Greetings from the Arctic
Holy ballz is it cold up here. -37 wind chill this morning. Bad thing about a beard is that there is a waiting time after a shower before I can go to the chow hall, because literally the beard freezes inside 100 meters.
Anyway, about 1/2 done with my trip here. This place is awesome. Yesterday I went up to one of the Nike missile sites. (D Launch) We found an open shaft, climbed down the ladder and got into the boiler room. From there we did some spelunking in the dark until we made it out into the missile silo area. What happens though is that when the ice and snow up top melts, it drops down during the summer. That pools on the bottom, and then freezes again. So we are in the command are, and you can see chairs and crappers and such frozen underneath the ice by about 3 feet. Ice is really clear for some reason. Looking up you could see where the doors would open up to get the Nike missiles out to shoot.
I’m not a 60’s kid, so I have no knowledge other than the history channel on the “hide under your desk” thing. But it was easy to see how important this place was back in the day. It’s almost exactly equidistant between Moscow and DC.
Anyway, the internet blows up here, and posting this probably cost me the rest of my day’s bandwidth, but wanted to check in from the Arctic.
Category: Politics
Holy crap!
Someone tell TSO there is a “northern collared lemming” on his head!
Hey, look!!! It’s Peary up at the North Pole! Glad to see you finally made it up there!
So it actually IS cold enough to freeze off everything you’re famous for up there, eh?
Glad to know there’s some substance to that warning.
Hurry home, TSO.
Looks like fun. One of my co-workers was stationed up there in the mid-60s when he was in the Air Force. Said that melting a 55-gallon drum of snow MIGHT get you about a cup’s worth of ice.
Worth checking that theory out, perhaps?
I HAVE RIDDEN THE MIGHTY MOON WORM
Give my best to Colonel Joe!
-37 wind chill?? You should have come up here to train for your stay up there (we would have gone out and done some ice fishing). Of course, at that time, before you left, our wind chill was hovering around -50 to -60 in the mornings wind static temp at -30.
Here you go TSO….This will edumacate you in “duck and cover”……NOT “hide under your desk thingy…….”
http://youtu.be/IKqXu-5jw60
And I have been debating on whether it is too cold in Chicago to go for my meeting later in the week. BRRRRRRRRR.
I didn’t realize the cold could warp your left hand like that. You have creepy long fingers there TSO.
Why does TSO have a dead badger on his head?
@10, I don’t think it is dead. It just latched onto TSO to try and stay warm.
I saw the pics at the link you have on Facebook. Amazing. Thrilled you are there and having another great experience to share with all of us.
I think you look HOT – just hope you are staying warm
In the words of The Dude re: the hat – “Hey, nice marmot!”
I wouldn’t think the frozen wastes would be fun but it sounds like you’re having lots of it. Glad you’re rocking the dream!
Frank Zappa sez,
“Watch out where the huskies go,
and don’t you eat that yellow snow!”
Ah man, the memories are flooding back. Just an FYI, the redhead working at the airport is single, take that as you will. Tell her and the chow hall staff that Delta-Lima says hello.
The shrinkage in that place must be wicked.
Looking at that background, I can’t understand why some people go nuts after months in such an environment.
Twist: The badger wasn’t dead when TSO put it on his head.
TSO’s left hand is curled up in his sleeve but he’s wearing a glove anyway. Well, either that or he’s displaying a gang symbol.
Is there a McDonald’s there? Starbucks?
“Tourists” LOL.
I’ve been working here @ Thule Air Base for the past 14 years.
Always wanted to go to Greenland! It can always get worse, though. You could be racing the Iditarod Trail on a bicycle…
http://iditarodtrailinvitational.com
Enjoy!
What happened? I thought Greenland was thawing out.
Can’t be too cold, he has gloves on instead of choppers.
Arctic blast continues in the lower 48. Wind chill is -4F.
Winter is expected to extend its hold until TSO returns to the lower 48.