Amber on Ice

On 31 December from Noon-6p they put together Icestock. Yeah, pretty much resembles what you would imagine. Various bands playing all afternoon, crowds gathered, lot's of dancing, food, drink, etc. In conjunction with Icestock they hold the Annual Chilli Cook-off. Each group/team get's their own mill-van to work out of. They even had "Sawbucks" provided by the Carp Shop. In the middle of Icestock they hold the annual Beard Contest. Everyone seems to grow a beard in Antarctica. For me it's less on the face but more on the legs : ) We were pretty lucky on weather it was predicted to stormy and cold but it started off really nice. By the end the wind had picked up and the clouds rolled in. This time of year in McMurdo the town turns into a dust-bowl. No snow to keep the loose dirt down and that stuff just flies. They have tankers filled with water that go around every day to wet down the roads.