Leaving the South Pole - Very Close!

When I arrived at the South Pole in January I found a collection of cards by my wife. There was one card for every month, including birthday, Father's Day (thanks Cary and Jocelyn), and anniversary. This was the last card. Very appropriate. Thanks Andee.

A Sunday November 3rd update:

I'm still at the Pole. Saturday's flight was canceled due to weather. There is no flying on Sundays and Monday's weather looks doubtful. If there is anything I have learned is that on continent schedules can and do change quickly. It is best to just "chill out" and enjoy the experience. 

Our new book is now available as an eBook. It also works on Kindle for PC (a free download from Amazon) and as an eBook on an iPad. It is also listed on: 
If you buy a new print edition of this book (or purchased one in the past), you can buy the Kindle edition for FREE. Print edition purchase must be sold by Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G6TOQLI

or FatherDaughterCyclingAdventures.com

It's time for a move to the Northern Hemisphere but I really will miss Antarctica.

On my way home I will visit my niece Mariah and her family in Hawaii. That will be a big change!

A friend suggested I take a picture of my book cover at the Geographic South Pole.

After all the book was completed, edited, and published from here.

A grand location to write a book.

My last drive around the South Pole while delivering equipment to the radomes.

It was a grand adventure and the work opportunity of a lifetime.

The chef sent out a food accounting for the 44 of us:

     Below you will see some food items and the quantities we used this Winter. It does not encompass all of the food, but gives a good example of how much food we can consume in 9 months.

Chicken Breast, Skin Off: 1,140 lbs

Ground Beef: 1,520 lbs

Pork Loin: 950 lbs

Individual Steaks (for steak night): 2,128 steaks Chocolate Chips (for cookies): 275 lbs for roughly 4,750 chocolate chip cookies, equaling 108 cookies / person...IF everyone had the same amount!!!!

White Sugar, refined: 700 lbs .....that is 17.5 lbs/person or apron. 2# a month.

Bread Flour: 650 lbs

Butter, unsalted: 820 lbs

    And finally......Coffee: 1,120 lbs

Fuel and water used:

This winter 275,835 gallons of AN-8 Fuel were consumed. 

The average electric power demand was 609kW, about 80% of the generators de-rated output. 

Water consumption totaled 354,642 gallons with an average of slightly less than 32 gallons per person, per day.  The typical goal is to reach 30 gal/per/day.  

Out for my final early morning jog at 0200. I also visited the Ceremonial South Pole where the 2014 Geographic South Pole marker was temporarily placed for 24 hours to allowing viewing by the 2013 winterovers. Per tradition the new marker can only be seen by the winterovers and is kept a secret from all others until it is placed at the newly measured South Pole on January 1, 2014. The two mile thick glacier that the South Pole Station sits on moves about 30 feet a year so the Geographic South Pole marker changes in position to stay in the same spot. The 2014 marker was designed and built during our winter from several submissions and voted on. I took several pictures but per tradition they are not posted. But I must say it is absolutely beautiful.

South Pole Halloween party - zombie chef .

The doc.

Two Polies down!

The power plant gave this coin to those that volunteered to help.

A very cool coin.

The official South Pole Winterover 2013 pictures and frame was hung on the station's wall of fame. The wall contains all South Pole winterover pictures since 1957.

We were indeed at the bottom of the world! There were 44 souls onboard and the frame is held together with 44 screws.

I am very proud to have been a part of this group.

The first LC-130 Hercules of the summer season arrived on time.

Winter crew greeting the summer crew.

37 of the 150 summer people walking to the station. Five winterovers left 30 minutes later for McMurdo. I'm leaving today...maybe.

It was a busy time as we broke out into a work party to haul up 2 tri-walls full of freshies then luggage for the 37 new arrivals.

This morning for breakfast I had fresh strawberries, watermelon, pineapple, cantaloupe, and a banana along with my usual bowl of cereal. Talk about a fruit binge!