Hello everyone! As promised, I am following up on my previous post with some information and insight into the living arrangements and dad-to-day life here at McMurdo. You know,  all of that stuff that is the most mundane part of any of our lives, like sleeping, eating , and doing laundry. I will do my best to describe the locations and layout of all of these things in writing, however I will include some photos and maps of the station to hopefully help me fill in some of the blanks of my descriptions. My goal with this post is to do my best to give an ample written description, particularly because I know my grandfather has been reading these!

So, first off I will start with a description of the station as a whole. McMurdo Research station is positioned on Ross Island just off the coast of the mainland of Antarctica at a latitude of 77°49' S, putting it well south of the Antarctic circle, and about 850 miles away from the geographic south pole. It is surrounded by the Ross Sea, which is generally frozen over for the majority of the year, only breaking up slightly during the summer months. 

The station itself is comprised of more than 100 buildings, the oldest of which were constructed in the 1950's when the station was first established. Luckily, most of the oldest buildings are only used as some form of storage now a days, and the vast majority of the buildings which are used for housing are much newer. The station resides in a depression right on the coast surrounded by hills, and our local mountain named Observation Hill, which rises from the edge of town to a very steep summit. The island is comprised of volcanic rock, though on the surface its more of volcanic dust, and black in color. Around the station you do get enough snow and ice melted out that you are on terra firma, but as soon as you leave the base proper, you quickly transition onto the crevasse ridden ice and snow that seems endless in all directions.

The central building on base is the largest and named Building 155. A large two story building and the central hub of the station, it is mainly a dormitory, but is also where you find the galley where all of your meals are prepared and eaten. It also contains a small general store, and some offices. The building itself is painted bright blue on the outside and is very much the heart of the station. The galley is staffed in the summer season almost 24 hours a day, and in the winter galley employees work constantly during normal daytime hours. The kitchen is large, and the only thing that really dictates the quality or range of the different food that is made is the supply at any given time. The food that is prepared is different every day, and can range from tacos (every Tuesday), to steak nights, to tofu dishes, all sorts of different rice's, pasta, a full blown pizza kitchen, and always some kind of vegetable. One thing I have personally appreciated is the consistent availability of vegetarian dishes which are always available. The spinach curry which they make is a personal favorite. Also available at any time is a fridge that is always stocked with leftovers and are free for the taking if you feel like having a meal in your room, or for me, taking to work. During the winter months, its also always a good idea to stock up on some food to keep in your dorm room in case a storm rolls in that strands you there. The galley is set up in a buffet style, and also includes a small salad bar, which in the summer is regularly stocked with fresh lettuce, spinach and various fruits. Due to the unavailability of flights in the winter, the regular resupply of fresh fruits and vegetables can't happen, so the salad bar gets a little sparse, but the wonderful folks who work in the kitchen do their very best to keep up the creativity and diversity of what's available. Also available in the galley is a soft serve ice cream machine, coffee 24 hours a day, cereals, waffle makers, juices, and an amazing bakery which makes different breads and cookies fresh almost every day. I don't know how old their sourdough starter is, but it is some of the best sourdough I have had anywhere. Attached to the kitchen is a large dinning hall, where during mealtimes it will be busy with everyone chowing down,  and is set up to be a very communal space. Even in the off hours, you will find people having meetings, playing board games, or just hanging out at the tables.

The next most prominent buildings on base are the dorms, which there are a lot of. Besides building 155, there are 4 three story dorms and 2 two story dorms. In building 155, the rooms each contain 3 single beds and one bunk bed, meaning at peak population there are 5 people to a room. Luckily, this isn't very common, and typically you will share a room between 4 people. These rooms share a communal bathroom equipped with showers. In the remaining 6 dorm buildings, you have two rooms joined by a bathroom which is shared between 4 people. Think of it like a joined hotel room, but smaller. Each room is outfitted with two wardrobes, a desk, a small fridge, and a vanity. Most people get creative with their furniture placements put the wardrobes down the middle of the room, effectively splitting the room in half, with a bed on either side. It's a great way to maintain some personal space between room mates. Now, in the winter, because there are so few people on station, you get a room all to yourself. I opted to move all of the furniture around to open up the space. This also gives you enough room to push the beds together to make a very comfortable living space. Each room has a window and I lucked out with a room on the ocean side of the building, giving me a wonderful view of the mountains and ice shelf, or at least it was a great view when I actually had some daylight to see! The living arrangements have the exact same vibe as a college dorm, with very communal living spaces. Each floor in the dorm buildings have a public lounge area, filled with couches, big TV's and in some cases even a pool table. These are popular locations to host small get-togethers, watch movies and sporting events, or just to unwind on a quiet night.

Also on station are two "clubs." These are, at there very core, the bars on station. The reason we don't just call them bars is because in the recent years, the NSF decided to not allow the sale of alcohol on these premises anymore. All alcohol is purchased at the station store, and can be brought to the clubs to be consumed. Alcohol sales are closely regulated and rationed to each individual on a weekly biases. The clubs are still the go to place for after work parties, and host a wide range of events like karaoke nights, trivia nights, dances, and many other community driven affairs. Each bar is exactly like any dive bar you would go to anywhere in the world, with the walls plastered with memorabilia like flags and photos collected over the years showcasing the unique people who venture to McMurdo. The bars are tended by community volunteers most nights of the week.

Also on station are two gyms for exercising. One is mainly filled with cardio equipment like treadmills, stair climbers, ellipticals and rowing machines. The other is dedicated to weight lifting. These spaces are kept in amazingly good shape, with new equipment constantly being brought in. It has been a great outlet for me personally to keep my mind and body in good shape while living down here, especially now with the constant darkness and cold and the difficulty of getting outside to run or hike. There is a third gymnasium residing in one of the oldest buildings on station that holds a full size basketball court which is regularly converted to a tennis/pickleball court, and a small climbing gym. Over this winter season, I have been volunteering as the climbing wall supervisor, so I have found myself spending quite a bit of my off time climbing around, setting routes, and teaching others on station proper climbing and belaying technique. It's been a really fun way to mix things up. Admittedly, it is a VERY small wall, but it forces creativity in route setting.

Around the station, there are a handful of trails which can easily be accessed for a short hike. During the winter season, the main purpose of most of these trails is to just get a little ways away from the station in search of the good star gazing spots. There is a surprising amount of light pollution produced by the station, so getting even a quarter mile away from the station makes a big difference. It is worth noting that in order to utilize these trails, you must attend a safety class, as well as check out with our central communications dispatchers and carry a radio. It is also extremely important to only use the designated trails, as they have been marked and surveyed specifically to avoid any potentially crevassed areas. 

That pretty much covers all of the community spaces at McMurdo that are not specifically designated for a specific work center. The other buildings you will find are places like the carpentry shop, the vehicle maintenance facility, the water and power plant, the waste handling facility, among many many others. 

I hope this post helped some of you to gain a slightly better understanding of what life is like down here on the ice. Here are a handful of photos to hopefully help with my descriptions. 

A general overview of the station layout with some labels. A lot of the buildings have been omitted.

This is the setup for a typical lounge in any of the dorms.

Here are some photos of the first two person room I had during the summer months. This was located in one of the older dorm buildings affectionately referred to as "Shady Acres" as it was where a lot of the, ahem, generationally experienced, employees would stay to get away from the more lively late night crowds. This was a great spot for me as I am not much of a late night partier.

Here are some very bad photos of my current room for the winter season. Its a very cozy little space, and I was able to get my hands on a few decorations and some fake plants.

Lastly, here is a photo of the main strip through the station. On the left side you will see the dorm buildings, and in the back on the right side of the road is Building 155. This is as light as it gets this time of year, but the streets are lit very well with street lights.

With that, I will sign off for the time being. As always, I hope everyone reading is doing well. Take care!