Before arriving in Antarctica for the first time in 2005, my driving experience (in terms of vehicles) looked something like this:
- car.
- pickup truck
- bicycle
Six years and two frostbitten fingers later, my list looks something like this:
- Loaders- a half-dozen or so varieties.
- Snowmobile
- Pisten Bully
- Pisten Bully Scout
- Delta
- Five Ton Truck with Trailer
- Terra Bus
And the latest addition to my list: a Tucker Sno-Cat. This particular model looks like it belongs on the moon, though it is still not, perhaps, the most peculiar vehicle operated on station. Tuckers, of course, are not unique to Antarctica. They are built in Medford, OR, and used in all sorts of snowy places, particularly ski resorts.
Six years ago I hadn't even heard of most of the vehicles I've driven here, and there's still a few I haven't: the Nodwell and the Hagglund, and a whole fleet of heavy machinery. But the Tucker was the last to cross off on my list of want-to-drive vehicles. Fortunately, over the course of the week, they'll be unloading (from the ship) a monster of a vehicle to haul cargo, that I imagine will move right to the top of my now empty list of things to drive.
So impressive! That piece of machinery looks brand new too -- must be a blast to bump around in! All these experiences you're having make me wonder where you'll end up next. The moon seems exotic enough, eh?
ReplyDeleteit was indeed oh so fun to drive! and yep, at 3 years old, it's just about the newest thing I've ever driven down here. We still drive trucks from the navy days (50's)
ReplyDelete