Another season, another buck and a half.

The start of season 18 was less than auspicious. A snow squall in State College caused our flight to be diverted to Harrisburg. We were landing in Dulles as our LA flight was leaving (on time of course) so Nick and I spent Thanksgiving evening at an airport hotel. The burger was mediocre at best.

We arrived at LAX with 12 hours to spare, 4 hours before we could even get a boarding pass and go into the terminal. It was uphill from there; we got into the Qantas lounge (thanks Joni) and the Sydney flight was empty.

Arrived in Christchurch at 5 PM and reported for our clothing issue at 5 AM; the third time in a row with 12 hours or less in Christchurch. By 6 I was ready to check in for the flight and get breakfast (and coffee), but no; we had a flight brief at 6:25 and boarded straight away. No breakfast, no coffee. Kiya was looking worried. She and Nick would be locked on an airplane with me for 8.5 hours and I had consumed no coffee.

The flight was one-of-a-kind. My first trip on SAFAIR; the only commercial C-130 in the world. It lived down to our expectations.

Not the most uncomfortable trip I have ever had though (that would have been on an old C-141) and I only had a splitting headache for two hours. See, I'm even smiling. We landed at Pegasus airfield and an hour later were sitting in the NSF's Chalet being moved to tears by "the Marshall" (Don't listen to the rumor mill).

The weather and food have been good though, and we have jump through all the hoops, dotted all the tees. We are ready for a Tuesday put in flight to WAIS Divided, "Jewel of the West Antarctic".