For those of you who have been following regularly... today I am posting this journal from a broad-band internet connection! I made it to Moscow! I just took my first shower in a month! I also called home via skype read some email and now I need to pack my bags one last time before I leave Russia. I am a little disappointed that I did not get to see Red Square and other sites in Moscow, but at this point, I am happy to be headed home. I have 4 hours in the hotel Salut before I fly out again... After flying from Pevek to Sergut, Sergut to Moscow, I will fly Moscow to London, London to Chicago, Chicago to Philadelphia, Philadelphia to Greensboro!!!!It is hard for me to write this without getting a little emotional... It has been such a privilege for me to join this expedition!
From Left to Right... Volker- Thanks for teaching me about ice and important engineering coefficients that must be used in ice safety and life! Jim- Thanks for tolerating my laundry over your bed and being able to sleep through times when those of us on the day shift needed to be in the balok when you were sleeping. Martin- Thanks for helping us get around Pevek allowing me to help on day #1 at the lake when we visited D3. Catalina- Thanks for the tour of the Physical properties lab and your willingness to answer all my questions about your work in the lab and the earlier seismic studies...and the spaghetti back in Pevek was great! Doug-Thanks for the private tutoring on drilling and for taking the time to alert me to things I would have missed otherwise. Julia- President of the Polar-Bear club (The first of us who slept in the igloo) and joint Lotto winner! Thank-you for translation assistance and teaching me how to process cores. We made a good team...I could not have had a better teacher and friend to work with! Jerry- Thanks for the stories and laughs...Lets get some cores!!! Oh and stay away from the snow-machines and go easy on the dirt-bike! Jochem- Thanks for taking the time to teach me about the details and importance of down-hole logging, I enjoyed watching you with all the animals! Grisha- Thank-you for keeping camp running, for the conversations we had in the office, and your dedication to this project. Happy Birthday! Carsten- Thanks for putting up with my video on the rig and in the lab... also thanks for repeatedly showing me which direction to attach the pipe wrench! Volker W- Thanks for giving me a second chance after I dropped the heavy box on both of us in my first hour in camp. Thanks also for your help with all my questions whether about drilling tools or diatoms you were an outstanding resource. Pavel (Pasha)- Thank-you for the laughs, your leadership, patience and willingness to look at whatever we found in a core or under the microscope. I will email you with some more questions about paleo-magnetism. Julie- I will get back to you Brady- Thanks for the smiles! Whether in all of our travel, the 9 days in Pevek or the time out at the lake, hikes in Pevek and at the lake, I will never forget your bright smile. Victor- Thanks for all the bus rides to and from the drill rig... thanks for shoveling us out when we got stuck and waiting for me when I had to go out or come back in the middle of the day. Shasha, Vlad, Mishka and Joey (end) Back row- night shift drillers... sorry I did not get to know you. John- Thanks for teaching me drilling 101. I learned a lot from watching you and I gained a new respect for the art and work of drilling. Good luck on the next project in New Jersey...Stay safe! Addie- Thanks for coordinating our shopping in Pevek, (let's get 6...) Thanks also for inviting me on the hikes and finding the first Lake E impact glass I saw in its natural environment! (Good luck with your masters) Vasily- Thanks for your hard work on the rig, It was amazing watching you fix things, thanks for sharing your photos of Chukotka with me. Roman- Thanks for hard work and making me laugh! As the #1 Russian driller, the day shift will be counting on you to keep the cores coming!
Missing from the photo:
Zhenya and Bahir- Thanks for the Vestikhot rides!
The nighttime generator operator- thanks for the moon the other night!
Victor, the mechanics, dozer drivers and all the other guys in camp, thanks for keeping us and the banya going.
Ludmilla and Vika- Thanks for keeping us fed... the fresh sweet bread was great... I would be happy with another chut-chut of goulash!Rita- Thanks for keeping the project going from the Pevek end of things and especially for translating my presentation at the Pevek School.
Marianna- Thanks for all your work with the Moscow connections and helping get me here and home!
Now back to Julie... Words will never convey how lucky I feel that you invited me along on this expedition. As hectic and as complicated as this project has been, you could have simplified your work substantially by not taking a teacher along on the expedition. When you were in the midst of planning, you invested so much of your time including me with all phases of the expedition. You have introduced me to and infected me with a love of the Arctic. If you have space for a teacher on another expedition, let me know!
Janet, Kristin, Ronnie and Zeb... you guys at ARCUS are the best... thanks for helping me communicate with the rest of the world. Elaine, Thomas, and Erin... I will be home soon... I love you all so much ...thanks for supporting me through this adventure. To all my readers: Thanks....Check back in a couple of days or so ...for a few final thoughts or periodic updates from the project. but this will likely be the last of the daily journals
Speciba, Danka, Thank-you... for coming along with me.
T-Mart... I STAYED WARM IN SIBERIA!!!!
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