ice town

Being a shuttle driver here in Antarctica is far different than I envisioned shuttle driving from the states. This difference includes more than the Delta's and IVAN.

Technically speaking I am a Vehicle Operator for the ATO, the Antarctic Terminal Operations. Our main duty is to transport passengers and crew to and from airplanes (C17's, Herc's-C130's, the Basler-C30, little Twin Otters, and helicopters). I spend heaps of time driving to and from the runway.



Currently, the ICE RUNWAY is McMurdo's active airplane runway. Constructed on just over 6 meters of ice (!!), it is only 1.5 miles from station and viewable from the edge of McMurdo. Due to it's quick melting rate in the summer, we'll switch out to Williams Field Runway (which I have mentioned in earlier postings, aka: Willy Field) in December and then at the end of the summer and on through next Winfly we fly off a runway called Pegasus. Below is a photo I took of the ICE RUNWAY from the edge of the McMurdo bay late one cloudy evening around 2AM.



While working I spend hours and hours sitting in ICE TOWN, a little village of fish huts located out next to the runway ramp. Every 30 minutes, at the top and bottom of the hour, we run a shuttle to and from Ice Town; the air national guard, airplane mechanics, air traffic control tower workers, dining room attendants, and cargo personnel all use our shuttles...which means that I get to meet heaps and heaps of people (especially pilots), and have lots of down time (20 minutes every run) while I wait for my next departure.

The following photos are all taken from the shuttle stop just out side the galley. Just like back in Iowa, I spend as much time looking at the sky as I do looking at the landscape.



I also have a perfect view of the pluming, Mt. Erebus (the white mountain to the left!)







And on my way back into town, I always take note to admire the red flag road markers flapping in the wind. On still days they rest, silent and on blustery days like this one the flap wildly in the wind reminding me to turn!