14 October 2019 BOOMERANG!

Crazy Day

As predicted, I was wide away when my alarm went off at 4:15 this morning. I was already showered and dressed. I guess I was a little anxious to get going. The shuttle picked us up at 5:15 and we were off to the US Antarctic Program Terminal. We got dressed in all our extreme cold weather gear- even Big Red. Then we went through the baggage area. It didn't matter how many bags we took, but the total weight limit was 85 pounds. We had a special bag packed designated a "boomerang bag." It was hard to decide just exactly what to put where- checked baggage, Boomerang, or carryon. If a flight gets sent back and doesn't land for some reason in McMurdo, that Boomerang bag is the only one they unpack for you to have until the next flight that lands you in McMurdo Station. Of course, the only one that you have access to in flight is the carryon. If you put something in the wrong bag, there is no going back to get it. I forgot to put my sunglasses in my carryon. That could have been bad when we landed. I would be without for an hour or so outside until we got that Boomerang bag. Turns out, it was not going to be a problem.

Ready to Board

After a short flight brief and the usual security screening, we boarded a shuttle that took us to the plane. It was HUGE!

> This plane was a lot bigger than I had imagined. One experienced Antarctic worker was telling me that the C-130 that I thought we were taking could fit(without the wings) inside of this plane!

> So, we boarded the plane and settled in for the five hour flight.

> The inside of the plane was equally impressive. It wasn't claustrophobic like comercial planes. The top of the plane seemed like it was 30 feet over our head. There were big isles and plenty of leg room. They did't squish us all together like regular planes. Turns out that those jump seats are actually pretty comfortable. That became really important...

> Of coarse, we were only part of the reason that plane was flying to Antarctica. Our cargo made up the majority of the load. There is so much logistics required to maintain the work going on in Antarctica. There were literally giant pallets stacked to the ceiling with cargo.

> We settled in, put in our earplugs, and got ready for the five hour flight. You really needed those earplugs. I wasn't really thinking about just how loud it would be. We had to wear the earplugs throughout the flight, so it made it hard to talk. I ended up just reading. Turns out that I had time to finish my whole 465 page book. Thanks Duane for stocking me up with reading!

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So Close

After four plus hours, our crew said we were getting ready to start our decent into McMurdo in forty five minutes. I was soooo excited! I got a couple of pictures looking out of the one little porthole. At first, all we could see were clouds over the Southern Ocean. I was a little worried about those clouds. I didn't want unexpected bad weather to turn us around. I needn't have worried.

Then, as we approached Ross Island, I again looked out the port hole. SEA ICE! You could clearly see all the cracks. We were coming up on final approach. Everyone was up and getting back into all their gear. Even seasoned veterans seemed excited to be on final decent.

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BOOMERANG

Then, the crew got back on the intercom. Above the roar of the plane, I could scarcely make out what he was saying. In the garbled flow of static, three words stood out..." I'm sorry....Christchurch" Yep. We had made it all the way to McMurdo. We were circling above it. Tantalizingly close. And then ...BOOMERANG. Just like that, we were heading back to Christchurch. I was incredulous. We were so close!! And yet, so far. As it turns out, we had sustained a crack in the windshield. Not a good thing. We were routed back to Christchurch so they could repair the plane. Five more hours in the plane. We need a new windshield. I guess that's not exactly a thing that you can just run down to Wal Mart to get, so we might be here in Christchurch a while. They are telling us three days minimum. So, I guess that means three days to explore this beautiful country. I've got plans for the museum and another walk downtown on Tuesday. I am anxious to get on ice, but I will happily take advantage of this chance to see another amazing part of our world. Stay Cool