Incoming

Pictures as promised. First, the sea ice from above on approach to Antarctica.

Flight from New Zealand to McMurdo station was in a C-17 Globemaster.

This monster lands right on the sea ice in front of the station, which is on a small volcanic island. And by volcanic, I mean Mt. Erebus is a snow covered peak with a bubbling magma crater. So far just training like crazy: MatTrack, Pisten Bully, Outdoor Safety, Altitude (incase I go up to the volcano!), plus all the instrumentation and equipment I'm responsible for. I spend all day tomorrow learning how to assess sea ice for safe vehicle travel. Then another day and night on the ice for survival training!

Antarctica or bust!

Greetings from the icy continent! Its a balmy 7 degrees right now, but the clouds have rolled back in. Yesterday was 23 degrees, sunny and gorgeous. So far the cold is no problem. No different than walking to classes in January back in Ohio.

My job is fantastic. I'm responsible for about 15 different projects, essentially just checking every day that their equipment is still operating properly. I think I will generally have some spare time on my hands until something breaks. I have my own office and truck, perks afforded to a very few here. I also have sole access to some restricted scientific areas with fabulous views of the area. Pictures coming soon!