Minus 2, plus 3

It's October 21, our scheduled station opening day, but we're not going to get a plane full of people in today. Our temps are still a bit too cold for the LC-130s to land, although it toyed with us by reaching -50.4C but is now back down to -57C. Doesn't really matter though - McMurdo is having some pretty crappy weather with earlier winds of 50kts, lots of blowing snow the planes could not have taken off in that kind of weather even if our temps had stayed "warm".

Yesterday we had some excitement with the arrival of a Twin Otter and Basler DC-3. They're just passing through on their way from Rothera station to McMurdo. The Basler landed, took on some fuel and a couple of winterovers with them. The crew generously offered a ride to McMurdo for 2 people and there were a few people who needed to get out of here to tend to other matters. One of them was our friend UT Craig who is missed already.

This is a photo that Brien took of the Basler coming in to refuel. I was stuck in the SOC doing the radio comms.

Now the Twin Otter crew is spending the weekend here, so although we lost 2 people, we gained another 3. They're different faces from the ones we've been seeing for the past 9 months and it's a little weird to see a different shape that you don't recognize coming down the hall.

And so it goes. Now we're looking at flights on Monday and playing the weather waiting game again. Oh well, it just gives me more time to pack.