march 7

Today it is rained in Queenstown. As disappointing as it is for traveling and hiking, we feel relieved for this portion of New Zealand to have some water to fill their drought-burdened lands. I can imagine finding a lot to do in Queenstown if we could scratch beneath the advertising dollars and college-like atmosphere.

Despite my disappointment in the consumerism, since returning from The Ice, I am enjoying my time in New Zealand, and I am glad I have the company of J, Kevin, Marty, and Genevieve. I'll miss them when I say goodbye in the morning!

From Queenstown we traveled the scenic and short route to Wanaka. I love this town and wish I could spend more time in between the beautiful hills and lake! The weather was rainy most of the day and we spent a lot of time sipping coffee, looking for a backpackers with vacancy. We cleaned the van, met up with Ben (from Antarctica), and had Indian food for dinner! I wandered around the town and waterfront fro awhile which was nice. Ben and I also caught up for a bit about where we had been since leaving McMurdo.

Tomorrow, in a few hours, I wake up to drive solo back to Chirstchurch. I am looking forward to the solitude and seeing the geography between Wanaka and the East Coast.

march 6

Day 8 began with a restful morning asleep, followed by a restful morning changing rooms casually, making breakfast and crocheting a hat (I haven’t yet ventured to try more than a hat). The days recently have been “slow down and catch up” days and I have certainly found ways to appreciate that. Here I am in Queenstown where bungy jumping was born and adventure sports abound, and I have simply enjoyed just sitting in our room, watching the world go by outside our windows!

After a couple cups of tea and finishing my hat, I did venture out to find a book of Maori myths and legends. I kind of hoped to find a children's book with colorful pictures that reflected Maori art. What I found was a paperback with 28 stories written by a whiteman and illustrated by one, too. However, this seems to be a gem (ie. I can't buy it from amazon.com in the states) and the first two stories I read capture the games of the Maori gods quite well. I liken them to the accounts of Native American beliefs and the epic adventures of the Greek gods. The writings are what children's bedtime stories are made of.

I spent some time in search of an ostrich burger today, as well. I never found one, but we have seen some ostrich farms and I am curious of the taste. Instead, Genevieve and I walked down to the Queenstown famous, Fergburger restaurant and indulged in one of their unique and flavorful fergburgers. They were quite large and scrumptious but still no comparison to the Bonzai Burger at Red Robin (Incidentally, I'm looking forward to dining with some of you back home there when I return to the states)!

Beyond those activities, I strolled downtown a bit, met up again with Marty and Kevin and saw a couple more Ice people. I am glad I had time to relax and reflect!

march 5

Waking up to fire in the sky was simply incredible. The sunrise was so vivid and bold this morning as it rose behind a cloud cover. The colors were extreme and then slowly pasteled out to morning's blue sky. They intensity of light on clouds had to be the most beautiful sunrise I've witnessed lately (perhaps more because I don't get up early often)!

No one (of the two cards to drive by our clandestine camp) asked us to move and we slept soundly all night. Quickly arranging the van appropriately for traveling again, we buzzed away to find a lauded breakfast spot in Garston. We arrived to find it closed on Mondays. Dismayed, we moved on towards Kingston and pulled into the Kingston Corner Cafe & Bar.

The food was a bit pricey for our backpacking wallets, but we made up for it in the time we spent journaling and writing postcards. The three of us have a pretty good trialogue, but we also do well at being quiet together. Over my delicious homemade quiche, mochaccino, and boysenberry & apple juice, I wrote a good amount and danced through the events of the past two weeks in my mind.

We continued our drive towards Queenstown. It's strange that Kingston is so small in comparison to his queen's tourism hot spot. Queenstown is located on Lake Wakatipu, and at our first glimpse of the Lake's southern shore, we stopped to take in the clear blue waters and ridge lines above it. After a couple such stops, we picked up a few groceries and checked into Pinewood Lodge. This place has to be one of the best backpackers for your buck! Their rooms are clean and offer a shared kitchen, living area, and bathrooms. They have lots of services available and are in walking distance of downtown Queenstown. The three of us got a 3-bed room for one night and tomorrow will move into a room where Kevin and Marty can join us as well.

After settling in, we took a walk downtown and searched out places to eat or sit for awhile. I indulged in a frappuccino at Starbucks and we walked along the water. We also ran into Maria, Candy, and Keegan from The Ice and spoke with them for awhile.

A delicacy this time of the year in New Zealand is the Bluff Oyster. This seasonal treat has been hard to come by after a few bad weather harvesting days, but we noticed a sign up for them at the Fishbone Bar & Grill. Four of us splurged and got three oysters each. They were quite tasty!

We had the three Ice folks over for a light supper of buns, cheese, crackers and fruit. I have found a new drink similar to ginger ale that I enjoy: Ginger Beer. I finished off a bottle and had a glass of wine before resting my weary head in a real bed!

*favorite photo: fire-like sunrise

march 4

We woke up in the van late. It is Sunday after all. We had a lose plan for the day which included heading back to Te Anua and camping somewhere our of town. After packing up our fly-ridden camp, we drove a bit over an hour back to Te Anua and found a quaint cafe and some brunch. The three of us sat and talked and watched the world go by on a Sunday mid-morning. This was the first place I came across filter coffee and they served us a bottomless cup.

J took off on another boat tour to the glow worm caves, so Genevieve and I got some groceries and postcards. We headed to the visitor's centre and walked around some. Genevieve became familiar with some of the birds in the area, we cleaned up the van, restored our water supply, and then I found a little spot by Lake Te Anua to hunker down and grind out a few postcards.

By the time J arrived back from his excursion, we felt like we'd accomplished a lot of rest. To top off the day I had kiwi frozen yogurt atop a scoop of orange chocolate chip on the bottom. Mmm.

To avoid the tourist town of Te Anua for another evening, we decided to drive towards Queenstown and find a camping spot near the road in the country. Between Garston and Kingston we found a dirt road between farms and fields and decided another night in the van was in order. That way, if we were asked to leave our parking spot we could make a quick escape.

After cooking dinner and marveling at the sunset (both sides of the sky lit up with fantastical colors) over tea, we watched the moon rise through the clouds in our window-full van. What more could we ask for: a sunset and a moonrise!

*favorite photo: moonrise.

march 3

Today, our fifth day of traveling together, Genevieve, J, and I set out early (at 6:30am) for Milford Sound. As we drove through the hills and approached the mountains and fjords, we saw fog and clouds rolling in and out of the valleys and over peaks and saddles in the mountain ranges. The morning was beautiful as the sun came up through the mist on our drive. We noted plenty of nice camp spots on our way, as well.

Arriving in Milford Sound, we instantly recognized a sandfly problem. The picture is a model sandfly. In actuality, the pests are quite small. These pesky critters are like mosquitoes in their mannerisms, and surpass the mosquito numbers in Fjordlands National Park. As long as we kept moving, we seemed to be ok. The dock for our Milford Sound breakfast cruise was a brief walk from the parking lot. On the way, there were a few signs explaining how Maori gods created the fjords and how the sandfly was created by the goddess of the underworld to remind people not to linger too long in the beautiful pristine area.

The three of us boarded our big boat and sat down for a delicious light breakfast of croissant and muesli. It did not take long to start seeing the beauty of the Sound. A magnificent waterfall fell on the starboard side of the boat. The ride was comfortable downstairs, but the real views came above on the deck. The green on the cliffs popped out of the shadows with remarkable color. With such brilliant life around us in every direction, it's amazing that this part of New Zealand is struggling through an 80 year drought. Typically waterfalls line the fjord, but today, only four falls had water dropping down them. I supposed this could be attributed to that beast called "global warming." The area usually sees rain every one in three days, but they haven't seen more than 1/2 day in the last 30-some days.

Our tour continued through the fjord along cliffs that dropped straight into the Sound. Trees, mosses, and bushes grow off the vertical rock faces.

The Real Journeys boat we were on also took an unprecedented round-about into the Tasman Sea. Usually these tours cannot venture into the Sea, so we got a fantastic little Taste of Tasman. On the return trip, we skirted the opposite side of the waterway. Fur seals were spotted on a single outcropping of rocks along the way. Genevieve, J, and I found it humorous that everyone ran to that side of the boat while we mosied on over figuring we had seen plenty of the sea creatures already. We did get to see these smaller seals pose adorably on the boulders for us!

A little further on, the tour guide on board found two crested penguins on the shore. These birds were out of place and season, so it was particularly exciting to see this rare variety of bird on our cruise!

We passes by another waterfall (where it is said if a woman passes under the mist of the falls, she will feel 10 years younger the next morning. The boat scoots in real close to these falls so we can all scurry to the front and feel the spray.

The three of us were glad to have indulged int he cruise. It was a wonderful way to experience parts of Milford Sound we wouldn't have seen otherwise! After the cruise, we walked back to the cafe and visitor's centre, sat with a cup of coffee and mulled over plans for the day. I really appreciate the casual attitude the three of us have. We have lost the rush of the east coast travel and eased our way up and around the west.

Our first stop on the way out of Milford Sound was The Chasm. A short walk brought us to a place where the water carved out softer stone to leave the harder rock behind. Holes, bridges, and tunnels dot this fascinating place. None of the pictures and postcards I have seen quite demonstrate the depth perception and quirkiness of the place. When we returned to the car, five tour buses had rolled up. We were fortunate to avoid most of that crowd.

Another feature of this Milford expedition was the Homer Tunnel. This single-lane hole through the mountain was not lit when we drove in before 8am. Driving through a dark cave is a strange feeling, but we made it safely. On our return trip, not only was the tunnel lit, but it also had stoplights on either end directing the single-lane traffic.

Our highlight of the day was stopping at The Divide and hiking part of the Routeburn Track. The three of us set out through a green forest, across a few trickling streams, and a lake. Genevieve and I wanted to head up to Key Summit, so we left J to hike up to McKenzie Hut while we turned back to take a cutoff up a hill. The view we took in astounded us. In 360 degrees we took in four mountain ranges. We stood on a marshy plateau with three valleys cutting beneath us. From here, rainfall streams down into each of those valleys in different directions. It made our climb worthwhile to see so much unimaginable creation! God certainly took his time developing this part of the earth!

I have been so impressed with how well-maintained the tracks in New Zealand are! They came complete with campsites, or cabins on many of the longer routes! The cabins are quite nice and homely with a kitchen, bunk room, and bathroom facilities. The trails are easy to find and well-maintained with bridges and culverts.

We also saw many birds while in the Milford area. One small songbird sang beautifully until it ended the tune with a squawk; every time! We also saw another kea (the alpine parrot).

By the time J arrived back at the car, we were sufficiently tired by our 12-15km of hiking, so we looked for a campsite right away. The sandflies were so horrendous that we decided to stay in the van. J and I hopped out to quick whip up some rice for dinner and pay our $5nz each for the site. Other than that, we rearranged our seats and gear to sleep.

*favorite photos: waterfall and fern shadow.

march 2

Day 4 began for me with a magnificent sunrise over the Pacific and a leisurely breakfast. The waves rolling into the bluffs, the birds singing, and the cows mooing made an unimaginably beautiful morning completely brilliant.

We started out on our way and turned off shortly after, just south of Papatowai at Cathedral Caves. We had to attack this short hike before 9:30am, or we would be denied access by the rising tide. We nearly ran down the trail and found the caves before the waves were too close. Walking inside was eerie and damp. At one point we couldn't see the ground (sand or seaweed) beneath our feet. So many of New Zealand's sights have been carved by water or ice in such a variety of ways; including these towering doorways into the rock.

Feeling pretty good about beating the tide, we trudged back up the trail and drove out of the park before the gates closed at 10:30am. The drive to Invercargill was uneventful. We have been amazed at the amount of sheep in New Zealand; particularly because no mammals are native to this island country.

Once we reached Invercargill, it took a bit for Marty, our navigator, to get his map in the right direction and put us near the city centre. We did find a wonderful little museum with WWII propaganda posters, photography, Maori artifacts, a display on The World's Fastest Indian, and eggs of the world. Our stop at the museum would not have been complete if I didn't mention Henry. Henry is a Tuatara. The peculiar thing about Henry is that he is nearly 130 years old (estimated birth in 1880). Not only that, but after many years of celibacy and removal of a tumor, Henry is now father to a new litter of these lizard-like animals. His mate was a 20 year old named Juliet.

This centre also had a tremendously helpful visitors' information with Internet. After spending a solid hour, or more, at this fine traveler-friendly establishment, Genevieve and I enjoyed Turkish wraps and coffee for lunch. Post-late lunch, we met up at the Speights Bar, pulled out a map and an actual planning session ensued! We determined our stop for the night should be Te Anua. From there, Kevin and Marty would hike out four days on the Kepler Track and hitchhike to meet Genevieve, J, and myself in Queenstown. I would have loved to do the track, but I haven't been able to shake the cold. This planning session was the first time we pulled out a South Island, detailed map to look ahead a few days and determine what we would do.

We broke up the meeting and set out fro Te Anua. Arriving there, we soon understood that we were in a tourist town. Internet was expensive, we found many tourist and outdoors shops, and "no vacancy" signs outnumbered the "vacancy." We hoped to camp, but at $15nz per person, we had no intention in indulging after our free or minimal cost sites of previous nights. We did however concede to get a $25nz bunk room for the five of us at a backpackers so we could sort ourselves out, clean up with a shower, and do our laundry. Marty and Kevin purchased some hiking supplies and we checked into our accommodation to prepare for our early morning exit.

*favorite photos: sunrise over the Tasman Sea, the silouette at Cathedral Caves, and J with the tuatara (one of a series of three).

march 1

Day 3 began with an amazing sunrise over the ocean. We pulled up camp after a leisurely breakfast and headed back out on our beautiful Coastal Road for a nice morning drive watching the countryside light up.

Our first drive, not too far down the coast was to the Moeraki Boulders. As soon as we got out of the car, Genevieve and I saw a dolphin pop up over the surf. We were laughing at the peculiarity of seeing them! The boulders on the beach here were strange and tortoise life. They were massive round stones all over the sand. We played around them in our bare feet and visited the gift shop.

We boarded the caboose again and made a bit of headway down the West Coast until we saw a sign for the Evansdale Cheese Factory. We caught the owner just before he closed for the day and he stuffed us full of about 4-5 different cheeses. My favorite was a Dutch flavor, Komene Kaas, made with cumin seed. I bought a small wedge. We have quite a large amount of cheese in our vehicle with no chilly bin (the Kiwi lingo for cooler) to put it in.

A traveling goal for the group this day was Dunedin. We rolled down the hills into the heart of the city where we stopped, nibbled on some lunch and then I split from the group. They went on the Speights Brewery Tour while I took a walk to the train station (one of the most well photographed buildings in this part of the world). The architecture was magnificent, and if I remember correctly, this building was completed in 1906. My stroll was brief through the courtyard before my eye caught the Cadbury Factory.

I toured the chocolate factory and received the lovely chocolate samples from Wama, my friendly tour guide. The chocolate at this factory goes to the South Pacific, Canada, the Middle East, Australia (and, Antarctica). They have one whole silo devoted to tourists where they release one ton of liquid chocolate through the silo in front of our eyes! The inside of the silo is covered in chocolate splashes and we were able to walk down the chocolate coated stairs with chocolate coated railings. If nothing else in the tour made a person smiles, all that flowing chocolate certainly would! I exited the factory smelling of cocoa (from Malaysia), whole milk (from Otago area cows in NZ), and sugarcane (from Australia)!

In Dunedin, I also took a picture of what has been named the steepest street in the world; although, I may have looked at the wrong one. I'm also not completely convinced that this claim is true. It seems to me that there is probably some mud and dirt road in Siberia that could legitimately claim the same thing!

I made my way back to the car and we exchanged tour information. I passed out some chocolates (a well-received gesture).

On the road again, we took a peninsular scenic road that cuts off from Dunedin for a 28km trek to see seals, penguins, and albatross. Unfortunately, we didn't see the penguins, but we did get real close to the fur seals and watched a few albatross float above u! It was pretty amazing to see such diverse wildlife in one place!

The scenic drive was a close cut road between many hills and bluffs and the clear shallow bay below. J fantasized our green machine into the drink and offered ways of escaping with our backpacks. Genevieve just hoped to see the yellow-eyed penguin. I just sat back and enjoyed the beautiful ocean, islands, bluffs, grasses, flowers, and trees on Otago peninsula!

After Dunedin, we looked for a place to camp. Our tastes are somewhat particular as a group. Eventually, we decided to find a beach to camp on and so the search commences for an appropriate place to put down our camping gear. On our search, we came across a short trail to the Papakaunui Falls. The hike was only about 10 minutes each way and I ran the trail back ot the car, but, we found later, these falls are what postcards are made of around this area.

Soon after, driving around the town of Papatowai, and even inquiring about a backpackers cottage with no vacancy, we set out to make camp at a pullout on the road. This bluff was on an amazing spot overlooking cattle and sheep fields with the surf and coastline far below. We set up camp in the dark and made our way to bed quite quickly. I still have a cold and want to get optimal sleep.

*favorite photos: the Papakaunui Falls and orange flowers on the southwest New Zealand coast.

february 28

Waking up to a cloudy sky was not what we hoped for, but we packed up camp and headed towards the Bealey Valley Track we drove by the day before (tracks are the Kiwi way of saying "trail"). The track meanders via boardwalk through a forest and marshland before breaking into a valley that almost appeared to be a canyon. The misty morning proved to add an extra element of mystery to our hike. There is a certain beauty to fog laying thick on green trees and mosses. I can't quite describe how green it is in New Zealand! As we crawled over boulders and a streams, we were privy to a view higher and higher up the valley until we saw a waterfall into the stream, and a bit further up we saw a snow cave straddling the valley. At this point we turned around so J could make his doctor appointment in Christchurch. We made out way to the car and I appreciated the flex and strain on my muscles the whole way. We also saw a Kea, the only alpine parrot, along our trek. This bird likes to peck at shoelaces and shoes in general, so we kept our distance from the big bird. It seems funny that we compare nearly every bird we see to the Antarctic Skua.

This hike was an excellent start to Day 2 of our adventure. We headed back to Christchurch and took care of all the business we had to do in town. We said a few more goodbyes, and then the five of us boarded the caboose and made our way south on Highway 1 through sheep territory.

Our first stop, nearly three or four hours laster was a quick skip down the beach at St. Andrews. The stones on this beach were all round or oval and pretty flat. It reminded me of massage stones. If only we had time tot heat them up and lay them under our feet and on our backs! Genevieve also spotted a shark skeleton on the beach which we found particularly engaging. You'll note in the picture that Genevieve found a special sort of appreciation for him. We considered putting him on the grill of our van, but ended up allowing him to rest on the stones.

We continued our trek south in search of camping. Our search brought us along the path of some friendly supermarket clerks, a man with long dreds, three children, and a traveling couple who all gave us directions to Campbell Bay (which Genevieve had earlier interpreted as "camel bay" from the man with dreds). The ocean side drive was gorgeous as the sun set over the Pacific's rolling waves! Our campsite was amazing: $5nz for our vehicle put us on a cliff overlooking the beach and ocean and bluffs, right outside of Kakanui.

february 27

Our New Zealand adventure began at the CDC at the Antarctic Centre on February 27. Marty's station wagon deal wasn't going to work for our party of five (Genevieve, Marty, Kevin, J, and I). So, our next best alternative was a van. We have lots of room and lots of windows.

For our first trip, we packed in for an overnight at Arthur's Pass. I have to say, I laugh out loud at the thought of traveling in what we've deemed the chartreuse caboose.

Heading out of Christchurch with our own set of wheels felt quite liberating. The first stop was for Sheffield pies at a little shop Kevin recommended. My appetite not quite rejuvenated, I forced one down and enjoyed knowing I had the calories.

Shortly after the pie indulgence, we resumed our ride and found ourselves on the side of fields and pastures near Castle Hills. This enormous group of rocks dotted the hills and provided an enjoyable romp through sheep and cattle fields. We spent an hour, or two, admidst the stone oddities; climbing, sitting, and wandering. Each of us (including J in the picture) enjoyed being outside without the potential frostbite risk!

From this point, we drove through the hills and mountains to Arthur's Pass. The pass itself is certainly not well labeled, but we pulled off in a few places to take in the views, as well as, the flora and fauna. We drove back and forth looking for a good spot and finally set up our tents for the evening along a grand riverbed. I had developed a cold, so I went to bed as soon as I could.

we didn't get the station wagon

on our way out

Today we are leaving Christchurch in a Subaru wagon. Our trip should be interesting. The five of us are not organized and haven't put a plan together. We're trying to ditch last minute baggage at the Central Distribution Center we have access to as part of the Antarctic Program.

Our departure day with the car is today, but we are only taking an overnight trip because Genevieve wants an extra night in Christchurch to organize and J has an appointment in Christchurch tomorrow anyway. So, this morning we woke up and no one knew if Marty had picked up the car, or where we were meeting or where we were headed for the night. Now, I believe Marty should be showing up with the car any minute and Genevieve (while she stays in Christchurch) is picking up some last minute camping supplies (ironically, while the rest of us are camping without those items (a fuel bottle, camp towel, etc).

Any last minute advice? Not that we'd take it; it should be a very disorientating experience!

creatures of christchurch

Christchurch is filled with Ice people. It is nearly impossible to walk two blocks without running into a familiar face. It is nice to see people before we all redistribute ourselves across the globe.

The first morning in town, I met my new friend, Lucas for coffee before he took off for home. We went to the Coffee House, where their drinks and breakfasts are an art. I had a vanilla mocha with real milk and marshmallows, too! Before Lucas departed at least ten more people arrived to this place and I sat around while people came for breakfast. After spending the last few weeks with only one day off, it certainly is wonderful to sit back and relax with no time constraints!

A group of us also went to Lyttelton to take in a street fare. We spent some time by the water (much warmer than the open water near McMurdo). We also sat around town and took in the hills and boats around us. Lyttelton is a small port town near Christchurch. We all applied for bus passes so we can scoot around the area much cheaper than taxis and shuttles all over the place.

Today, I'm visiting the CDC (Central Distribution Centre). Because we are with the United States Antarctic Program, we have access to the Air Post Office, free internet access, and discounts at the Antarctic Centre. I went to Starbucks this morning and finally drank the Coconut Mocha Frappucino I've been waiting for (usually, it's a Grande, Almond, 1/2 fat, no whip, Mocha, but the weather is pretty toasty around here today)! This afternoon I intend to run the Botanical Gardens and smell the roses blooming there. Tonight a group is getting together in the city square for dinner. And, finally, tomorrow, we get our rental car and get out of town!

now in new zealand

Being in the Antarctic Terminal Operations department has its perks. We have our own warm quiet transportation to the plane, our bags are placed on the top of pallets so they are the first unloaded at the airport, and we had seats reserved on the aircraft when we got on. Our flight was bumpy and turbulent. The weather was pretty "Antarctic-like" at take off. Nearly everyone lost their flight lunch when we tipped the wing towards McMurdo and left the 120 people there to "winter". The plane made an unprecedented 55 minute turn-around on The Ice, and we made it to New Zealand around 5:30pm.

Stepping off the C-17 was an amazing experience. In one breath of fresh sweet air, I questioned whether I wanted to return next year or not. It feels good to be warmed from the outside in; rather than the inside out. I've bedecked myself in tanktops and capris the last two days and enjoyed lots of friends in Christchurch. I'm trying to keep busy in an otherwise emotional time arriving back to "life" and being overwhelmed with sensations (smells and colors) and feelings! There are plenty of Ice folks around to maintain a busy schedule!

On Tuesday, Kevin, Marty, J, Genevieve, and myself (this picture taken yesterday represents the first time all 5 of us have been in one place together) will be renting a station wagon and spending ten unplanned days on New Zealand's South Island. Genevieve and I hope to get our laptops in the wagon, but we may leave them behind. So, thus begins the short, usually picture-less updates (I'll post pictures when I get a chance). I will be writing this blog until I return from this journey back to the States.

Thank you to all who have read my Antarctic thoughts and observations. The experience is still teaching me plenty of new things about myself!

last night in antarctica

I’m sitting in the galley. The sun is setting. My bags are checked. My room is clean. My boxes are stored. I’m leaving on a cargo plane tomorrow! I can hardly believe that my time in Antarctica is coming to a close.

Staying until the last flight has been wonderful. The food is better, the lines are gone, there is no worries about having delicates thrown in the dryer, I watched Williams Field Ice Runway come down, and I saw buildings close up and people say ‘goodbye.’ The last few days have been a bit lonely, but we have kept quite busy with work until this afternoon.

Tomorrow, we are scheduled to depart McMurdo around 11:30 and fly off of the Pegasus White Ice Runway at 15:00. I checked in (we do that a day in advance here) with my bags today and out of the 75 pounds of checked luggage we are allowed to bring home, I’m down to 56 pounds! Never mind that my carry on is nearly 50 pounds as well!

So, I have had my last supper, my last shower, finished the last of my laundry, packed my last boxes, and I’m headed out on the last flight in about 18 hours! My time in Antarctica is nearly up and one might ask what has happened to me in that time. People keep saying that I’ll return a different person. I disagree. I am very much the same person who left Illinois on October 4. I have new life experiences and a wide variety of perspectives to add to my mind full of ideas and beliefs. I have been disheartened by cultural and spiritual relativism but I have felt the ecstatic joy of the mountains and the hills giving glorious admiration to their Creator. I have been chilled by the wind and snow, and warmed by the endearing friends I gained. I felt sadness when missing events in North America, but elated to experience a new series of tales to tell them when I return. I am the same person at heart, with fresh memories.

beholding grandeur

It’s my last three days here. The sun went down on the 20^th about 01:56. I have been up for a sunrise this morning as it tries to ascend through the clouds. Sometimes I try to take pictures, but more recently, I have been sitting and watching. The scope of the picture is far to grand to put in a camera lens. Besides “seeing” this view, to really know and understand what it is, one must experience it. It’s a feeling of beholding the grandeur of Creation.

I contemplated this while observing the Royal Society Mountain Range. We see a range from sea level to the highest 14000 foot peak. I realized, as a cloud cover began to settle over their highness's, that in Christian faith, we often see snapshots of what it is to believe in Jesus Christ. We have a photo of what “rules” a Christian life should be lived by; maybe even a person who exemplifies this. We have a thumbnail of church liturgy, we carry a picture of Jesus on the cross in our wallet, or collage pictures of our mission work in a foreign country on our wall as our means to salvation. But, then we miss the big picture sometimes. Sometimes (and for me, I mean most times) we focus so much on the details; the individual stones or layers of earth, that we miss the awe-inspiring majesty of what God created, painfully watched fall, and gracefully rescued and rebuilds in our lives.

So, here I sit, for a moment in time, taking in a hazy unbelievable immense sunrise; the colors and scope of which cannot be described; the shadows from clouds, and precipices far too intricate to capture well on camera. And, here I also simply behold my Christian faith.

Life is made of so many pieces; art, forgiveness, work, mis-communication, deliberate injustices, hospitality, friendship, commitment…my list could go on and on. In high school I took a personality test where the results defined a person as global (seeing the whole picture and caring less about the details) or analytic (understanding and seeking to maintain the individual parts of a project). I was diagnosed as an analytic, but I always wanted to be global. I bring up this illustration, because in life, as in faith, these elements are not mutual exclusive. Strong well-laid bricks will make an impenetrable castle.

Taking this illustration a step further, I have seen a pronunciation of relativistic worldviews regarding faith and religion while in Antarctica. Lots of people here seek “truth” by accepting all forms of deity. This diversity of understanding "truth" has been the most frustrating part of being here. Rather than deliberately placing bricks to build a strong tower, I have witnesses a degradation of many world belief systems; where bricks are chosen from a variety of traditions and merely thrown in a pile of what looks and feels good in the moment. There is a loss of Truth, an apathy towards salvation, and a focus on “self,” rather than God and others.

I don't have all the answers and people on The Ice can tell you I have messed up and mis-communicated plenty; but I have found Truth. Some would argue I have found a faith that “works for me” or fulfills my needs, but that simply makes faith out to be a self-serving feeling.

I have faith that was passed down from my parents and grandparents for generations, based on the Truth that is found in the Bible which is a document, remarkably written in a consistent fashion by multiple authors over many years. This piece of spiritual literature is The Word of God. Its’ focus is not on me, myself, and I. It’s about a Creator and Redeemer. It’s about God reconciling humanity falling to a sinful world; about a God who had compassion on a people-gone-wrong and wanting to still save them. It’s about God sending part of himself in the form of His human Son to carry the burden of all people’s wrongness and suffer a death so that those who accept this amazing sacrifice will not die, but live in a place with God, the Creator of all good things.

After that, there are no issues comparable. They are perhaps analytically important (the rock and soil creating the mountains), but they have so little to do with the broad gratitude and joy and humble service we should be lifting towards God.

So, if we focus on compiling bricks we risk missing the larger castle construction. When we concentrate so hard on what the hills are made of, we don’t behold the mountain view; the amazing Truth, right in front of us.

movie madness

Werner Herzog, a German movie producer showed his movie Rescue Dawn to the second audience ever in the world while in McMurdo’s galley at the beginning of the season. The movie was also shown at the Toronto Film Festival. Mr. Herzog was in Antarctica with us, working on his first documentary since Grizzly Man in October and November. With a truly fascinating character, we are all anxious to see what Herzog's two man crew (including himself) down here, in Antarctica, will do with our lives and times here in McMurdo! Look for me in the Thanksgiving dinner footage.

I recently watch another movie The Incident at Loch Ness, featuring Herzog himself. After watching and briefly speaking with this director and producer, I laughed over this documentary/farce of a drama as the characters search for “Nessy.” Many of Herzog’s indosyncracies came to light in the movie that he illustrated in person when he was on The Ice.

http://www.wernerherzog.com/main/index.htm

Photo from: http://chud.com/nextraimages/herzog31.jpg

moving from mcmurdo

This past week we saw half the McMurdo population fly away back to New Zealand. I only have one roommate now, there is never a problem finding a face in the dining hall anymore, the crowds have thinned out, no more lines for computers, showers, or at the store. It's a breath of fresh air! The picture to the left is of GA (General Assistant) Jen and I on her last day on The Ice. A few good friends leave on every flight. The two weeks of departures means a long string of goodbyes!

The weather has changed as well. In the last week we experienced a number of snow flurries, low visibility, and cooler temperatures with some biting windchills. It's nice to see the new snow on the ground. It "cleans up" the town and keeps the dust and ash down as well.

The sun has been dipping lower and lower across the horizon. In fact, the sun is sinking under the mountain tops now, but I'm not awake for that phenomena. February 20 is our first sunset. The sun is due to be down for about an hour (maybe two) before it bounces up above the horizon again. Perhaps I'll try to stay up for that event. It still won't be completely dark and starry at "night" here until well after we leave, but the dusk and dawn will be beautiful if our cloud-cover lifts.

Most people are looking forward to their redeployment date. As buildings are closing up for the winter, vehicles put away, and boxes of personal belongings are stored for next year, plenty of conversations revolve around the first dinner out in Christchurch, walking through the botanical gardens, dressing in different clothes, hiking, biking, having a room to oneself, plane tickets, and seeing family and friends.

ice license

I worked on a few projects while in Antarctica. My Ice License was one of them. Since we drive around so much in our shuttles department, I figured we could all use an authentic looking photo ID. So, with the help of Laura (printing out my design in color), I finally finished and laminated 21 drivers’ licenses for everyone in our office.

wrangling wrong whales

Japanese Whaler in NZ Hospital
Japanese Whaling Ship on Fire off Antarctica

Funny that I found this news story by visiting google news. There’s a rumor (based on an abundant amount of solid information), that we medivaced a sailor off of this ship last week. Actually, the Kiwi’s rescued him and sent him home on a US Airforce C-17. At least, that’s the rumor.

your antarctic adventure

If you are interested in a job in Antarctica, drop me an e-mail, visit rayjobs.com, and look for Polar jobs.