Around the Base

I haven't travelled to any new places outside of the McMurdo area so I don't have too many new scenery photos, but here are a few new ones just around the town.

McMurdo Town shot from the top of Ob Hill.

The helo pad at McMurdo 2 A-stars up in the front, 3 Bell-212s in the back (the one on the far right is the New Zealander's helicopter)

Due to the strong winds and cold temperatures the best way to work on a chopper is to take off the main rotor blade, and wheel it into the hanger.

Aside from penguins, seals, and orcas, Antarctica, is home to skuas. These evil birds are a pest at best, hovering around our town swooping down on unsuspecting folks in the hopes of stealing a bite from those walking from the galley with hands laden with trays of food. They lack fear perhaps due to knowledge that they are classified as "untouchables" under the Antarctic Treaty, whatever the case they won't bat an eye at puncturing your flesh with their beaks, or robbing you of an entire tray of food.

A silouette of a demon

Our radar site

Down at the ice edge you can see pressure ridges forming, caused by sheets of ice colliding as the sea moves.

Another pic of McMurdo

Antarctica: Willy Field

Here are some random shots that I've taken while at Willy Airfield fueling aircraft.

C-131 preparing for a South Pole flight. We usually fill five of these big boys a day, and most of them are heading to the South Pole.

The beautiful Basler in the foreground and the little Twin Otter in the background. These smaller aircraft are used for support missions to various field camps.

Me on Delta Scharen, a fat chick with lots of attitude and fuel. This monster truck is what we fuelies drive to fuel off-base buildings and camps. Her back half articulates, which considering her size makes her fairly easy to steer.

This guy swaggered into Willy Field out of no where. While its common to run into small adelie penguins around the McMurdo area, the emperor penguins are a rare site, especially out in the Willy Field area which is further from the sea than McMurdo. Doing the belly slide - a much faster way to travel considering their slow awkward gait

Antarctica: The Ice Cave

For ten years the ice cave near Cape Evans (2 hours to the west of McMurdo) has been closed, but this year the ice was determined safe enough for entry, and the cave was reopened for exploration. I quickly signed up for the opportunity to check out the cave.

The cave is basically a crack formed where the glacial ice meets the sea ice.

The entry point

To reach the cave you must first take a ride on an ice slide

The shades of blue inside the cave are incredible

A proud man

A wild ice swirl

Me hanging outside the entrance