02/09/08
You know you have issues when you misspell issues in your last e-mail subject line. No one ever said I was a genius, more like eccentric in the worst sort of way but just bare with me.

Let me start with the fact that I am tired. Working out here has me wishing I was back at work (yes I still have a day job thanks to my killer Boss, HintHint), driving my boneheaded, prick black BMWs at high speed with little regard to anyone, least of all any fool that would goto Antarctica. Here I am.

An-My and I have shot upwards of three hundred sheets of 5x7 inch color film. Any of you that know anything about photography can understand that this is a lot, for the rest of you, just think of going on vacation with 2x8GIG flash cards in that new little point and shoot and running out of room for little Johnny's first swimming lesson. Follow? If not stop reading and just goto the webpage and look at the pictures you assholes.

For the rest of you that might still be interested in my misspelled, horribly edited blurbs, please read on and thanks for being there for me, I cry at night. No. Really.

The last few days have brought with it the true Antarctic weather that we were so warned about. Gusting winds, light to heavy snow, Cold, Cold, Cold. With this explanation (did I already explain this?) I should also explain that the weather here changes at the drop of a hat, one sec it is clear as you can see, the next it is snowing, the next it is gusting up to 50 knots, only to be back at crystal clear, all inside of two hours. Cold. Cold that goes in your nose to your brain, in your boots to your balls, cold that you cannot understand is so unrelenting. Luck favors the prepared. Screw all of you, I will wear my blue smurf boots with pride! I will not succumb to the CC disease. Cute and cold. Call my ugly and warm.

It is clear now that when, on the first day here, we asked what the weather was usually like, we got a response of, "Look outside, you see that blue sky and sun and no wind, live it up because it is not meant to be here." They were not messing about with that one. It is gone and gone for a long while and with it I am getting the hell out of here.

I don't mind the cold but we all should understand that -10F here is a nice here day right about now.

We have had a Bright Red Ford F350 for the last few days now (no I have not gotten pulled over or crashed you assholes). Set free to roam the dirt roads of McMurdo. This has been very nice for us as lugging around all the gear is a back breaker and a wind taker. Focused mostly on Planes and Boats, we have been bouncing between Williams Air Field and the hills about McMurdo Sound. As I am the only fool to come to Antarctica with a camera and only one fixed 50MM lens, we will not be seeing pictures of planes of Boats from afar, unless you like to look at computer screens with a agfa loop?

Running around in this manner has been a lot of work. Plane landing in an hour. Change film. Ship coming in two hours later. Get up at 5 AM, pass out at 8PM. Sun is still up god dammit! I miss the night. So much you can get away with. Soon enough.

After getting all that we could in McMurdo, I was foolish enough to notice that we missed something at the South Pole. Something that An-My should have. Stupid me.

Up at 5AM. Coffee, Food, Bus to Willies' airfield, three hours in Pickup truck, two hours on the ground to get what we need. What I noticed was that we never asked to get on the roof of the new building. This view would have been something to get. We got diss'd on that but got the rear exits of the building that were just about the same hight. We were so high when we were first there that we had missed noticing them. Get off the plane, only to understand that -40F and -50F are very very much different. So much so that about 30 minutes before we were meant to leave, An-My was laying down for some nice O2 out of a bottle. Last time I had O2 from a bottle was when I was about to be put under for a colonoscopy (TMI? I think so). Hey, who am I to judge if a little O2 can make you one happy fella in -50 at 10,000 feet. I will never let her live it down.

We made it back safe and sound and have been shooting every chance we can. We will be leaving this place on Monday so between then and I now I hope to: Climb Ob Hill, Get a shot of myself with the McMurdo sign (You will understand why when you see it) do laundry, eat less as I have been eating to much, Pack 10 bags of crap into 6, clear our office and our room, Make one last tear jerking post to you folk and finally carry An-my's sick tailgate to the C17 back to NZ.

This post is mostly of around the town shots with some from Pegasus airfield. I am sorry that I didn't get any from the pole. I now know that the limit of my poor SLR is -50F. Sucker would not even let me focus it was so beat. Cheers!

McMurdo From above, on the otherside of town. Ob Hill towering above. I need to climb that thing but An-My has me running around like it is not even funny.

That is the M/V American Turn, Captain Obvious over here! Anyway, the ship that left brought in Da Gasso, this bad larry is carrying food, booze and porn! Ok so maybe not porn but I am sure the 120 people that will be here for the winter will have wished so.

We went to the top of McMurdo Proper to get a shot of the Ship coming in and Froze our flipping asses off. Lookie there, that is an active volcano spitting out it's leftovers.

This was the point at which our toes stopped 10-4ing and our fingers were about as good as I am with the chopsticks. We hid from the wind behind this raydome, which houses the a NASA tracking system element (that is all they would tell me), but the wind came up/down/left/right, it was a real Forest Gump Moment and yes, I did "I gotta go Pee" without a peebottle. They call me Camel.

Does this not look like something a few kids would make out of trash and run around in in the slums? Maybe it was just me. Probably just me.

See this here? This is not what I think of when I think Fire Engine. When I think of Fire Engine, I think of Guys with red faces, running around the little town I grew in. Guys I grew up with, that can drink to much and do, while also being able to save your ass and your home when the time comes. This thing looks like a tank with a good cause meets mister gadget.

What was that kids book where the rabbits or whatever they were lived in a shoe? I wanna live in there! Sha-zif, maybe for a day if I had no choice but it did make me think of that kids book. So porked in the head I am. Please note the not snowing.

That would be a C17 landing on Ice in next to no visibility and almost taking out the fence that marks the beginning of the runway. Sweeeet! Please note the snowing 25 minutes later.

This is the MLS Hut and the Generator that runs it. MLS is for MicroWave Landing system, it is what gets the little plane to land when it can't see the carrot hanging on the stick in front of it. Nevermind what it is, you check out that light? I nearly shitmyself. Please note the not snowing and clearing 20 minutes after the plane landed.

They were fighting to get the hell out of here! That will be me in two days if I have my way thank you very much. Note still not snowing.

Hey Look, it is a flipping snow/wind storm. This was what they call condition 2 weather here. 40MPH winds making I don't know what for a windchill, lets just say it was not worth knowing. The dude with the thing that looks like a golf bag in front stands there during startup. That is a fire extinguisher, gee, ya think he will be able to put out one of those 10' wide engines if one were to go and toss itself? Ya, me either. One hour after the plane landed.

This is the road home from Pegasus airstrip. Looks like a blast right?

So for all of you out there wondering, yes I saw a penguin. On the ride back in the windstorm we were lucky enough to see a lone Emperor Penguin, walking to nowhere in the middle of nowhere to do whatever a penguin does in said nowhere. Yes they are cute, yes I am lucky, not I didn't got near it, no I don't want one for a pet and no, I can't walk like a penguin. I came to Antarctica with a 50MM fixed lens on my SLR so keep the comments to yourselfs. I do not use a zoom lens, I walk around a lot and take care in my pictures. Keep the not close up comments to yourselve and take in the whole space (a technical term). National Geographic is for the kids. Keep your end of the earth, death, Flowers, Bugs close up long lens crap out of my face and out of your comments. Thanks. No shortage of opinion here is there?

One could say I was a Network Engineer. One could say I am a traveler. One could even say I drive like a freak at 190MPH but finally I will say don't copy my shit because it is copyrighted by Me, Dan Benson. Audi 5000..