1 November, 2004

Heading South!

Temperature: 75*F

Location: Los Angeles to Christchurch, NZ

And we're off! After an all too brief visit with my sisters in Los Angeles, I boarded the enormous 747-400 Qantas plane. It was not long before the plane roared down the runway and thrust us off into the horizon! I had plenty of time to ponder the possibilities of my adventure. I am looking forward to sharing all the excitement with everyone!

While still in the LA airport, I met up with Jackie Grom. Jackie is one of the team members joining Dr. Doran's team this year. We had a chance to chat and get to know each other a little before boarding the plane. We were not, however, seated near each other, so we did not get a chance to chat too much. I decided to spend the long flight reading all the wonderful notes and letters sent along with me from everyone back home. It was nice to hear all your friendly voices in my mind as I headed south!

We landed in Aukland, NZ after a 12 hour flight. We quickly cleared customs and headed to another plane for the shorter trip from Aukland to Christchurch. Once in Christchurch, we gathered all our belongings and headed to the hotel. There were numerous Antarctica bound people staying at the same hotel. Jackie and I spent the evening chatting with several people who will be heading to South Pole to work on a project called Ice Cube. This project is building the largest telescope in the world in the ice at south pole in order to measure neutrinos. It is a fascinating project! One of my favorite parts to this type of trip is meeting all the new people and hearing about all the exciting things they are doing to help us gain a better understanding of our world. All is well!

Leaving Los Angeles! (View of the flight path screen)

Crossing the International Date Line; we just skipped an entire day!

We have come a long way!

Approaching New Zealand!

Flowers in the Christchurch Botanical gardens. Remember, it's spring time here!

The great explorer: Robert Falcon Scott.