First sighting of Antarctica

In this collage, you can see the first views we had of Antarctica as we flew south from New Zealand. In the upper right, a large iceberg floats in the Southern Ocean. The next photo is Victorialand, the main land mass where we first crossed over the continent.

This is the summer season in Antarctica so the distinguished visitors are a regular passenger on our C-17s.  Here you see the Director of the Smithsonian Institution and the 4-star General Gary North, Commander Pacific Air Force.

First view of Mt Erebus, an active volcano on the same peninsula as McMurdo Station.  The dark area in the lower left is one of the main penguin rookeries and the site of Shackleton's cabin (see Ernest Shackleton).

McMurdo Station, Antarctica.  Notice the three windmills at the top of the ridge.  The NSF held a ceremony this week placing the windmills in service.  They will provide a majority of the power for the station's residents.

Final approach to Pegasus runway 15.

A view through the front windscreen of our welcoming committee at Pegasus (as the ice runway is known).  In the distance you see Mt Erebus and the area without ice/snow is McMurdo Station.

A beautiful C-17 on the ice at Pegasus.

Another shot of the Globemaster III.

Sorry Ben.  This is as close as I could come to photographing a penguin in Antarctica.  Notice that its a beautiful, sunny day with a rather chilly outside air temperature of -8 C.

These custom trucks are very cool.

Flying by Mt Erebus on departure from McMurdo.  I'll post a couple of videos next time, one of which is this pass over the top of the volcano.