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| Dave Bate's Site |
Sat, 05 Nov 2005
Well, it's come. This is my last day at the South Pole. From here, I'll fly back to McMurdo, spend a night or two there, then fly back to Cheech.
The last few days have been pretty exciting. It finally stuck me that time is almost up. I can't wait to have real beer again. :)
The last week has had a Halloween Party and Cookie's Last Stand. That second was a going away concert featuring our head chef - who's leaving the program to run something locally in Denver. Here are some pictures from both events.
There's still gobs of packing to do, so off to finish some of that.
Fri, 28 Oct 2005What a difference a week makes!
So the first flight arrived last Friday, the 21st. Two out of three of our replacements in IceCube were delayed until last Tuesday. But that didn't stop the rest of the station from getting into high gear. Handovers happened, people packed, mailed things and most of my fellow winter-overs have already left in the course of two very full airplanes.
I'm not sure how many of us are actually left, but by the end of the day, I suspect it'll be down to less than ten. I went into breakfast this morning and didn't see a single person that spent the last eight months here.
As for me, I'll be leaving around November 7th. It'll be interesting to see the green again...
Thu, 20 Oct 2005Well, the twin otters are off now to McMurdo. Here are some pictures of their arrival yesterday.
Meanwhile, weather at McMurdo has delayed our first flight in. they're showing winds gusting to 54 knots right now. While weather is expected to improve for their new departure time - 12:30, it's expected to get worse thereafter. It's amusing how the rumor mill is churning.
Wed, 19 Oct 2005Strange rules apply to how you determine the first flight. So even though three airplanes landed today, it wasn't the first flight. That should be tomorrow, weather permitting.
But still, three twin otters landed today and are staying the night. The pilots are crossing the continent on their way to McMurdo.
Walking into the galley for lunch, the place was very loud with chatter. Everyone was clearly excited. The funny part though is that the pilots were sitting alone - no one was actually talking to them. I'm not really sure what to make of that, but I'm certain others will have ideas.
Eight and a half months and we're on the verge of being done. Wow.