Drunk History: The South Pole from sandwichgirl on Vimeo.

As many of my loyal followers know, Martina and I spent the summer 2004/5 season in Antarctica (visit our posts beginning here).  This year is the 100th anniversary of the race to the South Pole by Amundsen and Scott.  Here is a spoof video made by some of the people we worked with 6 years ago (Ben and Sandwich are two).  To those who have a passion for Antarctica history or have visited there, I think you will enjoy.  Here is the direct Vimeo link:  http://vimeo.com/35084075

Our trip north was thought to be peaceful with following seas, an extra two weeks of cruising with no deadlines. Weather was blustery with storms every other day and beam seas. We encountered 2 1/2 meter seas in Queen Charlotte Sound but made it to safe anchorage after a long day of tacking into Fitz Hugh Sound and beyond to Shearwater. Moorage was $60/night so we dropped our 500# anchor in 30 feet of water.

Continuing up the coast we observed whales, porpoise and beautiful scenery as shown above. We arrived in Ketchikan with strong NW-erlies which prevented our continuation north to Petersburg. Fine with us…..perfect 90 degree weather so we hike about and waited until winds calmed down and we could enter Clarence Straits–only 90 miles to Petersburg. Here Martina and Marion show off the Bavarian flag on the bridge…..

Finally, we arrived in Petersburg–our future home–after a 13 hour 9 knot flood tide and ran the “narrows” against the ebb at 4.6 knots. It was a pleasure to arrive back to “home” in beautiful Petersburg with the Devils Thumb glowing in the afternoon sun. Stay tuned……we begin clinic this week in Yakutat.

We will spend about 7 weeks for refit–installing a new forward stateroom and doing routine maintenance. After Martina flies to Alaska to work a month, I role up my sleeves and get to work building the winter tarp frame…..

This tarp will help preserve our winter home in Petersburg Alaska. We are also re-doing our forward main-deck stateroom in cherry wood beveled paneling and refinishing the 106 year old fir flooring:

The work is hard but it’s still cheaper than psychotherapy and the Seattle sunsets get better by the day as the sun climbs again upward toward summer–our third in a row with Antarctica behind us. A view out the galley door:

Of course, there is always a little time to “smell the flowers” during a weekend trip north to the Skagit Valley–the world’s riches famlands–for the annual tulip harvest….

Our trip north to Petersburg will begin June 1 with an all-German crew (except the eccentric Norwegian captain, of course).

Note our new front page and new address in Petersburg, Alaska–(Box 341. Stay tuned……

Australia is my favorite place–one country and one continent–and lots of room. We meander up the coast from Brisbane to Cairns in our “tourist-mobile” seeking wild parrots and avoiding bugs. Every night we cook the local catch and enjoy local wines. After miles of sugar cane plantations, we head inland and eventually drive south down the arid interior. Someday I’ll retire here!

On to Seattle…..stay tuned.

The military has done a great job logistically getting over 1500 of us back and forth across the southern oceans and to the South Pole itself. Here’s a glimpse of the cockpit of our C-17 and another of our passenger arrangements—quite comfortable actually.

and….

The flight out for me is not without regret—the “Ice” has been a wonderful experience and I hope to return to accomplish other goals—perhaps the “ice road” to Pole or another Antarctic Base either as a part time dentist or as a scientist. Martina has had her fill cleaning up for others—quite understandable and I admire her ability to stick to her tasks without complaint. I can say that she has literally followed me to the “ends of the earth.” Now, it’s on to another adventure and some warmer climates.

New Zealand greets us with warmth, moisture, green grass and flower smells—after six months of pumice and glacial ice, this is a warm welcome indeed. We’re off to our favorite hotel to unload our gear and decompress—with a couple of beers at the Belgian Pub down the block. The next day we wander in the Arboretum and soak in the beauty of colors and smells. Of course we plan a great dinner with salads, fresh veggies and good wines which is to become the model for the next several weeks both here and Australia.

Next we purge the ice-demons out of our system with a good tree hug and then it’s on to Mt. Cook….

and then….

Milford Sound and on it goes up the West Coast to Abel Tasman Park, then the wineries of the Marlborough wine country and finally south down the Kaikura Coast back to Christchurch to the Banks Peninsula for a rest-up before the North Island….stay tuned!

It’s time to go again. The South Pole is still 9300 feet above sea level (physiologically 11,200’)–in other words, hard work. My LC-130 is waiting for me at “Pegasus Field” under the erupting plume of Mt. Erebus. It was my luck to fix up a pilot the day before and he saves me a “front seat” on the 3 hour flight to South Pole. It’s still a boring flight–all white below us including the Pole itself which reports a ceiling at 400 feet. Our pilot (through my headphones) explains to ground control that they cannot land with a “ceiling” however, if it is a “broken ceiling” then they can approach. A “revised” weather reports soon arrives and we dive from 26,000 to Pole in less than 10 minutes.

Below is a “clear day” photo taken by the Station Director on a Twin Otter flight the previous day—which happens to be very clear (and cold). The new Amundsen-Scott Station is the big building in front and if you squint hard……

you can see the actual Pole within the “O” at the bottom of the photo. Above and left of this is a semicircular smudge of flags surrounding the “Ceremonial Pole.” (Squint again)

OK, here you are at the South Pole. Note that this is actually a bamboo pole painted red/white that was placed here in the 1950s when Navy returned. The new Amundsen-Scott building beyond “floats” on pilings driven in the snow and can be leveled as the glacial dome drifts. The ceremonial pole is just that–with the actual Geographic Pole about 75 feet toward South America (to the right).

Here is a view of the 2004 pole marker (closest–see November archives) and the 2005 marker directly above (inset). Every year, the marker is redesigned and relocated 30 feet to its true pole position. You can purchase a replica of these markers from my good friend Betty Green Risser at www.geositu.com

The South Pole ice sheet is drifting toward South America (from an elevation of 12,000—“Alpha Dome”) about 30 feet a year; the pole marker is shifted that amount to correlate with the actual axis of the earth. That’s why there is a ceremonial marker because in 100 years the actual pole will lie about 3000 feet away from the Amundsen-Scott Station. Likewise, Amundsen’s tent, erected on his 1911 expedition to the Pole, lies about 3000 feet directly behind your back (above photo).

On my flight in to Pole were two Seabee (for CB or Construction Battalion) historians that were sent down to study the feasibility of removing the original “Dome” erected in 1973–actual photo! Today, the dome is about 30 feet under the snow with only about 30 feet protruding above—time to close shop and move into the new A-S Station. This is no small feat as each piece must be dismantled and flown out to Port Hueneme, California (Home of the Seabees—of which I was a proud member in 1965 and 1966). This dome will become an Antarctica Museum soon—be sure to visit.

Next is a trip about ¼ mile across the ice runway to one of the telescopes. This scope studies the composition of stars as they form. It’s like a big Wok lined with shiny aluminum that deflects any heat source from the sensitive instruments within. It measures light waves in the “sub-millimeter” range. Note the Bavarian flag flying just to the left of the telescope. Here’s a photo of a similar scope about 100 meters away that studies the “Big Bang.”

Beneath all this is a scientific lab that looks like this…..

Looks like my closet except there are no dirty socks here. This is where many scientists live for up to six months a year. It’s a cold walk back to A-S Station—now -46F below as the winter is approaching. Time to get out of here—85 construction workers and scientists will remain over the winter. See the “Departure” posting next…….

Hate these commutes…..don’t you? If people would only brush their teeth! Seems that there are dental problems on the Russian Ice Breaker “Krasin,” “savior of the American Antarctic Program,” according to Russian news releases…… and there’s only one man for the job: The Flying Dentist of Antarctica! Barbara, our PA at McMurdo General Hospital who speaks pretty good Russian, and I don our capes and helmets and team up to save Antarctica from dental decay.

First stop is the American Icebreaker which we land on after taking a tour up the ice cut for 30 minutes.

There are actually five ships in the area with a French Cruise Ship arriving within a day. These aren’t the “Holland America” kind of boats but huge industrial research vessels (usually Russian) that are now taking paying passengers into McMurdo. The Kapitan Klebnikov is such a vessel and is pictured below. Note Castle Rock in the upper right hand corner of the photo–see our climb of that peak in the archives.

After departing the Polar Star and passing the Kapitan Klebnikov, we sight two distant blemishes on the foggy horizon–the fuel ship Paul Buck and our destination the Krasin. We make a smooth landing on the back deck of the Krasin and depart with our dental gear for the Captain’s suite.

We spend about three hours on board and after our patients are taken care of are served a sumptuous lunch of borsch with sour cream, freshly baked bread then chicken and pasta. Now, that’s Russian hospitality!

After lunch, we conduct an unescorted tour of the Krasin and await the helicopter’s arrival. On board with us is Anatoly, who will be the guest of the clinic and then McMurdo in general. He is now excited as we are as we power across the Ross summer ice towards McMurdo Station.

and….

The crushed ice below our spinning blades reminds me of a big daquiri which gives me a great idea when we return to terra firma. I decide that the dental department needs one of these red helicopters for better patient access and maybe Barbie and I could create action figure dolls. We imagine royalties from the new Dental Emergency TV series…..the possibilities are endless. Move over James Bond!

After two weeks of blizzard weather, we finally get a sunny day and it’s time for a hike into a new area–hut point ridge which was recently opened. The hike takes us about two hours since we’re looking for rocks, the baby skua (like a gull), and stop frequently to get out of the wind. We get a very good view of McMurdo Station and Discovery Hut (Scott’s first Hut–see November archives) below us. After the hike, I’ve worked up a powerful thirst which I quench with some of Scotland’s finest nectar. This immediately reminds me of the America vs. New Zealand Rugby Match which is being played out on the ice near Willy Field. We hop in the Delta shuttle and before you can say “Duggan’s Dew” we’re at the Rugby Field where our Caterpillar “Zamboni” prepares the field for battle:

The game is hard fought on rough terrain (ice and snow) with cheering sections on each side of the field. New Zealand has the best bleachers…a mondo-Cat with sofa’s strapped to the flat bed…..

while the Americans have to jump up and down on the top of a Pisten Bully……

The Americans come in second place! Until next week…..

At 28 degrees, we McMurdo-ites put on a rollicking rockfest called “Icestock” complete with chili cook-off and Hoola Hoops. Martina helps out by serving Dave and Tina’s New Mexico-style chili and if you looked around the 20′ steel container, you would find his marguerita maxi-thermos to help wash it down. It was a great way to start the new year.

Joining us at our New Years Day “Icestock Festival” is our annual Coast Guard Ship Polar Star (and on alternate years, Polar Sea) which arrived along with the Adele penguins two days ago. It blasted it’s way through 81 kilometers of 2 meter thick ice in spite of the huge B-15 Jamaica-sized iceberg which has moved north this year. We took a two hour tour through the innards of this massive ship and in return host the crew to our station. The New Zealanders also host a New Years party (now, that’s brave!) for us Yanks however, Martina and I turn in before 10pm. Our phone rings at midnight from our party-going friends. Happy New Year!!!

Tsunami Update: Our Antarctic scientists say the Burma plate moved 66 feet during the recent earthquake which caused the tsunami in Asia. Also, the sea floor rose 16 feet and slid 36 feet horizontally. In some areas the coastline dropped 3 feet, so some areas that were once above water are now below. The rotational axis of the earth moved about 2″ and the days were shortened by 0.1 ms, so we’d have to add a leap second in 10,000 years.

Santa finds his way south….Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from McMurdo, Antarctica

Martina prepares for Santa’s arrival

Antarctic Road Kill–outrun by a Bombadier……stay tuned for New Years!!!