Antarctica Part 3

A new day begins, and the adventure starts anew. Well. when we got up this morning, all of the ice that was there when we went to sleep was gone. The wind had picked up overnight which made for a rather frigid day in Antarctica.

Today we decided we would go check out Scott Base, which is the New Zealand research base located near McMurdo. We took a shuttle there because we didn't want to waste time walking along the road where there wasn't much to see. As soon as we got to Scott Base, we got out of the van and noticed a couple of whales just offshore. We ran over, but by the time either of us could get our cameras out, the whales were gone. We waited around for a long time for them to show back up, but they never did. So, we just walked around Scott Base for a while until their store opened up.

We had been told by multiple people that the store at McMurdo was pretty awful and that we should definitely go to the one at Scott Base. They were definitely correct about that, and I think we all spent a little more than we had planned at the store. But oh well, you only come here once right?

We did manage to find another shuttle to take us back to McMurdo, and from there we just spent the rest of the day exploring the town. We ate dinner at the McMurdo cafeteria, and then I headed back to the ship to give tours. It ended up being a really enjoyable experience because I got to meet a lot of really cool people while giving tours. When the tours were over, I headed back out to Hut Point to see if there were any whales, seals or penguins hanging around. I had been told earlier that a pod of killer whales had been spotted right near the ship, but I was never able to find them. It was also very cold and windy, so I didn't hang out for a very long time over at Hut Point.

The next morning, we needed to be back at the ship at 10AM, so I got up early and went into town and had breakfast in the cafeteria with one of the AB's. After breakfast we went to the post office to drop off some mail, and then tried going out to Hut Point again. Unfortunately, there was still nothing there, so we just came back to the ship. In fact, I got back just in time to give another tour. We had to be back at the ship by 10AM for an awards ceremony. Each member of the ship's crew who had not already been to Antarctica received the Antarctica Service Medal.

When the awards ceremony was over, we all changed back into our warm clothes to go spend a little more time in the town. We had some lunch in the cafeteria, then headed up to check out the heavy machinery shop. By the time we were done with that, it was time to head back to the ship to prepare for departure.

Though we only had two and a half days in Antarctica, every minute that we were there was an unforgettable experience that I will never forget. Antarctica is a beautiful continent, and I am so thankful that I was given the opportunity to spend time there.