Grrr...

So, I had this huge blog ready to 'publish' I get up for a sec to check on my laundry when this horrible horrible person just logged me off. She didn't even check to see if I was coming back. Grrr... The second time around wont be as good.

So, this is what I have been up to.

Sunday, December 3rd.

Pressure Ridge Tour

First off, what are pressure ridges?
When the great sheets of ice collide, ridges of ice - called "pressure ridges" - build up at the point of collision.
These collisions are caused by:
• Pressure exerted on the ice by the force of the wind or tides.
• Movement of the ice by the underlying ocean currents.
• Thermal (caused by heat) expansion.
Pressure ridges occur mostly in newer ice because new ice is the most salty and flexible of the ice types. They are relatively weak in strength when newly formed, and are a navigational hazard not because of their strength, but rather because of their thickness.

Now, the tour. There was a raffle for a hundred lucky people. I got a spot.

by frozenmemories81

We went to walk by the pressure ridges that have formed next to Scott Base due to the Permanent Ice Shelf and the Sea Ice. Apparently, this is the first time in over 7 years that they have allowed this to the USAP people. Before this anybody could walk by them, but a few years back some idiot started chasing seal and then posted the photos on the common drive and well needless to say that was the end of pressure ridge hikes. They are pretty spectacular. Some of the look like waves about to crash, others just like towers of jagged ice sticking out of the earth (which the are), and some of the look like things (you decide.) It took about an hour, it was windy, cold and sunny. It was awesome.

CycleCross

CycleCross is another of McMurdo's Races. This one on bikes. I did not participate on the actual race I, again, was a cheerleader/push-up Nazi. Me and two others were in charge of telling people to get off their bikes run up a hill and do ten push-ups. Now, that doesn't seem that

hard, but after completing most of the course going up and down hill in horrible weather with freaking cold icy wind, it's hard. It was also hard for just standing there waiting for the cyclist to show up.

Friday, December 1st.

Werner Herzog spoke to me. Yes, to me. I was like Oh, My God! He is like talking to me. And this is what he said. Not word for word since I have forgotten what he said, but here is the gist of it. (Speaking with a German accent) 'Can you please not vacuum right now. I am recording and my audio is getting ruined. ' Yup! That is pretty much what he said to me. Man, that was such an eye opener. I thought I was an important asset to the community, but apparently my work here is not important if we can be stopped so easily. The rest of the day was horrible, thank goodness I only had a few minutes left.

Monday, November 27th.

I finally did it! It took me a while, but I decided that down here would be my only opportunity. So, on my day off I decided just to climb that bad boy and get it over with. Since I might not make it down here next season, I decided just to do it. Why wait? This is the only place I will get this lucky, and I did. It was a pretty rough start, but once I got to the pinnacle, it was beautiful.

This is the bad boy I climbed. Observation Hill or better known aw Ob Hill. Again, if you know me you know I don't do hikes. Well, down here I did. Here is a bit about Ob Hill. Even though the hike is short, remember I am going up a damn steep hill, something I don't regularly do. I had a partner in crime, Bay Baskin.

by frozenmemories81

Observation (Ob) Hill is has an elevation of 750 feet. The hike up is about 1.5miles. At the top there is a cross that was erected in 1913 by the remaining members of the BrNAE (British National Antarctic Expedition) in memory of Captain Robert Falcon Scott's party, which perished on the return journey from the South Pole in March of 1912.

Approximately a third of the way to the top there is a plateau at a road that leads to two warehouses (B87 and B126). This area was also the location of the U.S. Navy nuclear power plant, PM-3A. The purpose of the nuclear plant was to reduce the amount of diesel fuel needed for power generation, while the waste heat would later be used to operate a desalinization plant for fresh water production.

**Disclaimer: If you happen to read other Antarctican Blogs you might notice that we do a lot of the same stuff. Why? Because, there is not much to do and what ever we do do is the same. ***