2.24.2004
ITINERARY
10 MAR :: CHRISTCHURCH > MELBOURNE
17 APR :: BRISBANE > MANILA
22 APR :: MANILA > HONG KONG
25 APR :: HONG KONG > KUALA LAMPUR
03 JUN :: BANGKOK > BOMBAY
21 JUL :: DELHI > PARIS
07 AUG :: MILAN > BARCELONA
05 SEP :: CASABLANCE > LONDON
08 SEP :: LONDON > DUBLIN
14 SEP :: DUBLIN > BOSTON
19 SEP :: BOSTON > DENVER
A few excerpts from my travel journal thus far:
2.16
Flew in on the Air Force C-141 Cargo plane. Strapped into the red webbed seats knee to knee like a zipper. So loud you can't hear that person at your knee. Landed at 8:30 pm, stepped out onto the tarmac 75 degrees, dressed for 20 below. Breathed in the night: humidity, diesel (yes Derek, diesel !), flowering trees, life!!!
- - - - -
2.21
Last night saw "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King". One of the last scenes was of Frodo and Sam on the volcano, expecting to die there in the eruption, reminiscing about the shire: "Do you remember the shire? the cherry trees will just about be in bloom, and the wheat harvest will be a week away. Do you remember the taste of strawberries?" That could've been me on Ross Island, at the base of Erebus, hands cracked and body broken with longings for Boulder (okay, I'm being dramatic).
- - - - -
2.22
In Kaikoura (a beach 2.5 hours to the North of Christchurch, on the South Island of New Zealand). Hitched to the beach where we camped on the sea grass in the wind. Drank red wine and ate chocolate while the sun set and the stars came out. Unwinding, thawing out from the stiffness of ice life.
It's February here, chilly in the morning, and after sunset. Clouds threaten and then fade, magnetized to the mountains just to the West. Snowy peaks, far above. A late summer in the Southern Hemisphere.
- - - - -
2.23
Swam with the dolphins this morning at sunrise in the Pacific. Over 200 Dusky dolphins, small -- about 5 feet -- swimming all around us. They're curious, and invited us to swim in circles, to dive deep and play (if you sang to them). Wonderful.
Later, eating bagels and fresh New Zealand cream cheese, reading a report issued by the Pentagon that the threat of global warming is potentially a greater threat to national security than terrorism. I'm so angry at the short-sighted self-serving interests of our leaders. They're leading us to disaster, for greed (and self-preservation).
- - - - -
The rules of hitch-hiking thus-far:
1. make sure to stand in a spot where people are slowing or starting, with plenty of shoulder for them to pull over.
2. make sure the girl is holding the sign
3. make eye contact
4. don't start at the end of the day (especially on a Monday)
10 MAR :: CHRISTCHURCH > MELBOURNE
17 APR :: BRISBANE > MANILA
22 APR :: MANILA > HONG KONG
25 APR :: HONG KONG > KUALA LAMPUR
03 JUN :: BANGKOK > BOMBAY
21 JUL :: DELHI > PARIS
07 AUG :: MILAN > BARCELONA
05 SEP :: CASABLANCE > LONDON
08 SEP :: LONDON > DUBLIN
14 SEP :: DUBLIN > BOSTON
19 SEP :: BOSTON > DENVER
A few excerpts from my travel journal thus far:
2.16
Flew in on the Air Force C-141 Cargo plane. Strapped into the red webbed seats knee to knee like a zipper. So loud you can't hear that person at your knee. Landed at 8:30 pm, stepped out onto the tarmac 75 degrees, dressed for 20 below. Breathed in the night: humidity, diesel (yes Derek, diesel !), flowering trees, life!!!
- - - - -
2.21
Last night saw "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King". One of the last scenes was of Frodo and Sam on the volcano, expecting to die there in the eruption, reminiscing about the shire: "Do you remember the shire? the cherry trees will just about be in bloom, and the wheat harvest will be a week away. Do you remember the taste of strawberries?" That could've been me on Ross Island, at the base of Erebus, hands cracked and body broken with longings for Boulder (okay, I'm being dramatic).
- - - - -
2.22
In Kaikoura (a beach 2.5 hours to the North of Christchurch, on the South Island of New Zealand). Hitched to the beach where we camped on the sea grass in the wind. Drank red wine and ate chocolate while the sun set and the stars came out. Unwinding, thawing out from the stiffness of ice life.
It's February here, chilly in the morning, and after sunset. Clouds threaten and then fade, magnetized to the mountains just to the West. Snowy peaks, far above. A late summer in the Southern Hemisphere.
- - - - -
2.23
Swam with the dolphins this morning at sunrise in the Pacific. Over 200 Dusky dolphins, small -- about 5 feet -- swimming all around us. They're curious, and invited us to swim in circles, to dive deep and play (if you sang to them). Wonderful.
Later, eating bagels and fresh New Zealand cream cheese, reading a report issued by the Pentagon that the threat of global warming is potentially a greater threat to national security than terrorism. I'm so angry at the short-sighted self-serving interests of our leaders. They're leading us to disaster, for greed (and self-preservation).
- - - - -
The rules of hitch-hiking thus-far:
1. make sure to stand in a spot where people are slowing or starting, with plenty of shoulder for them to pull over.
2. make sure the girl is holding the sign
3. make eye contact
4. don't start at the end of the day (especially on a Monday)
2.16.2004
DESTINATION :: CHRISTCHURCH
3 hours, and we're due to be at transport for our flight from Pegasus field to Christchurch, New Zealand. Yipee!
Goodbye 203B...
Goodbye volcanic rock...
Goodbye McMurdo Sound...
Goodbye ice planet.
+ + + + + + + +
GOODBYE GRAMPY GARDNER
+ + + + + + + +
ERIK VISITS THE SOUTH POLE
+ + + + + + + +
RANDOM
If each of the 6.3 billion people on the planet were given a plot of land in Texas, they would each get 1149 square feet. (statistic complements of Brian Greene, USAP)
3 hours, and we're due to be at transport for our flight from Pegasus field to Christchurch, New Zealand. Yipee!
Goodbye 203B...
Goodbye volcanic rock...
Goodbye McMurdo Sound...
Goodbye ice planet.
+ + + + + + + +
GOODBYE GRAMPY GARDNER
+ + + + + + + +
ERIK VISITS THE SOUTH POLE
+ + + + + + + +
RANDOM
If each of the 6.3 billion people on the planet were given a plot of land in Texas, they would each get 1149 square feet. (statistic complements of Brian Greene, USAP)
2.10.2004
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A WASTEY
Erik's at the South Pole this week, helping prepare the station for winter and drinking cheap kiwi beer (and wandering around in ice tunnels with Justus). Since I have some extra quiet time, I'll take this opportunity to give you a peek into his daily work life.
6:30 wake (or snooze until 7:00) Dress in long underwear, insulated Carhart overalls, similar jacket, huge blue all-weather boots, pager, big black magic marker
7:00 breakfast (okay, usually it's 7:25, storming in and grabbing a bagel (and coffee) to go)
7:30 start loader and leave to warm up while in team huddle (more coffee, pastries)
7:45 stretch on cardboard mats in waste barn
8:00 drive around town in loader picking up cardboard dumpsters, galley burnables, plastics, and other waste (heated cab, view of the mountains)
10:00 break (more coffee, more pastries)
10:15 team huddle
10:30 bring dumpsters back to waste barn for sorting and packaging for shipping.
12:00 lunch hour - relaxing at home with pressed coffee, doing laundry, watching CNN (run into galley at 12:45 for a quick lunch)
1:00 back to the waste barn. More of the same through 5:30.
Okay, perhaps this report is colored by my jealousy at how CUSH his job seems compared to mine. Did I mention he drives around all day (alone, what a luxury) with a view of the mountains in a heated cab! But really, he does work hard -- they all do, picking up after 1,000 Americans. We're professional consumers, after all.
I was shocked to see the sea of food waste containers stacked on the hill above town. They just loaded onto the ship 384 6' square containers -- that's 288,000 pounds of wasted food that will be shipped back to a landfill in the United States.
Everyone looks forward to Poop Deck Friday, where during the afternoon Poly-Paks of human waste come in from field camps for packing and shipping back to the US. In McMurdo, everything is sorted and shipped home, and EVERYTHING has an acronym: HFU >> Human Feces & Urine. HFP >> Human Feces Pure. Hence, Erik's Halloween costume.
They also process separated wood, metal, cardboard, plastic, glass (the least favorite day, they all go home smelling like an old keg party), paper, burnables, and construction debris (a catch-all category). Above every garbage can in town, there's a sign telling you what you can and can't throw in that bin.
Speaking of shipping stuff home, the last vessel, "American Tern" arrived 5 days ago, and has almost completed the offload/onload process. We've had 60 NAVCHAPS (Navy Cargo Handlers) here for about 2 weeks now -- unloading the year's food and other supplies and loading all our waste. They each eat enough for 2 or 3 people, so I'll be glad to see them go. Plus, they wreak havoc in town -- the bars are all closed while they're here.
4 more days of work! The ONLY conversation anyone is having right now: "When are you leaving?" We leave Sunday. The rest of that conversation starts: "And where are you traveling?" More on that later...
Erik's at the South Pole this week, helping prepare the station for winter and drinking cheap kiwi beer (and wandering around in ice tunnels with Justus). Since I have some extra quiet time, I'll take this opportunity to give you a peek into his daily work life.
6:30 wake (or snooze until 7:00) Dress in long underwear, insulated Carhart overalls, similar jacket, huge blue all-weather boots, pager, big black magic marker
7:00 breakfast (okay, usually it's 7:25, storming in and grabbing a bagel (and coffee) to go)
7:30 start loader and leave to warm up while in team huddle (more coffee, pastries)
7:45 stretch on cardboard mats in waste barn
8:00 drive around town in loader picking up cardboard dumpsters, galley burnables, plastics, and other waste (heated cab, view of the mountains)
10:00 break (more coffee, more pastries)
10:15 team huddle
10:30 bring dumpsters back to waste barn for sorting and packaging for shipping.
12:00 lunch hour - relaxing at home with pressed coffee, doing laundry, watching CNN (run into galley at 12:45 for a quick lunch)
1:00 back to the waste barn. More of the same through 5:30.
Okay, perhaps this report is colored by my jealousy at how CUSH his job seems compared to mine. Did I mention he drives around all day (alone, what a luxury) with a view of the mountains in a heated cab! But really, he does work hard -- they all do, picking up after 1,000 Americans. We're professional consumers, after all.
I was shocked to see the sea of food waste containers stacked on the hill above town. They just loaded onto the ship 384 6' square containers -- that's 288,000 pounds of wasted food that will be shipped back to a landfill in the United States.
Everyone looks forward to Poop Deck Friday, where during the afternoon Poly-Paks of human waste come in from field camps for packing and shipping back to the US. In McMurdo, everything is sorted and shipped home, and EVERYTHING has an acronym: HFU >> Human Feces & Urine. HFP >> Human Feces Pure. Hence, Erik's Halloween costume.
They also process separated wood, metal, cardboard, plastic, glass (the least favorite day, they all go home smelling like an old keg party), paper, burnables, and construction debris (a catch-all category). Above every garbage can in town, there's a sign telling you what you can and can't throw in that bin.
Speaking of shipping stuff home, the last vessel, "American Tern" arrived 5 days ago, and has almost completed the offload/onload process. We've had 60 NAVCHAPS (Navy Cargo Handlers) here for about 2 weeks now -- unloading the year's food and other supplies and loading all our waste. They each eat enough for 2 or 3 people, so I'll be glad to see them go. Plus, they wreak havoc in town -- the bars are all closed while they're here.
4 more days of work! The ONLY conversation anyone is having right now: "When are you leaving?" We leave Sunday. The rest of that conversation starts: "And where are you traveling?" More on that later...
