Not Many Adventures, Anymore

It has been sometime since I have updated this blog. A lot has changed and I thought I'd bring everyone up to date. First off I attended the Raytheon Polar Services Company job fair in early April and talked to people about going back. It appears the options were open to me if I so chose. I started contemplating returning to the long night and the friendly confines of Amundsen-Scott Station.

Later that same day I got a call which turned into a job offer from Sun Microsystems Inc. The money was about the same as the RPSC money, would be a full time position, located 7 miles from my condo, full benefits and would start relatively soon. When weighed against contract work that would not start until September, the endless PQ process and the fact I would be locked away in semi-seclusion for another 13 months prompted me to take the Sun job.

I've been at Sun for two weeks now and everything is going really well. Sure there are some corporate cultural differences from what I am used to and new hire paperwork is confusing anywhere you go. My new boss is fantastic and the campus I work at is like a university. Other IT folks who know me will chuckle that I now use a SunRay thin client and Solaris 10 for everything.

So where does this leave "The Blur's South Pole Adventures?" Well probably in limbo. I can't write much about the Pole because I get my info from mostly the same sources as everyone else; Neal Scheibe, Michael Rehm, and the South Pole Station Website. I do occasionally get a tidbit from my sources inside RPSC but usually they are of a boring technical type that make for poor blogging.

So will I ever return? Very hard to say, I would like to explore this opportunity at Sun and see just how far I can go. I definitely do feel a "pull" from the ice, especially toward Palmer, the one station that has eluded me in my travels. But the earliest opening there is March 2008, so I have lots of time to think about it. So maybe check back in January 2008 and see if I am packing.

Blur's new corporate contact information:

Patrick McClure ITOps - Procurement and Logistics Sun Microsystems, Inc. 500 Eldorado Blvd. Broomfield, CO 80021 US Phone 303-272-4046/x74046 Email Patrick.McClure@Sun.COM

Maybe I will blog about my adventures in Denver.... Probably not.

Super Duper Post #100 - The Vacation!

So I have been a little slow since I got home. But seeing how I am one post from 100 and have lots of pictures to share why not go for it. So without further adieu, my vacation/adventure:

CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND
Christchurch is the largest city on the South Island. It is one of my favorites from the trip. Great nightlife, cheap drinks, cool things to see. Could have spent a few weeks here if time would have allowed.

The center of Christchurch is based on this Cathedral.


A WWI monument in the Cathedral Square.


Myself, Neal and Jeff after breakfast. We all stayed at the YMCA.


Here is Mark Noske and Neal eating at the Tap Room. You cook your food on a very hot brick. Sounds cool but was too much like work for me.


Jeanette being Jeanette in a phone booth.



Neal, Jeff and Jeanette on a little trail outside of Lyttleton.


That's me overlooking Lyttleton Harbor.


A little beach in Lyttleton.



Shots of the harbor.


Neal posing with the Mr. Whippy truck. Notice that Neal is holding the "Longest Drink in Town." A special shout out to Red Socks and Sun Dresses. There is a long story about this rest stop but I have too much to post now to spend five paragraphs explaining it.



Jeanette in the Botanical Gardens. Christchurch is known as "The Garden City."


How do you top the Botanical Gardens? A trip to the "Antarctic Adventure Center." This is in the cold room of -20C. Jeanette trying to get her tongue stuck.

AKAROA, NEW ZEALAND
Akaroa is a small town south-east of CHC. A surprisingly long drive through hilly terrain and one lane roads. Don't get me started on the one lane bridges. The town is incredibly laid back. This was the only French settlement in New Zealand but not much remains of the French influence except the road names.


Very green and a harbor surrounded by mountains.



A couple of shots of the harbor. The water is very clear, if not a little chilly.


Jeanette posing in front of the harbor.

Wanaka, New Zealand
We were trying to make it to Queenstown but got a late start out of Akaroa and I underestimated the time it takes to travel in New Zealand. So we ended up getting to Wanaka late at night and basically turning around and heading towards Fox Glacier.


A shot out of car window on the way to Wanaka. A small rain storm blowing in off the ocean.


We past three very large lakes and reservoirs. The water in this one was very blue.

There was a small rain the night before but there was run off rolling down the mountains. We saw many little waterfalls like this one.

So we spent the night in Wanaka and headed towards Fox Glacier. Here is the Kings Point scenic overview. This is the west side of the island (CHC and Akaroa were on the east coast).

Another shot out the window on the coastal drive.

FOX GLACIER, NEW ZEALAND
So we made it to Fox Glacier Village. Not much to talk about in the town but we signed up for Ice Climbing the glacier. So after a good night sleep I get up and want to take a shower. We stayed a a backpackers that you have to pay for hot water in the shower!!!! That did not start my day off right. But the climb was worth it.

First look at the glacier.


Another look as we start to hike.


Here is the outlet of the glacier. the rains from the night before had blown out a lot of large chunks of ice.


Here is a picture of Adam from Michigan. He was the other climber in our group. He was a lot more experienced climbing than Jeanette or I. Jeanette climbs indoors, but I have never done any climbing. Notice the guides in the background fixing the path for tour groups.


Hiking the glacier. That's Malcolm our guide in the red. Behind me in Gill (Jill) the Quality Assurance person for the guides.


I'm learning to belay for Adam. Believe me, it is a lot easier to belay for Jeanette than Adam.

Now that I did not kill Adam or Jeanette in their first climbs time to pose for a hero shot in case I fall to my death.


A shot of me preparing to climb for the first time.


I survived the first one, so I am pointing out something more difficult.

So we hike to the another climb point.


A little cavass. The are very blue from the oxygen trapped in them.


Jeanette belaying me on my second climb.


Yep, that's my ice axe.


Malcolm and Jeanette hiking to another climb spot.


You probably have to expand this picture to see it but there is a school group on a hike in the distance here. Gives you an idea of how big this glacier is. BTW... Fox Glacier is the largest in New Zealand beating out Frans Josef.


Jeanette's third climb of the day.


She's way up there.


This is me about 3/4 the way up.


These rocks are debris that has been scrapped up by the glacier over time and have worked their way to the surface.


As we head to our final descent/ascent point this shot gives you an idea of how high we are. Some of these openings go all the way to the bottom.


Me in action!


Jeanette with her trusty ice axe.


An idea of what we are doing for our last climb. Descending and then climbing out.


Adam and I waiting for Malcolm to gear up.


Jeanette bravely went first. Here she demonstrates how not to descend. Notice her feet are above her ice axes. How she got free from here I will never know. My groin would have cracked like a wishbone.


She's straighten out and working down well here.


Here is Jeanette continuing to work her way down. She climbed out with no issues.


A picture of me descending. Notice I am keeping my boots below my ice axes.


That's me about 8m down.


Me climbing back out.



Gill was trying to get a picture of my axe swings but instead caught me getting pelted with ice chips.



Going over the edge was the hardest part. Here we actually see one of my axe swings.



Here I pull myself over and out. A little harder than it looks.


Jeanette and I on Fox Glacier. I look beat and Jeanette keeps on smiling. The climbing was a lot of fun but on the hike back it started to rain. Ran into two Polies at the bottom of the glacier (Rechelle Parent and Noah Beyeler). Went out to dinner with them and Adam. Had a good time. This time I stayed a place that did not charge for hot water!

Nelson, New Zealand
Got to Nelson and it was rainy. All the places we wanted to stay were booked so we scrambled for a place to stay. Wish we had more time here because it seems like a cool city. But have a booking on the Picton-Wellington ferry the next day.

A picture of me and Jeanette on the InterIslander ferry. This is how we crossed from the South Island to the North Island. Notice I have shaved.

Wellington, Hamilton and Auckland, New Zealand
Well I did not take many pictures of the three cities on the North Island. Wellington seemed really nice. Hamilton was a college town and Auckland was similar to what I am used to in Denver but with a harbor.

Sydney, Australia
Sydney was great. A lot warmer than New Zealand. I did have a car here so my life became a lot simpler. After striking out on the first couple of places we tried to stay at we ended up at the Base Backpackers on Kent (Wanderers on Kent). For those who not familar with Base, they are pretty basic but popular with young backpacker crowd. A common promotion is a free beer when you check in.



So our first day we meet a local named Stefan, who pointed us in the right direction. His suggestions where great and we had a blast.


Here we are sailing out to Manly on the Manly Ferry.


There was some sort of sailboat race going on.


We are about halfway between Manly and the Circular Quay. You can see the Opera House in this shot.


Here is a better shot of the Opera House.


A shot of me in the Circular Quay waiting for the ferry.


It just wouldn't be my blog without at least one shot of Jeanette in a bikini.


That's me walking on Manly Beach.


Here is the Opera House on the return from Manly Beach to Circular Quay.


Jeanette outside the ticket door. We bought some tickets and saw the ballet the next day. We don't have any good pictures because they don't allow photos in the Opera House.


The day after the opera we went around town some more. This is the Maritime Muesum.


Jeanette in front of one of the many Starbucks that dot Sydney. Even the Aussies pay $7 bucks a coffee. What's up with that?

Then we went home to Denver. Not much else to say. Itb took 5 hours to put this post together so I hope everyone enjoys it.

So I'm in Christchurch

And everything is going well. Seen all the Polies, had a few memorable nights and today I rented a car. What a trip to drive on the wrong side of the road, round-a-bouts and all the right brained processes the Kiwi's have. Supposed to pick up Neal tonight so I did a test run to the airport with Guy Thomerson bravely being my co-pilot. Almost took all the paint off the left side of the car (not really).

So after I rent my car I go back to the room and there is a lizard in it. I am not kidding, a lizard. Needless to say I moved to different room (422).

I am also sick now. Damned FiNGies getting me sick. It could be all the 4a nights are not helping but it is easier to blame the new people. So on top of driving on the wrong side, a lizard, I am now stoned on sudafed. What a day and Neal wants to go out tonight. Jeez...

Sitting in McMurdo

Well I left Pole and now sit in McMurdo waiting. Waiting for a flight that has been delayed by helicopter parts in New Zealand. So my time in the Antarctic Program continues. I logged in this morning to about 40 emails (lucky none from Jeri and Dave, my replacements). I had a ton of reminders for reports, meetings and inspections. It felt good to click DISMISS on all of them.

One of the cool things was when I got to my room (shared with Tom Lohr, Guy Thomerson and Robert Powell) there was a stocked with beer and rum. There was a note from Cannon, DeRosa, Head and Jeter to enjoy and share with others. We actually saw them on the ice runway sitting on the DELTA waiting to board the C-17. I assume it was them, as they were waving at us as we drove towards town.

I hope to catch the other Polies still in NZ and meet some new people while in CHC as I wait for my travel partner. I can't find any good pictures but here is Castle Rock which you can hike to. Yes that is an active volcano in the distance.

Turnover - Almost Gone

Well the 2nd has come and gone and I am still at the Pole. But it looks like I am leaving tomorrow, the 6th. My replacement is a South Pole veteran who knows his way around which makes my leaving a little easier. So I am still on for my previously stated vacation, just starting a little later. I have already received emails from fellow WinterOvers in Christchurch as to where to meet them.

I wanted to say THANK YOU to all those who been reading my blog and sending kind and funny words to keep me going. It has been a challenging 374 days but all in all it was worth it. I hope this provided a glimpse into my year on the ice. Will I return to the Pole or even Antarctica? I don't know, I am a little too close to the subject right now. Ask in in three months.

My new contact info as of December 1...

Patrick McClure
12101 Melody Drive #16-102
Westminster, CO 80234
patrickmcclure@hotmail.com

I'd love to hear from all you folks when I am back in the real world.

Best Regards... Patrick

Since I'm still stranded, this is the outline of my vacation.

No flights yet. We are a week plus behind now. So my estimated departure is in jeopardy. So I can complain about things which are totally out of my control or I can tell you want I am looking forward to... my vacation! So here is a rough run down of my plans:

Arrive in Christchurch, New Zealand (MAP) sometime around November 4th. Staying at the YMCA across from the Botanical Gardens. Meet up with other Polies at the our unofficial hangout Dux de Lux right down the street. Rent a car, book some lodging and get some sun. Go with the flow until the 11th when this girl shows up:

Who will travel with me for three weeks or until we get sick of each other. Spend another night in Chch.
November 13th - travel to the French settled Akaroa. This place looks really cool but because of other agenda items I can only book a day there. Check out the topography on this map. Surrounded by hills I have heard nothing but good things about it.
November 14th - Travel to Queenstown or Te Anau. Won't do much here except to get ready for the M.V. Friendship overnight cruise of Milford Sound. This was suggested to me by Tim Nicoll.
November 16th - Travel to Greymouth to ice climb Fox Glacier. My travel partner likes climbing so this stop is hers. Denis Barkats strongly suggested the ice climbing.
November 17th - Arrive in Nelson. Just like the rest of the South Island people seem to rave about this northern coastal city. We spend two days here as I hear the beaches are great. Once again my travel companion is pushing the adrenaline button by doing this over Abel Tasman National Park. This guy:

Should be off the ice by then and said he'd like to participate in tempting death. We spend two days in Nelson before heading north.
November 18th - Travel to Wellington via Picton Ferry which crosses the channel between the two islands. Wellington is the capital of New Zealand and supposedly the most cultured city in the world (just beating out Sydney, Australia). We spend two days here.
November 20th - Head north again to Auckland. One in three Kiwi's live in Auckland. On the way we stop at the Glow Worm Caves in Waitomo for the tour.
November 21st - Lose the car and fly to Sydney, Australia. Have not planned this far ahead yet. Obviously take the Harbor Tour and visit the Opera House (maybe see a show). I'd like to go up the coast and see the Great Barrier Reef but time will be tight and who knows how worn out we'll be by then.
November 24th - Head for the good ol' USA. I might not head directly home but then again I have a mighty powerful desire to sleep in my own bed. Anybody want a ragged Polie to come and visit?

Grooming

As the first flight gets near (and delayed and delayed and delayed again). It is time to focus on something I have not done in a while - grooming. The two two-minute showers don't seem like much. But to take a two-minute shower there is a lot of planning and effort. Plus you never get warm enough and by the time you are done you are wet and cold instead of just cold. So surprisingly we do not take all the showers alotted to us. But with new people on the way, they are probably not used to my stink like everyone else here is. So here is a pre-shower look at the Blur:

This is me in my room before the shower and a trim job. Notice how straight my hair is. No humidity = no curl.


A shot afterward, the beard is under control although still protectively warm. The hair is curly when wet and about as long as it has ever been. I hope the new folks understand the efforts I am putting forth for them.

What does it take to feed the South Pole Station?

Here is a summary of what was consumed this winter (February 21st) so far and what we plan to until Oct 20^th.

What we ate/drank:

5428 pounds of Beef
22720 Eggs
1527 pounds of Fries
3948 pounds of Pork
2811 pounds of Poultry
2457 pounds of Seafood
82 case of Cold Cereal
1590 pounds of Cheese
1170 pounds of Butter
2638 pounds of Canned and Frozen Fruit
24300 slices of Pre-Made Bread
418 lbs of Meatless Protein (Tofu, Tempeh, TVP…)
39 gallons of Ketchup
11520 blue cups worth of Orange Juice (blue cup is 16oz)
8450 blue cups worth of Milk (blue cup is 16oz)
432 gallons of Ice Cream (after air is added by the ice cream machine)

What is your share:
Assuming everybody ate the same amount, which I know is not true.

84.81 pounds of Beef
355 Eggs
23.86 pounds of Fries
61.69 pounds of Pork
43.92 pounds of Poultry
38.39 pounds of Seafood
1.28 cases of Cold Cereal, so about 18-20lbs
24.84 pounds of Cheese
18.28 pounds of Butter
41.22 pounds of Fruit (This doesn’t count Freshies from beginning of winter)
380 slices of Pre-Made Bread
6.53 pounds of Meatless-Protein (But of course this number is much higher for those that eat it, since most don’t)
.6 gallons of Ketchup
180 blue cups of OJ
132 blue cups of milk
6.75 gallons of Ice Cream

Compiled. by Dan Von Bank

What They Don't put in the IT Recruiting Brochure.

This is me dragging a couple of printers to the FEMC Jamesway. As sexy as the job title "System Administrator" is this is what it means at the South Pole.


A reverse angle shot, that flat plain beyond me is the ice runway.
Thanks to Neal Scheibe for the help and pictures.

Very Busy

Sorry to be so brief lately. First flight to Pole is in three days leaving a lot of work to get ready. Basically hauling out equipment to the outer buildings hat are warming up. The Heavy Equipment Operator has probably the worst job, grading the ice runway for 12 hours a day. So I can't complain too much. I'll post something interesting when I get caught up.

Has Anyone Realized?

That I will be spending my third straight Halloween here at the South Pole. Is that sad or what?

How to Panic a Research Station in One Email.

How would you panic a station full of harden Antarctic workers? Send out this email:

From: POL-Met
Sent: Thursday, October 12, 2006 5:49 PM
To: SPO-Winter06
Subject: Cold Etc...

Since the rumor is growing at the rate of a degree a minute...

Yes, it is true, the 'warming' process here at the South Pole seems to be lagging a bit. The reason for this can be attributed to two main factors: The slow warming of the upper levels and the lack of storms.

UPPER LEVELS: As you all know, when the wind blows, it warms up. The main reason for this is the cold dense air at the surface mixing with warmer air aloft. But how much warmer? Well, today's surface temperature of -80F sits underneath a layer of warmer air (200 meters above us) that is at -30F. This is why the temperature increases when a nice breeze blows.

But the 'problem' resides in the fact that the overall temperatures in our atmosphere remains much colder in the parcel of air above the 'warmth'. For example... At this time last year, our upper air flights at 10 millibars were reading temperatures of approximately +10F. This year? -70F. You don't need a weatherman to explain the obvious difference in these two readings.

STORMS: Where does most of our warm air come from? Well, since we sit on a bright white plateau, the sun doesn't do a great job at warming us up as much of the sun's energy is reflected. Therefore, we depend on warm air to come from other places i.e. spring storms.

Currently a ridge of high pressure sits off to our Grid North and this ridge is now diverting all the storms around us which means the warm air that comes in with these storms is also diverted around us.

Of course, none of this means that first flight won't make it in next week. After all, South Pole MET consists of two goofy weather observers, not forecasters!

Jeff

Webcam is UP!

Thanks to Greg Watson, the South Pole Webcam is up and running.

Check it out here.

Another time waster...

This was a pretty interesting site. Need to have Flash 8..

www.miniature-earth.com

What do you think?