Snowmachine Fans: The Soon to be Mothballed Skidoo Alp-1's of Antarctica...

200+ Million Year Old Antarctic Tree (Triassic): Near Gordon Valley, Antarctica

Too Many Samples Makes Pete Crazy!

A Place to Warm the Soul: Wine Bar-Coffee House, McMurdo Station, Antarctica

My Face After a Cold Day's Work: Graphite Peak-Antarctica...

Camp Put-in at Graphite Peak: Helicopter Shuttling our Field Gear

Penguin Hors d'œuvres ...

A yummy CTAM camp treat courtesy of Thaona Sinclair.

Contrailocopter

It is rare for contrails (streaks of condensed water vapor created in the air by an airplane or rocket at high altitudes) to form behind a helicopter. Our spike field camp at Graphite Peak was at a high enough altitude (> 9000 ft) and the air was cold enough that each time our helicopter took off the rotating blades created these amazing contrails. This helicopter is plowing through air at a temperature of -40F and an altitude of 12,000 ft, 270 miles from the South Pole.

Through the Eyes of Steve Hasiotis...

Our Steamy Kitchen Tent at Graphite Peak near Dinner-time: Antarctica

FIRE NEXT DOOR! The AMAZING Austin Fire Department! THANK YOU!

The fire likely started at our neighbors in the wall by the chimney... from an electrical short.
Then it got worse, yep that is our house on the right. We were worried!...
VERY worried!
Then the Austin Fire Department showed up... in about three minutes!Lots of Firefighters...Man did they know what they were doing!
This is the view from our Kitchen Window. Way too close for comfort!They put out the fire...Talked to us about exactly what had happened...Comforted the owner......and this man even looked all over the house, in every room, and saved her cat (aptly named Smokey).THANK YOU AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT!!!!!