are staying, including my good friend Susie.
We went to lunch today at the Cafe Torenhof. It's a
Belgian Beer cafe and one of Susie's favorite places
to eat in Christchurch. I had never heard of it before
but it was located close to the hotel and it's definitely
a place I want to take Lynn the next time we are here
together. Belgian beer is some of the best in the world,
and this didn't disappoint. Really good stuff. Also,
mayonnaise for our French Fries! Definitely a plus!

The Day in Denver

Lynn reminded me tonight that in all the busy-ness yesterday,
we had both forgotten that my Dad passed away, one year ago,
on September 24th. I miss my Dad terribly and I think of him
almost every day. However, I think he'd be ok with the fact that
we forgot as we are making it through the grieving process.
Although not having him here with us is not easy, I hope it will get
easier with time.


So...today, I started the two day process of orientation at the
Raytheon Polar Services Company in Centennial, Colorado. It
seems like the information changes very little year after year, but
attending is one of the requirements of working on the Ice, so
it's something we all deal with. I liked these flags that were flown
at the Pole that are on display at the entrance to the building.


After my orientation was over, we received a message from our
friend (and my boss) Susie. She had left a binder and her itinerary
at the office and asked if we could bring it to her at the airport.
Not a problem, as we drove it there and saw our friend Liz there
waiting with her. For those of you that might remember, Liz
traveled with us quite a bit in Ecuador and Peru. I will see both
of them in Christchurch and have dinner with them the evening
before they head to the Ice. The day before me.


We enjoyed an excellent dinner at a restaurant called Citron New
World Bistro in Denver. We had been here several years ago when
it was still a Marie Callender's Restaurant. Definitely a nice last
dinner in the US for quite some time.


Of course we still had the evening ahead of us and one of
our favorite cheap things to do is going to Border's Books.
We had a big pot of tea and read some books and magazines.
Yes, not exactly an exciting Friday night, but something we
like to do. A relaxing last night in the States.