Some pictures of the cyclocross race and our gingerbread Delta (complete with oil spills, glycol leaks, the road to plagasus, penguin road kill, the snow road, and pressure ridges). This photo doesn't have it but a picture of shuttle Bill was eventually added as the driver.

12-14-11

Not much new today. Same old pickleball and basketball. Today on my Delta ride home during the big crew shift change when all the air national guard guys are grumpy and want to just get home, they challenged me to beat an hour. They said one of the drivers had hit an hour exactly. I told them it would be a crazy bumpy ride, but I'd try if they were ok with it. I harnessed myself in as tight as I could go, and took off. THe ride was bumpy and wild, but we managed it in 44 minutes.

12-15-11

A group of us got together after work to hang out at the tiny dorm lounge in MMI (mammoth mountain inn)and watch a funny 80's movie. Shuttle Spring's family had sent her tons of candy, which we all enjoyed since there isn't much candy down here

12-16-11

Went on a ski trip on the sea ice around armitage loop with Jerod. In the evening our boss had another Roll Call, where he puts down a whole bunch of money at the bar for our department. Definitely had an awesome time (especially with steph, jeff, and shuttle jen), and we were still having a great time went we met up with the night shift for the midrats meal

12-17-11
We all attended the Women's Soiree which was a talent type show that the women of Antarctica put on for a charity. Afterwards we went to the coffee house to celebrate Shuttle Dan's dirty thirty birthday.

12-18-11
Particpated in the McMurdo cyclocross race today. I ended up getting 5th. It was kind of a cyclocross race mixed with a bit of bmx or something b/c they had lots of features like stairs and ramps, plus a little bit of singletrack, and mostly rough dirt roads. It was snowing a bit for the race which was cool. A couple of the guys have been training and had their own special bikes here. That was a bit annoying, so I wish Bro had been here to dominate it in the rental bikes we had

There was a gingerbread house making contest (winners yet to be decided). Team Shuttles (Shuttle Elisha, Shuttle Mel, Shuttle Nate, Fuelie Dan, and myself). We made a pretty funny one: a delta driving on Plagasus, running over a penguin with oil and glycol leaks, on the nasty pegasus road with Shuttle Bill driving. We played Christmas music and it was snowing hard outside with big flakes, so the Christmas spirit was felt by all.

In the evening we had another "extreme 80's" movie night at MMI. This time watching Aspen Extreme as it dumped snow outside.

12-19-11

Rode a shuttle with Shuttle Elisha out to LDB and then we skied back to Scott Base on the snow road. It was the first time I had skate skied on the snow road, and it was awesome! It was a glorious day, sunny with no wind and we took the time to make snow angels and write Merry Christmas on the side of the road so that shuttle drivers could see it as they drove past.
Went to the travelogue that my friend Jean put on about her 10 month trip from Inida to Pakistans and then to China. It was my favorite travelogue yet b/c Jean is quite funny and very open and honest. She talked about how her trip had orginally been one with sexpectations, but after spending a couple months drinking heavily, doing some drugs, and having a lot of sex, she decided to go to some of those medidation retreats in India and silent monasteries and Rikas and such and by the time she left India she had become a vegetarian, given up alcohol, and started believing in a God.

Stayed up pretty late hanging out with Cassa as it was her night off from night shift. Even though she's on nights, we've managed to figure out how to hang out a lot. Cassa is such a great friend!