Leaving in a whiteout

No, we are still here but Andrew and Lesya left this morning. They'll be on the 1930 train....if they make it into town. After three days and nights of a ground blizzard - i.e. severe blowing snow - the roads just keep getting worse and it was decided this morning to take them and Sharon and Patsy out this morning at 1000. They were preceded by Dave in the front loader who was running interference for the first 5 miles until they got to the paved road where the town should have it somewhat cleared...

We did just get word that they made it into town and that the group of 21 high school kids from Saskatchewan will be able to be bused out to join the 3 folks here for the North of 58 program. But the weather has been so bad that many of the planned activities are on hold. You must respect the weather and more up here... 

The kids got here and were quite happy with "real food" after surviving on microwaved train food for two days...."I ate a cheeseburger out of a plastic bag", I heard one say.

This video really doesn't due justice to the wind and blowing snow and the wind noise which has been unrelenting for the past 3 days....yet the high schoolers from Saskatchewan did go out in it for an hour or so, the bear helicopter is not flying, and the sun is shining through the clear skies overhead as best it can. Taking aurora pics has been difficult as though the skies are clear, they are veiled by the first few hundred of feet by the blowing snow (the Inuit must have a word for it).

The old dining room 2010

Yesterday we took a tour of the old building that we stayed in during our 2010 polar bear tour. We are so spoiled in the new building!!! And when you hear stories from the researchers who have been here over the years you really appreciate the new building at this time of year - stuffing pillows in vents to the frigid air and snow don't come in, bears in the kitchen and freezer. BTW, based on a limited data set, polar bears will not eat tofu according to one of the researchers - but they did consume just about everything else from the freezer leaving the block of tofu with a single bite taken out of it. This might somehow prove useful in deterring polar bears...let me know if you try it. The old building still has its uses although much has been stripped out. It still houses the water supply which has to be trucked in during the winter every few days as well as the fire suppression water supply. I don't even want to think about a fire drill here much less a real fire. And the old sign was still up and running...

In the Arctic Hallway of the old building - a skinned wolf carcass

I'll be trying to get some more posts out before we head out on March 21 but...

We've been having lights every night although last night's were somewhat clouded by all the ground fog, i.e. all the blowing snow. But overhead you can see no upper level clouds so will have to wait for this wind to subside before we can get any more good pics.

Leaving you today with this time interval video shot by Dave Marx an instructor from the photography class - it's only a few seconds long and consists of about 150 pics - and a pic by Jim Halfpenny. Dave and Jim and the class participants were very kind to share their pics (some awesome ones) and videos. I need to work on attributions when I update this post...

And this picture of the inukshuk at the Churchill town beach by Jim Halfpenny who has been teaching a photography course up here for over 20 years and also in the Yellowstone area and many other places - click the prior link to see his offerings and more..

At the Churchill town beach, March 2013 by Jim Halfpenny

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood

A fantastic day up here. Only -2F and barely a breeze so it feels like summer almost. Took a long walk and easily worked up a sweat so doffed the mittens and opened the jacket. Linda has today off and has gone off snowmobiling. We did to a quick run to the package store yesterday - another $120 down the hatch! Drinking problem? Nah. Some of it was for others. Some of it.

Last post talked about things to come and they are! We've had three consecutive nights of lights with each night better than the last. The second night there was a burst of moving lights above our heads which only lasted for about 45 seconds but was great for those of us outside to see it or up in the inside dome. Unfortunately, the camera was set on a 20 second exposure which was way too slow for what was happening and fumbling with gloved hands (it was darn cold outside) prevented me from getting any shots. But it is something to remember - and a reason for some of you to take the journey up north some day. Then, last night, I went out a few times, got some nice shots including some "curtains" but then went to bed about 1030 as I had morning KP. There was some commotion in the hall, however, shortly after that which usually means either a bear is in the building (LOL) or the lights are getting good again. So Linda went out with the camera but once again gloved hands fouled our shooting as she messed up the focus and didn't get what turned out to be very nice energetic lights - I saw some other folks' pictures.

Pressure ridge and faint blue line above it showing a lead of open water which can generate fog

Oh, well. There is always tonight and so far the sky is looking good. Although I have morning KP again tomorrow, I'm going to try to get in a nap and set up an intravenous line for coffee in the morning.

not a great pic but shows a little curtain dropping down

 Tomorrow, Monday, the Tundra School high school students are going to shoot off their model rockets which is appropriate as this is an old missile range where they did, among other things, aurora research. More on that tomorrow with all the pics I took today of the old range buildings as I walked out to replace a geocache I had borrowed (was waiting for a nice day to replace it).

Hope to have better pics for tomorrow - you really need to experience it for yourself! And hope to have some missile shots, too.

WOW - preview of things to come?

Yesterday another group arrived hoping, of course, to see the lights. As self-styled experts we gave them all kinds of solicited and unsolicited advise emphasizing that you can't trust the weather (cloud) forecast and that things can happen - fast - at any time. Sure enough! Sometime after 8 a moderate display began which on your first night is always amazing. THEN, Bang! For about 30 or 45 seconds a patch of lights above us went bonkers! Moving fast, every which way, reds and greens and in the confusion and awe you could imagine other colors. But our camera was on a 20 second exposure and by the time I could reset it things had gone back to normal. Drat and other expletives. But just seeing it was fantastic and what with the coronal hole on the sun their is a chance we will be experiencing the same and better Saturday night. There were a few clouds around last night so some of the pics I got (haven't downloaded them from the camera but will soon and will update this post or put them in the next) showed the lights with "texture". So, in anticipation, I leave you with our ever vigilant vagabond volunteers viewing the vistas for vivacious vacillations...

Andrew and Lesya on their snowpile viewing station