Final Post from the Slope

Tour of Flow Station 2

I got a tour of Flow Station 2. I had to have a hard hat, protective glasses, a flame retardant suit and steel-toed boots. I have to admit that I was a bit scared through the whole thing...every where you looked you saw signs that read DANGER, CAUTION, WARNING, HAZARD, FIRE, EMERGENCY, POISONOUS GAS, HIGH VOLTAGE... When the kids were little, I told them "this is a hands on your tummy store" if we were in a store with breakable items. The Flow Station 2 Tour was a hands on your tummy tour. Tim, our tour guide, who retired from Flow 2 as a Maintenance Team Lead said, "don't lean up against anything or you'll shut the whole place down." While standing in front of the Halon Gas tanks, he said, "if there's an explosion, if we can get the Halon Gas released quick enough, it will squelch the whole explosion." About this point I wondered if the tour was such a good idea. It was fascinating and I learned a lot, but I don't think I'll sign up to do it again.

These Southern girls...what are you going to wear when it gets cold?

I did get the chance to put on my Arctic Gear. That's the Arctic Ocean behind us and it was chilly that day...but not cold enough to wear the blue Michelin Man outfit...I just wanted the picture. We saw seals out on the ice sunning themselves and we saw an Arctic Fox hanging around the Seawater Treatment Plant. I never saw a polar bear, but you can see in the background the cages that you walk out into, so that you can look around to see if there are any bear in the area before you walk out in the open to your truck.

Arctic Fox

The last night on the Slope I didn't sleep too well. I think I was too afraid I would sleep through my alarm and not get up in time to get my bags to the Baggage pick up room by 8am. We left for the airport at 9am to turn in the truck and then wait for our flight. I think I've mentioned before that there is no alcohol on the Slope. Well, you can buy just about anything you want on the plane back to Anchorage for $2...Crown, Scotch, Vodka, Beer, Wine...all $2 and you are allowed to buy 2 drinks. EVERYONE has their $4 handy when they get on the flight! There was a light snow in Deadhorse when we took off but the weather cleared and as you can see from the picture, we had a fabulous view of Mt. McKinley as we flew by.

Mt. McKinley

I'm now in the Seattle airport on my way home to Atlanta and I can't wait to get there. This two-week hitch seemed longer than others. However, as I reflect on my experiences, I realize that people - good people - make any situation bearable, even enjoyable. I will always owe Tim Heily a debt for watching out for me, keeping me safe, and making me laugh. I hope someday that Stone and I will get a chance to visit him at his vineyard in Washington.