http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/data/500/TC.JPG

Well after allot of planning and effort, I have finally made it to Antarctia! And so I thought I should bring TC along with me. This photo is in McMurdo, the base that I will be working at for the next 6 months as a Light Vehicle Mechanic. I will try to share some photos of the cool (get it, I said cool) stuff that I see and get to work on. I have only been here for 36 hours so far, but it has been very interesting. I had a flight on a C-17 which is my first experience with a military plane. And the weather has been fair so far, a little windy. The temps have been around -10F with winds of about 15 knots.

Tomorrow I start work, safety meetings, orientation, assigning of tools, etc. Take care and stay warm!

Very cool! (literally even :D) Enjoy your stay :)

Well, I NEVER thought we would ever see a TC hat in Antarctica! That's got to be a TC - long distance award.
Thank you for your assistance here on TC and for sharing your adventures.

I guess that makes you our "coolest" moderator ever.

This is one of the coolest things I've seen here.
y'all have done something that a lot of other people would love to do but just don't have the guts to try.

Best of luck R.J. :thumbsup:

Good luck R.J.! :waving: Looks just like South Wales. doesn't it?
I feel sorry for the guy that sells lawn mowers around there...:p

RJ,

Good luck with your new adventure. Doesn't look like the best place for cruising. Pretty soon, it will be like that around here! Thanks for the update and pic. Stay warm!!

If you find a funny looking guy frozen in a block of ice whatever you do DO NOT THAW HIM OUT

So, what's the Chevelle driving season there? Two, three days?

LOL, Now thats a long way away from home. Would be kinda nice to see you do some donuts on the FROZEN tundra. Good luck and stay warm.

If you find a funny looking guy frozen in a block of ice whatever you do DO NOT THAW HIM OUT

So, what's the Chevelle driving season there? Two, three days?

From the look on his face, i think hed rather be anywhere else.

I'm sure you've already been told to NOT eat the yellow snow :D

Keep 'cool' and have fun! Just think-you're walking on the least travelled continent on the whole planet!!! How cool is that?? :)

This is probably the neatest thing I've seen on TC in a long time. We now have a member in Antarctica, I think we've hit all of the continents now!!!

"sounds" like fun, I hope it is for you.

Me, I'll stick with above zero temperatures.
Do you even have refridgerators there? :)

Do you even have refridgerators there? :)
Sure they do Mike.
That's how they keep the beer warm! :beers:

I Dont like the cold I think ill stick to my above 100* temps here.
Have fun and good luck

I knew a guy that did two of those 6 month mechanic stints in Antarctica, but that was nearly twenty years ago. Back then it paid $75K per gig with 6 months off in between. I swear he spent over $50K through mail order catalogs while he was there, he came back with dozens of high dollar remote control toys and Hi-Tech goodies.

Atleast you get to work in indoor shops, when my dad worked on the Alaskan pipeline in the early seventies, their gear would freeze and literally start to crack of exposure. He was a welder, they had to rotate frequently, being outside only 15 to 30 minutes at a time.

Good luck, don't lick any lightpoles (probably don't even have them, sunlight 24 hours a day).

Good luck R.J.! I look forward to hearing about your experiences on the ice. :)

Sounds exciting and fun! Enjoy!!

I aint had much book learning or fetchin up "BUT" If the A/C gets stuck on High. Just cut the belt. LOL Good Luck!!! Bob ACES 2825

Sounds like a great adventure for you! That "mountain" in the background, is it some sort of man-made structure, or natural?

Do you need the engine block heater option, or is that only available in Canada?

Great picture. Keep them coming! Enjoy.

R.J. hasent responded in a while I think he is frozen.

Good luck R.J.! :waving: Looks just like South Wales. doesn't it?

It doesn't look at all like South Wales. We don't have any mountains in South Wales. :D

Phil, The mountain is real. Actually McMurdo is located on Ross Island and not on the mainland of Antarctica. The island is about 20 miles wide and 20 miles across and it has an active volcano on it. Most of Antarctica is volcanic rock under the ice. The main purpose that I am down here right now is to support the building of the ice runway. Paula and I came down at WINFLY (aka winter fly in) to work in the vehicle maintence facility. At WINFLY the bring in 4 C-17 flights with people and supplies. There will be no more flights until the first week of October when the ice runway is open.

The ice runway is built on top of the sea ice. It is right outside of town about a mile away. This runway will be very busy until December when the temps get too high and they have to abandon that runway. After the ice runway is shut down they will transfer all of the flights to Willy Field, which is about 8 miles from town. That is why they take the time to build a 10,000' x 1,000' ice runway. The distance to town is much less. And McMurdo is the main resupply base for all of Antarctica. The south pole is resuppied from here as well as several remote camps.

I am working as a Light Vehicle Machanic. I will be working on a fleet of 50 Ford heavy pickups and four wheel drive vans. Also I will be working on Mattracks on the Fords.

http://www.mattracks.com/assets/images/F550M200a.JPG

In addition I will be working on Pisten Bullys, which are tracked snow grooming vehicles.
http://www.katvpb.com/Incubator/images/Products_PB/IMG_pb_100_Trail_GR.jpg

Also I am in the same shop as the Heavy Mechanics, so I will be helping with repairs on a ton of CAT heavy equipment. Once I get a nice warm day I will take the camera out and get some photos for you guys.

http://www.mattracks.com/assets/images/F550M200a.JPG

Wonder what my 60' times would be like with this setup...;)

http://www.mattracks.com/assets/images/F550M200a.JPG

Wonder what my 60' times would be like with this setup...;)

on something like that you'd be able to use a sundial :eek:
which would be ok ... as the days are long enough :thumbsup:

Just remember you don't have to take orders from all the little guys in black and white tuxedos running around

Thats just to cool RJ (no pun intnded)...

I have never known anyone that was so freespirited... guess a few hundred years ago, you would have been an explorer...


So, approximately how many people are in Antartica? In McMurdo?

just curious...

Take care...

So, approximately how many people are in Antartica? In McMurdo?

There are basically three operation periods on the Ice. Winter, WINFLY, and summer. Right now in McMurdo we are in WINFLY. This is the time early in hte season when they can get flights in, but the town is still mostly closed. During the winter (no traffic in or out no matter what the cause) there were about 250 people in McMurdo. That season was from Feb. 28, 2006 to August 20, 2006. Those 250 were here and had to be self sustaining during that time. There is no way to evacuate anyone from the Ice during that period.

Now at WINFLY there were 4 C-17 flights that came in with people and supplies and returned with some of the winter people. So we are about 400 strong right now. There will be no more flights until Oct. 3 when the Ice runway starts and Mainbody begins to show up. So, those of us here right now are preparing for Mainbody. In the VMF we are both repairing and maintaining the equipment to build the Ice runway, which is a major undertaking. And specifically I am begining to take light vehicles out of winter hibernation and get them ready for service when the science crews get here.

During Mainbody (Summer) there will be around 1200 people. These will be allot of scientist as well as more support staff. Summer will end near the end of Feb. 2007. The last flight out is scheduled for Feb. 26th right now, so I should be hiking and lounging on the beach in New Zealand about the 3 week of Feb. next year.

And if anyone wants to keep up I have a web blog that is listed on my signature here. I am starting to post some photos and I will try to get more info about this place posted soon.

Take care and stay warm in the states.:waving:

I'm impressed! I learned while stationed in Alaska that one can chill a warm six-pack rather quickly by hanging it outside the window for approximately 3 songs. 4 songs is too long. ;)

I guess salting the roads up there wouldnt do any good.:D

Hey, didnt that James Bond movie Die Another Day film in Antartica? That would be sweet to live in an ice pallace like that.

I guess salting the roads up there wouldnt do any good.:D

Hey, didnt that James Bond movie Die Another Day film in Antartica? That would be sweet to live in an ice pallace like that.

Umm, I think it's down there my friend ;). Nevertheless, from what I saw in Alaska, there aren't many roads and what's there is not plowed. You just drive on snowpack. 50, 60mph who cares? You get used to it.

Good luck with your ventures in Antarctica. That sounds like a once in a lifetime chance.

Hey, didnt that James Bond movie Die Another Day film in Antartica? That would be sweet to live in an ice pallace like that.

I don't think that it was filmed in Antarctica. Actully there is very little going on down here with the exception of the science that the USAP is performing. Very few visitors.

from what I saw in Alaska, there aren't many roads and what's there is not plowed. You just drive on snowpack. 50, 60mph who cares? You get used to it.

Antarctica and Alaska share the same cold, but here we are mostly on glaciers and ice sheets. So, we don't have many roads like Alaska, and any new routes must be throughly planned and then closely checked before any traverses are made. It is very easy and very lethal to fall into an ice cravase here. So roads aren't real common.

And the roads here in McMurdo are plowed almost everyday with road graders with special serated blades. The wind blows constantly here, and so the roads fill up quickly. The serated blades help give a texture to the road surface. This keeps it from becoming a sheet of ice right a way.

Good luck with your ventures in Antarctica. That sounds like a once in a lifetime chance.

Thanks, and if all goes well I will be able to return for a few more years. Actually allot of people here keep coming back year after year. It has taken 10 years but my wife has finally made it back.

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1381/3090/320/IMG_4325.jpg

This is from an hour hike that we took this morning. It has been around -25F all day. Checkout my blog for a few new photos.

Stay warm.
R.J.

RJ!
Wow. You made it!

I was reading an article in (I think) Cycle World about some guy that built a mini pocket bike from a chainsaw motor and scrap parts while stationed down there. Pretty neat in my book.

When you get back to New Zealand visit Christchurch and Invercargill to pay homage to the God of Speed.

I've gotta ask: About how many snowball fights to you guys average per day? :D

Joe

Next we went to the Housing office to pick up my television that I won it the TV lottery. I might let Paula use it with a written request.

I had to chuckle after I read this on your blog!

Joe

I was reading an article in (I think) Cycle World about some guy that built a mini pocket bike from a chainsaw motor and scrap parts while stationed down there. Pretty neat in my book.

When you get back to New Zealand visit Christchurch and Invercargill to pay homage to the God of Speed.

I've gotta ask: About how many snowball fights to you guys average per day? :D

Joe

I have seen that bike. I wondered who would take the time to ship one of them down here. Now I will have to investigate more.

USAP in New Zealand is based in Christchurch. We spent two days there on the way down, and we will fly back there in Feb. We are planning to stay a month in NZ on the way back. I have to find some race tracks to check out.

And we are actually in the worlds largest desert. We don't get much snow here at all as funny as that seems. So, the snow ball fights are more like ice ball fights and man do they hurt!:D

I hope your move went ok. You will have to keep me posted on the temp. there. I would like to see how many days it is colder there than here.:thumbsup:

I have seen that bike. I wondered who would take the time to ship one of them down here. Now I will have to investigate more.

Get a picture of it if you can. I would like to see it close up!



USAP in New Zealand is based in Christchurch. We spent two days there on the way down, and we will fly back there in Feb. We are planning to stay a month in NZ on the way back. I have to find some race tracks to check out.

Ask around to see if there is a museum for John Britten. You'll be amazed by his story.


I hope your move went ok. You will have to keep me posted on the temp. there. I would like to see how many days it is colder there than here.:thumbsup:

The move went well. It's very nice up here in Wisconsin (people and community), though the temp's are lower and it still feels like spring here. I'm use to the dead of humid heat of the midwest.

I did get my bike done from when you saw it last. Here's a pic:

When I was in the core I was stationed 255 miles north of the artic circle, on a mountian 720 meters high. I was in a tent (big one) when we fired up the tent heater it melted the perafrost and we had six inches of mud as a floor. We broke down the wooden crates they brought supplies in with and made a wood floor. It was an interesting experience, one I will remember for the rest of my life.

RJ

I'm sure there's some background that others here are familiar with, but how in the world (literally!) did you get there? Is it some sort of military assignment? Something connected with your state side job/company? Or did your wife "recruit" you for something she is into?

Good luck! I'm sure you'll be happy to see anything other than something white by the time February rolls around!

Andy

Andy,

Actually I was talked into it by my wife. She has been down here 5 other times. But her last trip was in 1996. Her first trip was for Stanford Univ. when she was and Electrical Engineering student. She worked on experiments for her masters degree. After that she was hired for several different season and projects. She has been wanting to come back ever since.

Anyone can get a job here, we are employed by Raytheon and they hold the support service contract for the National Science Foundation. Anything that you need for a town to run, they have here. Cooks, Powerplant Tech, Mechanics, Firefighters, Cleaners, Doctor, the list goes on and on. Just go to www.rayjobs.com and search for Antarctica.

I think I mentioned it above, but we hope to spend 6 months a year down here working and saving money, and then spend 6 months of the year back in the states traveling and seeing the country.

FYI it is very nice here right now. It is 15F and calm. I feels really nice out, but of course it will come to a end, we are expecting 55mph winds and snow by dinner time.