Well I planned to go watch the launch of the big Long Distance Balloon (LDB) yesterday but they cancelled the launch because the winds were too high. Then they cancelled my trip to Happy Camper School because the instructor had to go to the South Pole for some reason. All that meant I had to go to work last night for the midnight shift. (Bummer) There weren’t many planes and the movie “Snakes on a Plane” was on TV. (Yes we watch a little TV between flights) The guy I was working with hates snakes so it was more fun watching him than the movie.

Things in the air traffic business have settled into a nice comfortable routine. We now know most of the pilots when we see them and know many by name. The procedures have finally settled in and now come almost second nature. The weather, they tell me, is as good as it gets and better than at any time in recent history.

One interesting thing I’ve noticed lately though. When I arrived here I was told that you could leave most things in public areas without fear of anything being taken. Recently I’ve noticed several notices on the bulletin board listing items that have “disappeared” and asking that they be returned “no questions asked”. I’ve always wondered about that phrase. Do we think that if in fact someone purloined your goods that they would return them to you just because you said no questions asked? And if there is someone stealing things shouldn’t we want to know who it is for the betterment of the “tribe” as a whole? Oh well I guess no group is perfect. Sad!

New pictures in the gallery. The one below is a seal that came up through an ice fishing hole to check out the fishermen. Imagine that happening on your favorite lake!

Journal Entry:

17 March 1912:
Captain Oates leaves the tent:
“…Oates said he couldn’t go on; he proposed we should leave him in his sleeping-bag. That we could not do…He slept through the night…hoping not to wake; but he awoke in the morning… It was blowing a blizzard. He said, ‘I am just going outside and may be some time.’ He went out into the blizzard and we have not seen him since…We knew that poor Oates was walking to his death, but though we tried to dissuade him, we knew it was the act of a brave man and an English gentleman.”
-Scott

Well today was a busy day. It’ Sunday here which is usually a slow day for everyone. Mine started out with Sunday Mass. If you remember the old TV series “Mash” they had loud speakers attached to a telephone pole, well I hadn’t noticed it before but the spire of the chapel has a similar arrangement (no not on a telephone pole) speakers in the steeple. Anyway they were playing Christmas music. It sounded great and with all the decorations going up around town it really gets you in the holiday spirit.

After church it was off to Sunday Brunch. Sunday is the day I don’t work out and the day I splurge a little on the food. I had a Belgian Waffle with strawberries, blueberries and whipped cream. I also had a pecan sticky bun. Then it was back to the dorm for a quick cloths change then off to “hut 10” to help make tamales for the Our Lady of Guadalupe Fiesta. I then headed over to the chapel to rehearse with the Christmas Choir. Then it was off to the dining facility to check out the craft fair. I found two paintings that will always remind me of my trip here. One was of Scott Hut and the other was of Fata Morgana. I also found Christmas gifts for two of my dearest loved ones who shall, for the moment, remain unnamed. Next it was back to hut 10 to help eat some of the tamales I’d helped make earlier and to share some fellowship with a great group of people. Finally I headed back to the room to finish a book I’d been reading about Antarctic explorers and then over to the library to pick out a new book. The new book is about the South Pole doctor who diagnosed her own breast cancer while wintering over and the events related to that. You may remember reading or hearing about that since the New York Air Guard made a never before done in the middle of winter flight to pick her up and take her to Christchurch for treatment. All in all it was a busy day.

I’m headed off tomorrow to “Happy camper school”. That’s where they teach us to survive if we are ever stranded out on the continent somewhere. They give us a morning class then take us out into the field do some more instruction then leave us to fend for ourselves until the next day. Hopefully you will hear from me again on Thursday. If not send out search and rescue immediately!

One last thing I’ve been meaning to mention before I get to the journal entry of the day is that while I was on the last tour of the Scott Hut near the base the tour guide told us that one of the things they did to entertain themselves was to put on theatrical productions in the hut. Apparently they set up lights and a set and had a curtain. For some reason, I guess my interest in live theater, I found that fascinating. Anyway here comes the daily quote from Scott’s last expedition.

7 March 1912:
Scott and his men make slow progress on the Ross Ice Shelf:
“One feels that for poor Oates the crisis is near, but none of us are improving…”
-Scott

I took a trip out to the new airfield yesterday (Williams (Willy) Field). I was on a dual mission, to see the airfield and control tower and to watch the launch of a Long Distance Balloon (LDB). The airfield was named after one of the Navy guys who was here early on in Project “Deep Freeze” who died in the performance of his duty. It seems like they memorialize lots of people here but only if they die! I hope my only memorial is the Billy 1 Departure. Anyway, the view from the tower is even more spectacular than the view from the Ice Runway. Mt Erebus and Mt. Terror are clearly visible as are “The Royal Society” mountains and a vast flat expanse of snow called the Ross Ice Shelf. There is always what appears to be a cloud over Mt. Terror and Mt. Erebus but it is steam rising off of the lava pools below. The 30 minute ride out there is beautiful as you can see vast hills of snow pristine and white untouched by any human being.

As I said my trip to Willy was twofold is also went to observe the launch of the LDB. The balloon itself is 450 feet high and weighs 3,623 pounds. The payload it carries in meteorological instruments is 5,174 pounds with an extra 600 pounds of ballast. From top to bottom the balloon and payload is 250 feet tall. Its maximum altitude is 130,000 feet. Unfortunately weather conditions weren’t right so the launch was cancelled. I hope to be able to witness the next launch.

One other thing I’d like to do is take a trip out to the crash site of one of the Navy’s C-121 transport aircraft that crashed here a number of years ago. (There's no memorial plaque here thankfully)

Historical Journal entry from Scott Expedition:

17 February 1912:
Petty Officer Evans dies at the foot of the Beardmore Glacier:
“A very terrible day…(Evans) was on his knees with clothing disarranged, hands uncovered and frostbitten, and a wild look in his eyes. ..we got him into the tent quite comatose. He died quietly at 12:30 a.m.”
-Scott

Well I went to see Werner’s movie last night. I arrived a little late so there were no seats to be had (turned out to be a good thing). I think he must have been smoking dope when he filmed and edited this one. I’d tell you what it was about except after 30 minutes I couldn’t figure it out. It was like one of those movies you keep hoping will become interesting and never does. I can tell you I didn’t see the end of it. I also knew that I had a good book back in the room so that’s where I ended up. I still love to try everything they have going on here. It sure makes the time go by.

We had our first round of severe solar activity yesterday. For us that meant we couldn’t talk to any airplanes outside of 100 miles. Considering our airspace goes out to 1500 miles you can see how that could be a problem. Still seems to me in this day and age of amazing advances in communications that we could find a radio system better than the 1930’s technology we’re using now.

Journal quote of the day:

17 February 1912:
Petty Officer Evans dies at the foot of the Beardmore Glacier:
“A very terrible day…(Evans) was on his knees with clothing disarranged, hands uncovered and frostbitten, and a wild look in his eyes. ..we got him into the tent quite comatose. He died quietly at 12:30 a.m.”
-Scott

I went to the Coffee House last night to listen to some live music by local artists. The ambiance is great, wine served at the bar comfortable chairs to sit in and some really fine “torch song” type music (Most of it original). What else could you ask for? If you remember the CNBC guy from a few blogs ago, he was there with his cameraman so it might show up on TV at some point.

Tonight some more of Verner Herzog’s movies are showing at the Coffee House. There always seems to be something to do here (besides work).

I am very excited about a new development but I need to explain a little about air traffic control (for those of you who don’t know). Airplanes travel on airways and jet routes (Kind of like highways in the sky). At some locations (this being one) they use “on ramps” called SID’S (Standard Instrument Departure) to get onto the airways. Each one of these SID’s is assigned a 5 letter identifier (name). We needed a new one here and they were looking for a name. I said use mine so now we have a Billy One Departure. I am immortalized. (Can you tell it’s going to my head already?) Oh well sometimes it’s the smallest things in life that make you smile.

I also visited another of “Scott’s Huts” last night on a walking tour. This one is only ½ mile away from McMurdo. It was used primarily as a supply depot for expeditions to the Pole. It was pretty cool. I took some pictures which I will attach to the gallery of the blog if you want to check them out.

I forgot to tell you that I inserted another quote yesterday, (you probably figured that out but someone asked me what it was). So here’s today’s quote :

24 January 1912:
Scott and his men are returning from the Pole, more than 650 miles from base camp:
“…God help us, with the tremendous summit journey and scant food. I don’t like the easy way in which Oates and Evans get frostbitten.”
-Scott