Snow Day:)

Hello Everyone:)

We've got a snow day, just like back in grade school! It's 7:00 AM Saturday, and I would normally be getting ready for a cold day at work. The wind speed, however, is in the low hurricane range, maybe 80mph, and we're currently at Condition One.

Yes!!!



An insane blizzard has been sitting over the Ross Ice Shelf for ten hours now. It should get better by lunch, but we're hoping they don't make us go down to the power station at all today. The Condition One could last for days if it wanted to, but the satellites say differently. I just came back from breakfast where Rich the plumber had the quote of the day. He walked in and said "How do you know when it hits Condition One?. . . Wind is blowing from the toilets."

I was afraid to ask if he was serious. Outside the window, we could see a large metal dumpster on its side in the middle of the road.

Antarctica is a lot of fun to write about, but I do realize that I've said almost nothing about the people here. It would be a pretty miserable experience to be here by myself. So starting now, I'll be including a picture of the "Antarctic Explorer Of The Week". That's my good friend Tyler with ice all over his face. (The first picture is me.) He got that way while building our igloo. Tyler looks a bit different now since shaving his head the other day, so we'll make him our first official. . .

ANTARCTIC EXPLORER OF THE WEEK:

Tyler Perot is a 23 year old Electrician's Apprentice from Denver, Colorado. He is a 3rd year apprentice, and this contract will help him reach Journeyman status. Tyler's a great guy, smart, and I'm lucky to have him around. He's one of those explorers who doesn't mind freezing his face off to get a great photograph, or build an igloo on his only day off. He is also our first. . . Antarctic Explorer Of The Week.

My next posting will just be pictures from our igloo trip. It was a blast, and the igloo looks great with a light inside.
Until then,
Mike

UNITED STATES ANTARCTIC PROGRAM

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