Sunday in McMurdo
Sunday is a day of rest in McMurdo. Most of the Raytheon employees and support staff have the day off and offices are closed. People enjoy special outings and recreational activities. Today is a spectacular day for recreating because there is not a cloud in the sky and the wind is calm
Most people start Sunday in McMurdo at brunch. This is a once-a-week meal that starts at 10:00 am so you can sleep in a bit compared to the typical workday breakfast time of 5:30 to 7:30 am. The brunch spread includes lots of cut fruits, cheese, pastries, omelets, and my favorite, Belgian waffles with berries and whipped cream. Yum!
The food is served cafeteria style, once you get your food you find a table to sit at. On Sundays the local newspaper, called the Antarctic Sun, is printed and can be found on your table. The Antarctic Sun is the McMurdo newspaper that keeps the community informed on the happenings around town. There are human interest articles, science articles, and even cartoons. There is an entire newspaper staff here in McMurdo.
After Breakfast, Joe and Lora went on a tour of the Discovery Hut. Discovery hut was built in 1902 and was used by Scott and Shackleton, famous Antarctic pioneers from the heroic age of exploration. The hut still contains numerous boxes from early expeditions. The boxes contain gear, food, and biscuits for people and dogs. The hut is protected under the Antarctic Treaty and is managed by the Antarctic Heritage Trust. After their tour of Discovery Hut, Lora and Joe hiked 3 miles along hut ridge trail and back to McMurdo. The hike offered some beautiful views of the sea ice and Mt. Erebus.
Mike and Dan D. spent most of the day building and testing the Eclipse three-inch ice drill. The drill and frame were assembled with relative ease and worked perfectly. Brian, Andrei and Dan B. spent much of the day clearing up loose ends, running last minute errands, and communicating with the rest of our group back in the U.S. Before dinner, Mike, Brian and Dan D. climbed up Observation Hill, a short but invigorating hike. As there wasn‘t a cloud in the sky, the view from the top was spectacular. There is close to a 360-degree panoramic view from the top of Observation Hill, it is possible to see Scott Base, the sea ice runway, an excellent view of McMurdo, the Transantarctic Mountains, and several camps belonging to science groups who are working out on the Ross Ice Shelf.