1 October 2008

Stacy writing

Today we leave for Antarctica! It feels great to be finally DOING what we’ve been preparing for all these months.  Kamille drove the van to the airport, us and all of our luggage, each weighing EXACTLY 70 lbs, the upper limit of our weight allowance.  We were quite proud that we managed to have only one piece of excess baggage between us.  Amazingly enough, everything went very smoothly; we were in plenty of time to spend a long time discussing with the gate agent whether our luggage weighed 70 or 72 lbs, and whether a bike box was allowed as a piece of baggage.  Jim had 4 laptops in his carryon, so it took him the longest to go through security.

Our pile-o-luggage – and this is in addition to the two shipments we sent previously, that weighed 1540 lbs and 570 lbs. If the five of us are allowed 2 pieces of baggage each, and we have one extra bag, and they all weigh 70 lbs…that’s another 770 lbs!

On the plane I sat next to a nice retired kiwi couple who had just spent 4 months traveling around the US and Canada.  They bought a motor home when they arrived and started driving, visiting relatives and seeing the sights.  And they sold the motor home for the same price that they bought it at the end!  On the other side was a gent who was heading for a dive trip on the Great Barrier Reef, meeting an old friend with whom he had planned the trip years before – achieving a life dream!

Fourteen flight hours later, we were in Christchurch, where it was a lovely warm spring day.  We were met by Mike, a long time fixture at the CDC, or Clothing Distribution Center, who helped us bundle all our gear into a truck so that we could stretch our legs on a nice short walk through the spring flowers.

Acres of flowers at the botanical gardens at Christchurch, New Zealand, where spring is in full swing, though it is autumn in the northern hemisphere.

At the CDC we were issued our ECW gear – our Extreme Cold Weather gear.  This is the clothing that will keep you warm, safe and happy even in Antarctic weather.  My favorite is “big red,” the down and gore tex parka that could almost double as a sleeping bag.  Oh, but I also love the super thick wool socks, and the white rubber bunny boots…it is like snuggling into a super comfy bed to get dressed in all this gear.  It’s important to be sure that all the zippers work, and that everything fits well, because we really will need this gear in the cold weather.

Acres of red jackets at the US Antarctic Program Clothing Distribution Center, where we prep for the winter-like conditions of an Antarctic summer.

Finally we were free to go into Christchurch, where we enjoyed a sampling of the local Antarctic standards – a local microbrew in the outdoor plaza at the Dux DeLux, a stout at Baileys, our last chance at sushi, and a stroll to an alley lined with pubs and local nightlife.

Tonight we are staying in Christchurch – and we got the news that no flights have managed to make it to McMurdo yet.  We are supposed to be on the third flight, so even if the weather clears and they start flying immediately we will be delayed by at least 2 days.  I have conflicting feelings – it is great to have a couple days to relax, but on the other hand our time in Antarctica is so limited and we have so much to do that I begrudge any delay.  I know that we will make the best of it though!

Where we want to be... A view of Mount Discovery, part of the Royal Society Range that is across the sound from McMurdo Station on Ross Island. We can see this mountain from our lab window…when we get there.

May you start a new adventure today!
Stacy