Dawn in Antarctica

C-17 planes transport people and cargo between Christchurch, New Zealand, and McMurdo, Antarctica.  I really enjoyed both my rides on them.  They are cold and noisy, but the crews are fantastic and the "interior decorating" is much to be admired.  My dad sent this link about the challenges of flying and how the best McChord Air Force pilots want to be part of Mission Deep Freeze:  http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010883061_antarctica25m.html   It's always nice to have the best looking out for you! Here are some of my C-17 pictures. Our plane in Christchurch: Cargo waiting to be loaded: Looking toward the front of the plane over a sea of 127 scientists and support experts: Me in my seat on October 5th, 2010: Looking back at the cargo: The cargo is held in place by slots in the floor that special pallets slide into.  The same is true for the seats. Lots of tools are essential and look great! I had handy tools to secure cargo above my seat. 

I'm back to the states and busy with my normal life.  However, there are a couple of things I'd like to follow up on in my blog.  One of which is a clothing review. Base Layers I loved my wool long underwear.  It was comfortable and didn't smell too badly even after more than 6 weeks of wear.  I had two shirts and two bottoms that I alternated every day, allowing the other pair to air out hanging in my tent.  My silk long underwear was also nice, but I didn't wear them as much.  When it was really cold, I wore my silk bottoms under my wool bottoms.  However, they didn't hold up as well.  One pair ripped.  The stitching in the waste band of the other pair broke, and I had to sew them up.  Both pairs were old so that might have been part of the problem.  The silk tops had normal sleeves whereas the wool tops had baseball-type sleeves.  I found the baseball-type sleeves much more comfortable.  The wool tops also had a closer fit, which was great for a bottom layer.