McMurdo Season # 6 Day - 3

It is 6AM NZDT and I am getting ready for a 7:15 pickup to go to the CDC (Clothing Distribution Center).  Today we get to go through the annual supervisor training for work.  It is scheduled for 8-3 and then we are off for the remainder of the day.  Then we do the same tomorrow with normal HR type training.  

So the flight down was reasonable, or as reasonable as 33 hours in airplanes and airports can be.  Cheyenne was the smallest air terminal that I have ever gone through.  There were 4 people on our flight to Denver.  Denver International is a nice airport and it has gotten better, they have installed electrical outlets in at least 50% of the passenger seating areas.  And to go with that they now have Wi-Fi free in the terminal.  A much easier place to spend 5 hours waiting for a flight now.

Then on to LAX.  That place was nice about 1978 and they haven't fixed anything since.  I know that they have been rebuilding the international terminal and it should be nice now, so we have stopped going there.  We were in the American Airlines terminal and it is just old.  Totally functional, just blah.  From there we boarded a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.  Which is the first time we have flown on one of those.  It is noticeable how much smoother and quieter the 787 is compared to other aircraft, which I think is why I was able to sleep for at least half of the 13-1/2 hour flight.  Still not as good of service as Quantas, but not a bad flight overall.

Then we landed in Auckland, NZ.  The best part about Auckland airport is that they have a free public shower.  After a full day in airports or on airplanes it is wonderful to have a shower and clean clothes.  And from Auckland we had one last flight to Christchurch.  We got into Christchurch, pickup up our bags, and made it to the hotel by about 4PM.

Well time for breakfast and off to training.

More to come.
R.J. 

McMurdo Season # 6 Day - 5

McMurdo Season # 6 Day -5

Well we have made it through our first leg of our trip to McMurdo.  And I am pleased to say that we are sitting in Denver International Airport and they have stepped up to the 20th century.  We are sitting on the still airport seats, but this time the seats actually have electric outlets underneath them.  So instead of searching around the entire concourse looking for the one open outlet, everyone gets electricity!!!  And free Wi-Fi to boot!

So our first flight was from Cheyenne to Denver on Great Lakes airline.  That was a different experience.  Cheyenne was the smallest airport terminal that I have ever been through.  The baggage claim tickets were hand written.  And there were 4 people on our flight, which is good as well because the plane could only carry about 10.

So we are now sitting in Denver for about 5 hours waiting for our flight to LAX.  Then we sit in LA for about 5 hours until our 11:30PM departure for New Zealand.

I am now going to head off to find some lunch.  I need a salad.  Which is amazing to hear me say, but for the last four days we have been cleaning out the fridge and cupboards, so my diet hasn't been exactly healthy.

If there is Wi-Fi in LAX maybe I can get another update in.

Thanks.
R.J.  

McMurdo Season # 6 Day -6

All packed up and ready to go.  So today is the day to start flying.  We enter the airport at 9am MDT on Wednesday and we walk out of the airport in Christchurch about 2pm NZST on Friday.  So, in other words, we are going to be flying for a long time.

The house is all ready to be closed up.  And even with it closed, a friend is going to be checking on it regularly, plus all of the neighbors watching.  The amazing thing was that in the barn we were able to park:

The four wheeler
The El Camino
The Honda
The Tractor
The Ford Truck and 
The Camper

It is an amazing shop.

It is a nice cool fall morning here @ 52 degrees.  I am guessing that I won't see a cool 52 for quite awhile.

So now I am going to be in a communications blackout for a few days.  I should be able to post again hopefully while in Christchurch on Saturday or Sunday.  With our scheduled Ice flight on Monday.

Thanks for watching.

R.J.

McMurdo Season # 6 Day -8

Ah, the last day of football on the couch at home for the season.  At least the Broncos got a good win, and amazingly the Bills showed up today.  Three weeks in, but at least they showed up at some point in the season.  Things are winding down here with just 2 more full days before we leave for the Ice.  I have been finishing up several projects for friends and enjoying working in the shop while I can.  All paperwork for me soon.

We received our uniforms for the season on Friday.  Another nice little pile that we have to fit into our two 50 pound bags apiece.  That is the limit for the commercial airlines that we are flying to New Zealand.  And then once we are headed south to the Ice, we aren't limited on the number of bags, but we are only allowed 85 pounds, plus a 15 pound carry on bag.  So lots of stuff is needed for 6 months, and not allot of spare weight for other stuff.

Tomorrow is finishing up one last project and getting the shop ready for the winter, and some packing.  Then Tuesday is getting everything ready for winter and final packing.  

Thanks for following and until next time.

R.J. 

McMurdo Season # 6 Day -13

So it is time again for the Three Hour Tour to head south again to the balmy coastal town of McMurdo.  Today is day -13 or thirteen days before our scheduled Ice arrival date.  Lets see how long I keep the blog going this time.  Each season I start blogging and then the reality of a new job and learning it fully gets in the way of my time (and more like my mental capacity) to write regularly.

So, this season we will both be returning to the Fire Department and both in the same capacity.  I will talk more about that later.

Today we are a week away from leaving home.  We are both completing some projects, and getting ready to pack up for 6 months.  So we are currently in the "well I won't be able to do that again for 6 months" mode.  So we are dinning out allot; today was burgers at Outback Steakhouse; and we will continue to until we get to the Ice.

And we start putting things away for the winter.  So, since it was a calm afternoon it was time to take down my Ham Radio antenna tower.  So I am officially off the airwaves until March.

Not much else to report.  Please check back and I will try to keep you up to date as often as I can.

Thanks for reading.

R.J.