Strange Winter Day

It is a strange winter day here in Anchor-town for this Alaskan.  This is not winter to me.  Hope your Tuesday is a fine and normal day.

Happy New Year!

We are all traveling through the same time and space. Relish each moment with love for each other and joy in your heart.

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

A Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night! Sweet dreams of candy canes and sugar plums.

Love and joy to all near and far!

Superstition Wilderness Arizona

Enjoy warm thoughts and tons of love this holiday season.

Tons of love and blessing to all my friends and family, every one of you is so very dear to my heart!  

Wishing you and yours the very best. Today. Tomorrow. Always!

High Five Friday for Fluffy Clouds

High five Friday for fluffy clouds, and day dreaming of being in a place that makes you happy, and for being surrounded by those you love.  Where is the place on earth that makes you the most happy?

Have a great Friday my friends and a great weekend!

Another Message Home from Antarctica

Hello Mom & Dad,

Everything is going well here. We're pretty busy in this last week while we finish everything and start making sure everything is ready to leave for the year. I spent the entire day yesterday driving the 25 km back and forth from town to camp in a PistenBully (I don't have a picture yet, but it's a German made tracked vehicle) towing a 250 gallon fuel tank on tracks. The drive takes just over two hours but that thing will not get stuck anywhere down here!

Driving this was pretty fun but for everyone else it's pretty bumpy. It's also lacking in a way to play music or something, which it really needs. The sound of a loud diesel engine gets a bit old after 4 hours. They're not easy on fuel either; at about seven miles per gallon they're pretty thirsty.

There was a pretty funny issue when we were refueling for our second trip that caught us off guard. The 'Fuelhopper' truck came and refueled the 250 gallon tank we were towing (lovingly called the "Diesel Weasel") but he couldn't refuel the PistenBully directly because his fuel nozzle was too big. The guy drove off to go find a jerry can or something and Luke and I sat back in the PistenBully to warm up. We weren't there 30 seconds when we looked at each other and simultaneously and independently realized that the Diesel Weasel has an electric fuel pump with a smaller fuel nozzle on it. Why don't we just use that? Man, we're dumb... We just finish refueling the PistenBully by the time the Fuelhopper gets back to us and he tops off the Diesel Weasel again.

Here are two photos. A Skua bird, of which Wikipedia accurately describes the Skua's behavior as "piratical" when it harasses its victims; this one was chasing a group of white terns. It was an exciting and diverse day in Antarctica: two kinds of birds!

And the other is the stunning view from my tent when I'm going to bed out at Windless Bight camp. Nearly 15 km of snowfield and ice shelf stand between camp and the base of the mountain, just over 12,000 feet up treacherous ice falls and crevasses to a persistent lava lake at the summit. The peak just to the right of Mount Erebus is Mount Terra Nova, a now inactive volcano.

Glad to hear your trip to Arizona went well. It sure is nice to see such awesome people! The sun helps too, plenty of it here. Congrats to Dad with the 'first class' upgrade! We'll have to figure out how to get some pictures of you in the cockpit.

I haven't planned with Bear at all yet on the Christmas plans, but if Haley and I come down earlier then we can cram some chairs in my car. We'll figure it out. I return with plenty of time to plan.

Yesterday, we broke camp and double checked all of our equipment at the site. It has to sit there for a year all lonely but our work is done. Today, we have to check in and clean all of our issued gear and, my favorite, do dishes! We fly out to Christchurch tomorrow on a C130!

Busy day and I still haven't had breakfast yet.

Love you both!
Drew

Dad's Wise Words

"Be careful with who you think you want to be and choose wisely. As once you are that person it is harder to change".

Dad's wise words to his teenage sons.

Zinburger ~ Gilbert Arizona

When you are in Gilbert Arizona stop in for an early supper at Zinburger's for a tasty burger and the truffle fries! Yummy!

Be Still and Carry Love in Your Heart

14 Days Until Christmas

Fourteen days until Christmas. Time to enjoy hugs from family and be thankful for all the joys in our lives, large and small.  Each has value.  Each has weight.  Share the love and kindness with your fellow man each and every day!

The Pork Shop ~ Queen Creek

When you are in Queen Creek Arizona make a stop into The Pork Shop, you will not regret your purchases.  Be sure to pack plenty of their meat sticks when you go out on a long hike, because when you run out it is all you can think about during the long hike back.

Beauty in the Desert

There is beauty in the desert. In fact beauty is everywhere.

Happy Wednesday my friends.

Share the love!

Big City Rivers of Invisibility

San Francisco Plaza Quito Ecuador 

"As long as the Oise was a small rural river, it took us near by people’s doors, and we could hold a conversation with natives in the riparian fields. But now that it had grown so wide, the life along shore passed us by at a distance. It was the same difference as between a great public highway and a country by-path that wanders in and out of cottage gardens. We now lay in towns, where nobody troubled us with questions; we had floated into civilized life, where people pass without salutation. In sparsely inhabited places, we make all we can of each encounter; but when it comes to a city, we keep to ourselves, and never speak unless we have trodden on a man’s toes. In these waters we were no longer strange birds, and nobody supposed we had traveled farther than from the last town."

Robert Louis Stevenson words from Inland Voyage still ring true for me in Anchor-Town.  The drawback for nice people living in the big city is that we pass by everyone else without a notice or a care.  We are invisible at times as Mr. Stevenson states, 'unless we have trodden on a man's toes', so true some days in this new town, still.  I am fighting long hours as I continue to try to change the big city effect in my day to day work environment.  Keep wishing me luck!

High Five Friday for Our Galapagos Movie

The long awaited release of my latest movie creation is over.  It is just over 39 minutes long and might take a bit to buffer on YouTube for smooth watching. Hope you enjoy the show and your weekend head!

Another Message Home from Antarctica!

Drew is the fella on the right

Morning! We've been hard at work here on the ice. We have five of eight sensors lifted to the surface and are waiting for the heavy equipment operator to get out here to pre-lift our power station (BOB).

We're a 15 km drive from McMurdo and Scott Base where the nearest "real" buildings would be. On the way out to camp, there are other permanent and semi-permanent structures that may or may not be heated but are not often occupied. At camp we have BOB (our "Big Orange Box" hybrid power station built into a shipping container on skis) which is heated, semi-permanent but heated kitchen and workshop tents, and an outhouse on skis; I'm not sure those count as buildings though. Our sleeping tent is about 40 or 45 Fahrenheit inside at the coldest. Plenty warm!

As for the sensors they are our infrasound sensors that record the total pressure (atmospheric and, hopefully, acoustic) at eight locations (hence the term "array"). These sensors are basically just huge microphones designed to have a good response (measurement capability) in the infrasound band (0.01 to 10 Hz). The sensors and all the supporting equipment needs to be kept out of the weather so they sit in the field in weatherproof vaults. These vaults sit on the snowy surface of the permanent ice shelf all year. During the year, the vaults get buried under the accumulated snow (usually about 3-4 feet) and need to be lifted up to the surface every year or risk being lost. There's some old equipment people have left behind in similar situations that are now 40 or 50 feet below the snow surface and will never be seen again. If I remember correctly, there was a sighting of a bunch of equipment left from the 60's that finally made it out to sea and was exposed when the ice shelf broke off recently, pretty neat!

I think we're attending McMurdo's Thanksgiving gathering but I don't remember when that is. If there is one thing that McMurdo cooks get right it's the bread. It's not as good as yours but it's definitely the best around! I'm looking forward to some good French bread rolls again when I see you at Christmas.

As for the wifi, all seems to be working well, during heavy snowfall, the attenuation is high enough to break our line of sight, but the internet usually works.

It's definitely warm here today, the sun is blazing bright and it's 13.8 F outside with a 7 mph wind; the sun is offering our solar panels over 300 watts/m^2!

I've got some snow to go dig. Of course, the sun doesn't set so there's no night here but have a good night!

Miss you too! Love you tons!
Drew

Ready Set Go

Ready! Set! Go! 

Christmas is coming! 

Hooray for family time!

Hooray for sharing the love!

Happy Thanksgiving Week

May all your days be filled with joy and wonder.

May all your evenings be cozy and warm.

May all those that you love know just how much they mean to you.

May the holiday week ahead bring you blessings and gladness.

Happy Thanksgiving!

High Five Friday

High five Friday for peaceful early winter afternoons.  

Enjoy your weekend and remember to be kind, be truthful, and as always share the love with those you love!

Alaska Adventure Planning

Hooray for planning trips! I am so excited to share Alaska with you and would absolutely enjoy handing out some pointers. Truthfully now is the time to plan and have everything booked by mid-March of next year. The best time to visit is mid-summer (of course) and the weeks surrounding the 4th of July are always my favorite time to see Alaska.

Fly into and out of Anchorage – the flights will most likely have you landing in the late evening or early morning so plan to spend the first night or two in Anchorage. Rent a car for the best mobility.

First on the recommendation list would be to ride the rails on the Alaska Railroad and the day trip to Spencer Glacier is just the ticket to purchase. Riding the train from Anchorage to Fairbanks with a stop in Denali is a good trip too. Or even just Anchorage to Denali and back to Anchorage on a bus. The draw back to taking the train on either of these venues is you are locked into lodging just outside the Denali National Park’s entrance somewhere in Glitter Gulch and I do not think any of my friends would enjoy that at all. Glitter Gulch is very touristy, pricey and for the most part is not local people for the lodging.

Drive through Hatcher Pass, start at the Palmer end of Fishhook Road and visit Independence Mine. Hatcher Pass is a fabulous drive and the road will lead you to the Parks Highway at Willow. Some rental car companies do not allow you to drive their cars up Hatcher Pass, so it would be good to check with them beforehand. While in the Hatcher Pass area take a hike on a mountain side and enjoy all the wildflowers in bloom in July. Once at the end of the road take a right hand turn and head towards Talkeetna. In Talkeetna stay at Traleika Cabins, their Sultana Cottage or the Birchcrest Cabin both have good views of Denali, and Whitney is good people. There are places to eat in Talkeetna but you can also pack your own supper and breakfast fixings if you choose. Take a flightseeing tour out of Talkeetna to Denali with K2 Aviation or Talkeetna Air Taxi either will show you a good time. I think Whitney’s husband flies for Talkeetna Air. If the weather is not good they will cancel but when the weather is good it is totally worth the cost. Talkeetna is a quirky historic town that is fun to explore so spend a day or so here.

Drive to Denali National Park – Broad Pass just south of Cantwell has great views. Stay the night at Carlo Creek Lodge mile 224 on the Parks Highway. Eat at Creekside which is right across the street from Carlo Creek Lodge and also up the road to mile 229 at the restaurant called 229 Parks. Visit the touristy area called Glitter Gulch which is just outside the park’s entrance, and is where all the major hotels and gift shops are located; also be sure to visit Denali National Park’s great visitor’s center. Make plans to get up early the next day and take the bus ride back into the park. Get your tickets ahead of time for the first bus that goes back into the park. It will be a full day, and be sure to ride all the way back to Wonder Lake!

Head back south, stay in Anchorage and the next day take the Alaska Railroad ride to Spencer Glacier. This will take the entire day also and is totally worth the time. Another night in Anchorage and the next day drive to Whittier on the Seward Highway. Be very careful on this stretch of road, we have a house rule – no passing other cars on the Seward Highway – EVER! Unless there is a passing lane, of which there are only a few official passing lanes. The Seward Highway is a narrow busy stretch of road and too many drivers get in too big of a hurry which causes accidents.

Stop at the Portage Glacier Visitor Center before you drive through the Anderson Tunnel and once in Whittier take your glacier tour with either Phillips Cruises or Major Marine Tours, both do a great job and Prince William Sound is a fabulous must see area in Alaska. After the tour go to the Swiftwater Café (only open in the summer months) in Whittier for some fresh fish before you drive back through the tunnel and to your lodging somewhere in Girdwood. Explore Girdwood and drive to Seward in the early afternoon. Stay in Seward the night and drive out to Exit Glacier. We have not stayed in Seward overnight in a long while so I do not have any lodging suggestions, but I bet Trip Advisor will guide you to the right place.

Let me know if your Alaska travel plans would be for another part of the state, and I will make other suggestions.

Of course when you are in town we will go to supper together at Glacier Brewhouse or Simon & Seaforts, your choice! Enjoy planning your Alaska adventure!