Home at last!!

I've been off the ice for a while now (I got back home on the 12th of December). I actually left on the 10th (pole time), so my last post was pretty close to my departure date. The few days before departure were probably the hardest. Before then, it was easy to just focus on work and not dwell on thinking about home. But once it got closer, it got harder to maintain that focus.

The trip back itself went pretty well: Herc to McMurdo, one night stay, C-17 to CHC, one night stay, CHC->Auckland->LA->Chi->Madison (no delays). So the travel went pretty much as well as it possibly could. There have been some interesting transitions that I hadn't really anticipated.

Transition one: McMurdo. On the way down, I didn't understand why people hate getting stuck in McMurdo. Now I get it. On the way down it was early in the pole season, so there was still snow on the ground and it was still thawing. That meant it still looked nice. On the way back, it looked an awful lot like a gritty mining town. In addition, they move the skiway due to snow melt. The second ski way is about 13 miles from the base and it took a little more than an hour to make the trip. On the plus side, I got to see penguins on that drive, although no one quite knew what they were doing that far inland. Still, it's fitting that the first living things I saw (other than humans) were penguins.

Stranger, though was getting used to the people and the setting. The station never really felt small to me while I was there. Certainly my room was small, and things were packed in pretty tight, but it was comfortable. But you get used to seeing pretty much the same faces every day and get comfortable in the close quarters. McMurdo keeps a summer population of around 1100 (I believe), so it's like a small town. The cafeteria probably holds 300-500 people and has vaulted ceilings, and floor to ceiling windows. It just felt weird and a little unpleasant compared to the pole; a lot of space, and a lot of strange faces. I can't imagine what it'd be like after a whole winter.

I also got a reprise of Man Camp on the return trip and it was quite a treat. As a refresher, that's the 24 person bunk room in Hotel California. On the trip down it wasn't bad - pretty much everyone there was on the same flight out and same schedule we were. On the way back, there were a lot of transients, so people were sleeping on all sorts of weird schedules. And it was still hot. Happily I only had to spend one night there.

Transition two: Christchurch. Darkness! Our flight landed at night, but a night with actual darkness. Green things! Something besides flat white plateau. OK, that actually started in McMurdo as it's a bit hilly there, but it's still cool to see green things. Bugs! Didn't really need those back, but there you have it. Traffic! Moving things that are not massive and yellow and beep when they back up. Paying for things! Didn't need that back either, but a ride to the hotel and food can't be beat.

I have to say, Christchurch is a really great place, and I can't imagine a better place to land coming off the ice. It's warm, but not too warm, and the people are friendly. They get a lot of Antarctic traffic through there at this time of year, and a lot of places offer discounts for the crazies headed south. The people are friendly, and the atmosphere is just generally pleasant. If you ever get a chance to go, it's worth it.

Transition three: HOME!!!! After 25+ odd hours of flight time, I stepped off the plane. At first, when I came down the escalator, the kids didn't recognize me. I was wearing a hat, which I normally don't do (but without a shower, my hair is insane), and I let my goatee grow, so it was pretty thick. But that only lasted for a second or two and then it was off and running. There are no words for the feelings, so I'll just say that I don't think I've ever been happier in my life and leave it at that.

Getting my sleep schedule adjusted back to normal time took longer than ever. I'm not sure why. It was really only a five hour difference, and I got in at night and slept well. Still, it took more than a week before I was not getting more alert at midnight (7pm pole time) and didn't need a nap.

But that didn't really matter. I was home before the holidays and that was all I was really worried about.

So how was it? Well, all in all, it was a great experience. I missed the family, but there enough things to do to keep me busy. I enjoyed the work and the company of the people I was working with. At this point, I actually miss some of that. There were parts of it that I think could wear on you after a while but nothing too terrible. Finally having places to go with all of the names I've been hearing for the last few years is nice.

Will I go back? Well, six or seven years ago, the answer would be an absolute yes. The travel is evil, but it's worth it. But at this point, the time away from the kids is rough, and it's across the holidays and Shaeleigh's birthday. Maybe in a few years when the kids are older and Dad's not cool any more. Of course, I'm not sure Jodi would think much of being left alone at that point. But still, I once said never ...

For now, it's just good to be home.