1. Read. I brought several books. There is also a library here. And it is possible to borrow DVDs/videos, although I have not taken advantage of that opportunity yet.
2. Weather watch. Since flights and outdoor activities depend so much on good weather, and the weather here can change in a heartbeat, one can spend hours in morbid fascination staring at the weather pages and flight schedules, which are broadcast on the TV network here and shown on TVs mounted near the cafeteria. Here is an example page of current observations. Don't you love how the next sunset is February 20? I will hopefully miss it. It is also fun to see the Pole current observations: Temps of -27F!!
3. Exercise in the gym (aka gerbil gym). The only prefab building using tabs from the 50's left on site, the gerbil gym offers several treadmills, stationary bikes, ellipticals, and other tasty tidbits for those wishing to break a sweat.
4. Hike. There are several hiking trails around. The ones on the sea ice are closed now, since the sea ice is unstable in this late summer. All the rest are available to the lone hiker, except the Castle Rock loop, which requires two people and check in/out with the local Firehouse for safety reasons.
5. Ski. You can rent various gear here, including cross country and skate skis. I rented some cross country skis and after one hour of practice the first day went on a six mile ski to Castle Rock with a group of people. These folks turned out to be very nice because I really am bad on skis, and they were very patient with me. I fell a lot. I am awfully sore today, and I went two days ago. Still, I will get back up on this horse and try again, perhaps with lessons. In my defense the snow was very beat up since it doubles as a hiking trail. This is what I look like after falling.
6. Nightlife. Bars! Bars! Bars! There are three here. Southern Exposure, the hard core smoking bar; Gallaghers,
the not-quite-as-hard core non-smoking bar; and the Coffee House/Wine Bar. The last is low key, with background music that the "Beakers" (aka scientists) frequent. Some atmosphere is given by the very old skis and sleds hanging from the ceiling. (See photo.) I have spent several relaxing evenings there either playing cards, chatting, or joining in on a movie in the adjoining mini-theater room. Sadly, it is now closed for the next couple weeks for renovations. The recent snows emphasized just how bad the condition of its roof is.7. Eat. Regular meals which I neither cook nor clean for encourages me to try everything. My motto: No desert should go untried. The pastry and bread chef here should be commended! Meals are usually OK. They are generally much better than I remember on my last trip two years ago. There is certainly more fruit and salad available.
Otherwise, I do some work on my computer, write these posts, and check out the view from the Crary Lab science library of the TransAntarctic Mountains, and use the spotting scope there to keep tabs on all that's happening.
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