Alert Bowl Follow Up

The RCAF wrote an article and posted some pictures from our Alert Bowl game:

CFS Alert 100th Grey Cup Celebration

Movember Follow Up

Another newspaper article from the Trenton Contact.

Pg. 4

Movember Follow Up

IASOA Article

Two months ago I was approached by NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) to write a brief article about my co-op placement here in Alert.  This article was recently published.  The link is posted below:

Happy Trails

Mike

IASOA

Movember Results

Well kids, November wrapped up last week with a Movember celebration.  We had a judging panel, and it was unanimously decided (and expected by a certain author) that I was to take home the prize for Worst Moustache.  "If you aren't first, you're last."  Overall we raised $375.00 for prostate cancer, which will be donated later this month through the military.

I did my best, but sadly family genetics have graced me with light blonde facial hair that just doesn't have a rich growth.  Now, with that said, science has proved the more likely a man can grow a beard, the more likely he will eventually go bald.  Lucky me.

Take a peek at this years sarcastically substantial growth, eat your heart out Alan Jackson.

Happy Trails everyone.

Alert Bowl con't

Here is an article written about last weekends Alert Bowl.

Check out page 8.

http://thecontactnewspaper.cfbtrenton.com/archives/2012/02_November_2012/nov_30_2012/thecontact_nov_30_2012.pdf

Alert Bowl

As a part of Grey Cup Sunday up here in Alert, we organized a "friendly" flag football game.  The so-called Frozen Tundra of the iconic Lambeau Field during the 1967 NFL Championship, aptly named The Ice Bowl, had nothing on us.  Game time temperature of the Ice Bowl was a balmy -26C, whereas game time temperature for the inaugural Alert Bowl was -31C. 

The game saw two teams face off, the Alert Rough Riders vs. Alert Ticats.  Well sports fans, it went, a little something, like....this:  The coin was tossed and was won by the Ticats, captained by yours truly, while the Rough Riders were captained by the Commanding Officer of CFS Alert (who shall remain nameless).  The Ticats elected to defer possession to the second half, and thus started on defence.  This proved to be a wise tactical move.  On the first play from scrimmage the Rough Riders chose to pass, not a good decision.  The ball was intercepted by a Ticat player and returned for a touchdown!!  This caught the Rough Riders off guard, and shook their confidence briefly.  Their second drive lasted long enough for them to drive the ball down the field and squeak in a touchdown at the endzone cone; all the while avoiding a well earned, yet never called, flag-guarding penalty.  This tied the game, and handed the ball back to the Ticat offence with a little over 2 minutes left to play in the first half.  The Ticats drove the field, utilizing a combination of play-action passes, off-tackle rushes, and a last minute diving reception for a touchdown by the ever-so-humble, team captain. 

Halftime was called, and with the score  Ticats 14 Rough Riders 7. 

After a brief hot chocolate infused halftime, the Ticats took possession on offence once again; thanks to a lesson learned from the legendary WLU coach, Gary Jeffries, "always defer possession to the second half".  Their first drive was paltry, at best, and resulted in a turnover on downs.  However, as if by design, two plays into the ensuing drive by the Rough Riders, a pass was intercepted and returned for another touchdown, escorted by a herd of Ticats!  The score now sat at Ticats 21 Rough Riders 7, with approximately 5 minutes left in the second half.  The Rough Rider offence took the field yet again to start their comeback for the ages.  It was a well designed drive, and it resulted in a turnover on downs at the Ticat 2yd line (almost as good as a punt, especially in a game where punting wasn't allowed).  The Ticats felt a growing sense of confidence as they took to the field again.  Executing offensive plays, while simultaneously grinding the game clock down, they managed a QB sneak to score their fourth and final touchdown with a little over 1 minute left in the game.  The Rough Riders had one last hope to save face and play for pride.  On the third play of their drive, they scored on a toss-right, which bruised the Ticat defence for a 50yd touchdown.  Being the good sportsmen/women that the Ticats were, they took to the Victory formation for the remainder of their plays. 

The scorecard of the first Alert Bowl read:  Ticats 28  Rough Riders 14

Fun was had by all, more pictures to follow.

Coin Toss

Ticat Defence

Ticats huddling

Alert Bowl winners

Lest We Forget

Today is Remembrance Day across the nation.  On station we held a ceremony to honour those who have fallen, current veterans, as well as those who are still on active duty.  As a civilian it was the first time I have observed a military ceremony, and I feel privileged to be able to be here for it.  It was a sad experience, as there was a presentation given that paid tribute to every Canadian soldier who lost their life while serving in Afghanistan.  Watching the presentation and hearing the stories told by my friends here who are in the military made me reflect upon my grandparents, who both served in World War II.  May they rest in peace.

Freedom is something that is valiantly fought for, and described throughout the annals of history.  Being here and experiencing what I have, has opened my eyes even more so to that.  I am honoured to work alongside these brave people who have told me colourful stories from their tours in Afghanistan and Bosnia, amongst other places.

This link below is a song written and performed by my friend Aubrey's younger brother Jamie.  Jamie is ex-Military himself but chose to follow his dream of being a country music singer.  It is a fitting song for today.

Jamie Spurvey - I Wouldn't Take A Million Dollars For A Single Maple Leaf

Live every day to the fullest you can, because you are not promised a tomorrow.

Happy Trails.

- Mike

my grandmother, Minnie Elizabeth Pond

Halloween

Well, last weekend was Halloween up here in Alert.  My friends, Aubrey and Paolo and I decided to make a group costume.  We came up with the idea of being a "Wine and Cheese Party", so we built our costumes to the best of our limited abilities, and took our cardboard contraptions to the ball.



The cheese stands alone

 

NEWSFLASH.......and Movember

THIS JUST IN:

Todays' temperature dipped to -31.2C, fortunately there was no wind today, so the windchill was not a factor, or it would have felt closer to -50C.

This is a special time of the year for many of us.  Halloween is upon us, and so is that special month of Movember.  I am fresh shaven and ready to grow this Goose on my upper lip.  Here on station we are fundraising for prostate cancer awareness.  If there is anyone out there whom would like to donate to this worthy cause, feel free to send your donations via email transfer to mikemaurice81@hotmail.com, and I will ensure that your gracious donations are received by the committee here on station.

That is all.  Back to your regularly scheduled programming.

From south of North,

Happy Trails,

Mike

Science...and airplanes

Well kids,  here we are again on another weekend after a week of work.  My Florida Gators were on TV again here this weekend, sadly they lost.  This past week we had two visitors up from NOAA in the USA.  They had some instrumentation to calibrate and inventory before returning south to the warmth of Colorado. 

I was also fortunate to be able to help the other half of our Environment Canada team here in Alert, and do an OzoneSonde balloon release early in the week.  Thursday saw this weeks flight arrive, and we went down to the airfield to watch the plane land.

The darkness has settled in, and there is no longer any twilight.  I won't see the sun again until I return south, and I doubt my sunglasses will come off for a few days!

Wishing you all, the best.

Happy Trails

preparing flasks for air sampling for NOAA (photo credit Matt Okraszewski, 2012)

preparing an OzoneSonde balloon for launch

hydrogen shed for the ozone balloons

pre-launch party

  

C-130 Hercules landing midmorning...and a cool snowflake shot

Florida Gators in CFS Alert

Some people say that you can't have your cake and eat it too; I say, "ya'll goin' to be Gator Bait!!!" - (Kyle Armour, 2008).  On Saturday I was able to eat some cake.  Here in CFS Alert we do not have live TV as in the south.  However, we are able to stream in some select live TV programs on request.  So being the devoted Florida Gators fan that I am, I requested the Florida-South Carolina game last Saturday, and the upcoming Florida-Georgia game.  Fortunately there was an open spot and the tech department was able to accomodate my request.  No one was really interested in watching the game, so I set up shop in the pub upstairs with an 80" TV and watched the first half alone.  Halftime came and it aligned with supper time in the dining hall, so I hurriedly ate some dinner and went right back upstairs to finish the game and watch my Gators destroy the Gamecocks.  There was no cake served with dinner, but on this night, I didn't need it.

Game Day!

CHOMP!

the pub.  bar to the left, pool tables, dart boards, big tv is to the right just above the poker table

Gator Pride

refer to previous blog posting...."for your oustanding support"...aka, being a great pylon victim!

Superfluous Information

One of the traditions here in Alert is getting your picture taken next to the sign, (done it, refer to previous blog post...boring, moving on).  Many visitors/employees/personnel from around the world have left behind signs from their hometowns and countries.  There are some signs ranging from Australia, Costa Rica and Europe.  After doing a thorough search of the signposts, I noticed that there was neither a sign for Barrie or Grande Prairie, where I was born.  So I set out to make my own additions to the famous sign. 

This past weekend marked the last time the sun would poke above the horizon until the end of February.  There was a bonfire ceremony to celebrate.  Needless to say, the bonfire was lackluster compared to the ones I have grown accustomed to at home.  Antoher highlight of the weekend was taking a Bv trip to Crystal Mountain to watch the sun for the last time. 

Bandvagn (Bv) is a tracked articulated, all-terrain carrier developed for the Swedish Army. It consists of two units, with all four tracks powered. It can carry up to 17 people (6 in the front compartment, 11 in the rear), and the trailer unit can be adapted for different applications.  Development of the Bv all-terrain articulated tracked carrier began in 1974. The Bv is designed to carry troops and equipment through snow and bog-lands in northern regions. The low ground pressure enables the Bv to cope with a wide range of difficult conditions. It is also fully amphibious, with a speed in water of up to 4.7 km/h. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandvagn_206)

Earlier this week I was asked to participate in a firefighter training exercise as the victim.  I was to hide and as the exercise progressed, I was to be found eventually.  I played the part of an unconscious, yet breathing, victim.  After I was located in my hiding spot on station, I was stabilized by the firefighters and on site Emergency Response Team, rolled onto a stretcher, lifted onto a gurney, and rolled down to the doctors’ office to be nursed back to health.  For years I have watched TV shows and movies depicting victims being rushed throughout a hospital hallway to an ER room.  This experience granted me that opportunity without having to be injured myself, and fortunately I was able to pass on the poking and prodding of tubes and needles.  It should be noted that the stretchers here need to be longer to accomodate us lengthier folk.

One of the observations I have made so far is that there is a definite slower pace to life here.  It has taken some adjusting to get used to it, and I am afraid that once I return south it will be overwhelming at how fast the world wants to work.  Similar to life in the Caribbean, things seem to be on Island Time here.  Perhaps it best summed up by the Jimmy Buffett song Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes.  Also, it has been an amazing break from my cell phone.

Well that's all for the last week or so.  It's been pretty quiet up here.  The darkness is really setting in now, and we probably have a few days of midday twilight left before it will be dark all day and night for awhile.  The temperatures have dropped steadily for the past week or so.  The coldest it has been was -23.7C, and with the windchill that day, it wasn't balmy anymore.

Take care all.

Happy Trails

- Mike


Note the time compared to the location of the sun



captivating clouds

The Pride of Grande Prairie, AB

for the folks at home

a Bv

caught mid-sentence in the cold

the last time the sun will be seen here until February

Snow Angel

Today was the end of another work week here in Alert.  The sun has started to show significant signs of disappearance.  The daily rise-set cycle is shortening, and the sun just skims the horizon line for the majority of its exposure.  The pictures you see below range from 0900 to 1500; note the angle of the sun.  It is expected that within 2 weeks the sun wont rise above the horizon line again, until mid February.  There will be a Sunset Ceremony held on base, which involves a large bonfire.  Unsure if it will rival those bonfires I (we) make at home, but time will tell!

Points of significance today, the ambient outdoor temperature dropped to -21.5 C today.  The MET Logger picture below verifies this.  Fortunately there was minimal, if any, wind; so windchill was not an impact...yet.

sun at 10:00

moon at 10:00

meant to put this in last week, but forgot...proof that I'm actually here



Best looking snow angel.  Period.



a balmy -21.5 C

Another one bites the dust

This past week I was able to do something that I have been waiting and wishing to do for years.  I took a walk down to the ocean, busted a hole in the ice and touched the Arctic Ocean with my hand.  As such, I have now swam or touched in every ocean on earth.  Sure there is the argument that the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans can be divided into their northern and southern halves, but nonetheless, they are the same waterbody.  I have been waiting to complete this bucketlist item since I swam in the Southern Ocean off the southwest coast of Australia near Albany in 2007, leaving only the Arctic Ocean as my white whale.  I had hoped that last year I would have been able to touch the Northwest Passage when I was in Resolute Bay while working with UofT and CANDAC, however, it wasn't meant to be, and the Northwest Passage isn't truly the Arctic Ocean.

Amongst other things, I took some tourist photos on station this week, as well as a picture of an atmospheric phenomena known as a "sun dog".

Now that the oceans have been crossed off the list, I think mountains will be my next challenge.  Kilimanjaro 2020? Everest 2030?  Who's in?

Happy Trails

Mike



Sun Dogs - notice the two rainbows on the sides of the picture

Take your kids to work day

Good evening everyone.  Today was the first real day where I knew I wasn't in Kansas anymore.  The winds were howling, and the snow was blowing.  One of the elder guys on station who works in maintenance summed it up quite well when he said "...feels like the north pole."  To which I replied, "not really, it feels like the north pole."  There's an inside joke there, somewhere. 

Anywho kids, please enjoy these countless pictures.  I took a video today, but it took too long to upload.  Will try again on the weekend when bandwidths are more available.

Happy Trails

Mike

Sunset out at the GAW Lab - approx 16:40

The dark layer just above the ice, is the Arctic Ocean.  The wind blew the ice 

offshore and opened a large section of the ocean.