Well as the title says, its been a while since I’ve updated this blog on my life and my adventures. Just a few months shy of two years actually. Its wild to think how fast time flies. I’d like to blame my lack of updates on the slow internet on Kwajalein Atoll but thats only part of it. I believe I go through trends where I’m wanting to share my thoughts and adventures to real people, and times where I want to share it on here. I’m not sure. I do want to get better about posting on here. I even created an Instagram page for the blog. @pitresperegrinations. Its private, and has no photos, no followers, and is not following anyone but maybe one day all that will change. I think it could be cool even though I use my main Insta now for posting all my travel stuffs.

Lets get back into where we were at in the story and adventures. My last post (July 2021) I had been working for over 70 days straight due to manning issues. At the time, I thought that was a lot, and goodness was I wrong. I ended up working 225 days straight, 5400 hours between clocking in, and my next clock out. I can definitely say I’ll be okay with never doing that nonsense again. I can’t lie, the money was decent though. That being said, due to being out of the US, it was all straight time so the money definitely could of been better. I got some stickers made during all that with a skeleton laying on a beach with a fire truck that said “Put on 168s, and left to our fates”. Everyone loved them, including the bosses who were making us work those hours! During that marathon of hours I even got up to Roi Namur and work several weeks covering that station as well since they were also having staffing issues. Roi has far less people than Kwajalein, roughly 1/10th of the population. It also has more World War 2 relics left too. It was a neat experience getting to work up there and getting the meet the great guys at that station. We also had a partial blackout while I was there and was about to get some amazing pictures of the night sky.

Towards the end of 2021, something amazing happened. THEY ALLOWED US TO START TAKING VACATIONS!! I immediately put in for vacation, and was allowed to take vacation in January 2022, one month before my year contract was up for renewal. When I got home I tried to make the most of that month home. I bought two motorcycles, a 1979 Shovelhead, and a 2022 Low Rider S. I did a couple of quick trips to see close friends, and spent the rest of the time with the special people in my life. The month went by too quickly. In no time I was headed back to Hawaii for another stint in quarantine. However, before I checked back in for another three weeks of quarantine, I rented a motorcycle and rode all over the island of O’ahu! It was absolutely the right choice, especially since I didn’t get to do much bike stuff while I was home for that month.

I officially checked in for another stint of quarantine the first week of February 2022. This time I had to do one week in Hawaii, and two weeks on Kwajalein. Luckily, I was properly prepared this time, and had care packages ready for drop off. Also I was quarantining with one of the most loved Crew Chiefs on the atoll. We were very well taken care of this time around, both with food and drink. It was an uneventful three weeks overall though.

So while I was gone on vacation, I signed up to work another year with Amentum on Kwaj. That being said, not everything was as it appeared. Earlier in 2021, the company had lost the contract, and a new company had won it. We knew a contract switch over was coming, but we didn’t know when. I knew I probably wouldn’t stay and working with the new company but I was willing to stay until they took over. Well, during quarantine, we found out when the take over was happening…March. I signed for another year just to take vacation, spend three weeks in quarantine, work one week, and be sent back home. (Also to collect a couple of bonuses as well). So much to my happiness I was headed back home again, and I couldn’t wait.

I’ll continue the story in the next post! I’m going to attempt the post a couple times this week to catch up! Better late than never right! Also during this time, I had Pitre Peregrination stickers made!! So if you’re traveling, keep on eye out for one. I’m going to try to stick them places I go! I’ll post one at the bottom!! Also, let me know if y’all want me to post more pictures on this blog, or if I need to start them on the Insta!

– Tyler

Artist of the Post – Chris Stapleton/Steeldrivers

One day I swear I will be better about keeping this blog up to date. I definitely go up and down with my commitment to it. Which should be evident by how sporadic the post are. Maybe the answer would be making a schedule and sticking to the schedule for the post. I know when I was in Antarctica the excuse was how the site worked on the internet down there. Here the excuse could be that we never get days off work, but who likes excuses anyways.

So after the New Years Texas trip, I returned home and went back to doing what I had to for the new job. I hung out with friends, and family as much as I could while I was home the last month of January. Played too much golf too, and still didn’t get any better. I also finally cut my hair after growing it for a year. I wanted to go into the new job looking professional. So the new job? I was hired as a Firefighter/AEMT on a military base in The Republic of The Marshall Islands!! Talk about a total change, I went from being in an Antarctic desert during its winter to living in a tropical island 6 sq miles in the middle of the Pacific.

So I left home at the end of January headed for Hawaii. To be able to enter The Marshall Islands, I had to quarantine for five weeks….two in Hawaii and three on Kwajalein Atoll (my future home for the next year). The flights were pretty uneventful thankfully. I arrived in Honolulu and caught an uber to the hotel. They had us in a very nice hotel and was giving up a little over $100 a day for expense, which was basically room service. Whatever we didn’t spend, we got to keep. I definitely splurged some days though. During the two weeks in Hono, I received one covid test and twice daily medical checks. Luckily for me I had a room with a ocean view and got to take plenty of pictures of sunsets. Once I got to Kwajalein, things changed. I got two covid test and two daily medical checks during my 3 weeks there. I also had a roommate. Luckily my roommate was a good guy. Unluckily the days of room service were over and we were getting food from the dining facility delivered 3 times a day….it was not so great. That was easily the worst part of the five weeks, the awful food on Kwaj. Luckily I did have a buddy on the outside who was able to get my some pizzas and stuff which helped massively. After quarantine I was put in my own apartment and started working!

So a little about Kwajalein and its Fire Department. We have three stations on three different islands. Kwajalein, Roi-Namur, and Meck. The first two are staffed full time, and Meck when its needed and staffing allows. KFD runs both ARFF and Regular fire protections as well as the ambulance service. A normal schedule would be 48 on, 48 off. Unfortunately due to covid, and it being a lower paying contract. Its not fully staffed. There are 90 something islands total in the atoll, but a majority of them don’t have a population. The biggest population is on Ebeye and it has a little over 5000 Marshallese on it. Several of them catch the ferry between here and there daily for work. The Marshallese I’ve had contact with have all been great to work with. The US landed on the Atoll during World War 2, and after a relatively short but intense battle. They had freed the atoll from Japanese occupation. There are still some World War 2 relics on some of the islands, as well as several boats and airplanes that you can dive and see here.

After a few weeks of being here and on shift, another Middle East contract opened up. People from here left for the more lucrative contracts in Iraq, between that and some unfortunate incidences as well as contracts ending started highly affecting our staffing. Eventually we got to where we were working 24/7, literally 168 hours a week. Thats where we still are at this point. My last day off was over 70 days ago, I’m over 1680 hours straight right now. It does suck at times, but we are paid hourly here so life isn’t that bad I guess. It also helps that even though there are only a few of us now, the people we do have here are a good group to be working with. Even though we are glad to get new hires in to fill the vacancies, its kind of a double edged sword since there is that small worry that they’ll throw off what we have here currently.

The saying we had in Antarctic seems to hold up here as well. The days go by slowly, but the weeks go by fast. I think that may be even more true since we are in our own never ending version of the movie Groundhog’s Day. Having no days off is hard as times, but at this point its been so long since we’ve had normal island lives here that most of us don’t really remember them, and honestly some of the guys have never had them. As long as the paychecks stay good, and the crews stay good, the 168s will still stay manageable.

-Tyler

Artist of the Post – Whiskey Myers

Like I said in the last post, after The War Run, life didn’t let up. The week after being in North Carolina, I was at the Nashville Airport waiting to catch a plane to Denver. It was going to be my first time in Colorado and I couldn’t be more excited about it. I was headed there on the surface as a work trip, but in reality I was using work as an excuse to travel and mark another state off my list.

When I landed in Colorado the weather was cloudy and snowy. Luckily by this point in 2020 the winter weather really didn’t bother me. Surprising I know. The flight and rental car process was surprisingly painless. After that I sped into Denver to meet an old friend of mine and his wonder wife. It was great catching up, it had been years and years since we had seen each other last. Needless to say that life had sent us on far different paths. It was still nice catching up.

I headed to the Airbnb next. It was in a nice area and was a wonder place to stay. I would 100% stay there again. Luckily through a lot of planning and a little luck, me and Catfish were going to be in Denver at the same time. It was going to be like Antarctica all over again. Shenanigans happened the whole week we were in Colorado together without a doubt. I did take care of work stuff while there, but that took me all of one day of the five I was there. The other four were meant for Adventure. I had fun going around and seeing Denver. Even managed to run into some locals who showed me some neat places to grab a beer even though Covid had the city slightly shut down. I was able to even get some beer one night and go up one of the small mountains in the area and relax and have a beer. The Garden of the Gods was amazing to see also. I would suggest going there as well as the Red Rocks Amphitheater as well. I spent a day in Colorado Springs seeing the sights, trying a couple of breweries and meeting up with some “fine Antarcticans”. Luckily I was able to see 3 of my fellow Ice people while in Colorado. However my favorite thing I did during the trip was probably my day trip to Wyoming. Cheyenne was an amazing little town. I enjoyed the Frontiers Day museum. I would’ve liked to seen more of what the town had to offer but most things were closed for Veteran’s Day. On the way back I made sure to stop by the absolutely beautiful town of Estes Park, Colorado and went into the Rocky Mountain’s National Park. My luck changed there however, since it was a holiday, it was free entry into the park. I did a few other things while in Colorado like Pikes Peak, and The Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Colorado and also thought that it was one state outside of Tennessee that I wouldn’t mind living in.

After that, life slowed down a little. I did have a class at the Alabama Fire College but there was nothing too special about that. The rest of November and December was a lot of hanging out with friends, and family. Also a lot of Golf. So much Golf. Although, it was in this time period that I had started talking to another company about another job offer in a new location from the previous contract. So in the middle of the relaxing, I started getting medical appointments again and all the mad paperwork rush that comes along with contracting.

My next big adventure started a few days after Christmas. I decided I was going to spend New Years in Texas. On the way down, I was going to meet up with a couple of old friends on the way. I had planned to meet Catfish at the Barber Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham, Alabama. Its a must see for any motorcycle enthusiast and I had to make sure Catfish saw it before he left for Antarctica again in a couple of days. Little did he know, I had reached out to another friend of ours (Stivers) that we had seen since March to meet us there as well. The surprise went off without a hitch. After the museum we went back to Casa de Stivers, and he showed us around his little town as well as the best place to get some good cold adult beverages. He offered both of us a place to sleep for the night but unfortunately I had to get on the road. So off I went for hours of long driving. I finally got tired and stayed at an incredible cheap motel in the middle of no where Louisiana. Unfortunately the pictures online were not accurate. I slept for just a few hours. I didn’t take off any clothes and I didn’t let my firearm be out of reach. I was back on the road early. Luckily for me, the Texas stateline wasn’t far away. I crossed the line and headed for breakfast and beer. After refueling my body I was on the road again. Headed to San Antonio.

I was relieved when I finally made it to San Antonio. I stayed at an amazing historic hotel, The Mercer. It was actually where President Theodore Roosevelt founded The Rough Riders. After a small break in the room for some rest and relaxation, I got up and headed to the Riverwalk. Surprisingly though, due to Covid the Riverwalk wasn’t super busy even though it was New Year’s Eve. Still walked it a couple of times before eating at this amazing restaurant. The food was great but you definitely paid for the greatness of it. After that, it was decided to go back to The Mercer and celebrate New Year in historic bar. I was just a handful of people, but it was a great time. I enjoyed the night and it may have been on of my favorite New Years yet. New Years day involved a lot of good food and more sight seeing. I got to go to the Alamo and walk through all of it. I also finally go to Bucee’s! Bucee’s is a Texas gas station, but its a gas station on steroids, I left there with no doubt that I could buy anything I could ever want in that one location. Before I left San Antonio, I was also able to go by the San Antonio Fire Museum. If you’re ever in the city I would suggest do it. It was very cool getting to see and read about the history of the fire service in the city. I also spent some time at the San Antonio Missions National Park as well. I was a neat experience getting to see the historic missions and learning of their history and influence in the city. After that I left San Antonio and headed to deep South Texas. There I was showed around a 200,000 acre cattle ranch. I enjoyed getting to see the inner workings of the industry that keeps the world fed. After a day couple of days in South Texas, it was time to head home.

The trip home was uneventful for the most part. I chose to go back a different way than I went. I made several stops at the Bucee’s on my way though. I ended up staying at a rather nice hotel in Arkansas that night. I woke up well rested and determined to make it home. On the way home I did decided to make a stop in Memphis at the Bass Pro Pyramid. I didn’t buy anything but it was neat to see the store and building. The rest of the trip home was pretty uneventful.

I had really enjoyed the Texas trip and the company I had for different parts of it. Texas got added to the list with Colorado as states outside of Tennessee I could see myself living in. Luckily for the reader, the game of catch up is almost over! I should have one more catch up post before I back to being able to update on my current travels and I couldn’t be more excited to tell where I’m at now and what I’m doing!

-Tyler

Artist of the Post – The Lumineers

Once I got back to the states, life turned into a mad rush for a little while. In my typical fashion I didn’t tell many people I was coming home. Papa & Nanny Hill were two of the first ones I surprised. I worked out great, they were both caught off guard. It was great. That night I was able to set up a surprised with one of my buddy’s girlfriends and surprised him as we made our triumphant return to trivia night. I was glad to also be able to see my youngest brother play in one of his football games. Needless to say, everyone was way caught off guard by the mustache and long hair. After the showing everyone I wanted to show the mustache to, it was gone. I know more than a few people were happy about that.

After being home for a few days I had to leave again. I had classes in Alabama at the Fire College I had signed up for a had to attend. Always constantly trying to make myself a more sought-after candidate in this competitive field. I was an excellent class. One of the harder classes I’ve taken at AFC. I was also able to make a couple more contacts in the contracting realm.

After 5 days in Tuscaloosa, I had to rush back. It was wedding time in Tennessee! I had the honor and privilege of being one of Tom’s groomsmen in his wedding. Friday night consisted on rehearsal and rehearsal supper. After that, we went back to Luttrell’s house. We sat around a fire, had some adult beverages and just bullshitted. I’m sure it was Tom’s dream night before a wedding. The next day it was showtime. Some how of motley group of friends were able to get through the wedding without in problems. Afterwards, we went to an outdoor place for the after party. Plenty of good food and good times proceeded to take place. Once it got a little later though, we decided to take the party back to Tom and Julie’s house. More shenanigans took place there. All in all I had a great time and I hope that Tom and Julie did too.

After that. I had a couple weeks of downtime. Well downtime for me anyways. I got to hang out with Catfish in Chattanooga a couple times in that window. I got to met his family and have some motorcycles adventures. I also got to go with Richard and watch him race. It was great getting him to do his thing, and definitely made me wanna take my dirt bike and join him. I got to see and surprise lots of my friends. I even dressed up for halloween. I went as a greaser. I had long hair and all the clothes at home already to fit the part so it worked out quite well. Jesse went as Pickle Rick and took one of the spots for the costume contest.

After the couple of weeks of downtime, it was finally time for something I had been waiting MONTHS for. So during the month I had been home running around like crazy, I was also searching super hard for two minibikes. Why? Because me and Kevan were going to the mother fucking War Run 5 in North Carolina. So War Run is a chopper show/ride and more importantly the place for the “World’s Biggest Minibike Race”. There was several states represented, and even Antarctica. I had signed up while still working and the organizers had asked me to sign up as racing in Antarctica. I fully embraced it. I wore a McMurdo Station shirt, and had a bumper sticker that said “I brake for Penguins”. The organizers loved it, and I actually got a round of applause from the crowd. It was super dope. Friday night was the preparty. We got there, saw the track for the first time and met the organizers. We also both got a tattoo on Friday night, in a trailer, in the middle of a field. It was less sketchy than it sounds. I promise. More importantly though, Friday night I was able to meet some people that I had never met before but knew well enough to feel like they are close friends. ChopperFisher, Astroman, Chicken Rick, Fatman, Emmanotgoldman, and The Real Rolly Polly. We knew each other through Instagram and The Lowlife Chopper Podcast. I think that may have been my favorite part of War Run. Saturday was filled with beer and boonie bikes. I was able to race several times and made it to a main race. Kevan did decently enough, he didn’t have the right bike for him though. He decided after the second race his time would be better spent with his true love in life, Coors Light. Luckily the alcohol and good times flowed all night long. I only wrecked once, and Kevan twice. After all the racing was done, it was time for the Raffle. I usually never win anything, but I actually managed to win something for once. The best part is that part of my raffle prize contained a painted sign by Loctite, who happens to be one of the host from The Lowlife Chopper Podcast! As Saturday night was winding down, I said goodbye to the homies and gave out all the Antarctica stickers I had to them. After all the fun and excitement of the weekend, I slept pretty damn good that Saturday night.

I had packed a lot of fun and excitement into my first month home. The adventuring didn’t stop with the War Run though, November started with the War Run and didn’t let up at all. It was another busy month, but I’ll go over it in the next post.

-Tyler

Artist of the Post – Tyler Childers

As the title states, its been a good minute since I’ve posted on here. Antarctica’s internet really wasn’t super conducive to this site. That ,combined with some of the struggles I faced while wintering over, made for the perfect concoction for me not to post on here. So this may be a long post since a lot has happened in the almost year its been since I’ve posted.

Since my last post was in April, we will start around there. As I said, not a lot goes on all the time in Antarctica. The sun went down on April 19th and didn’t come back until August. In May I finally hit my weight loss goal of 185. I was incredible excited about that, and also made the choice to take a month off from working out and dieting super religiously. Partly because I had finally achieved my goal, and partly because I had experienced some pretty bad anxiety and the gym was just free time to think.

I found out the hard way of the affects a lack of sun light can have on your mental health. I was taking Vitamin D like I was suppose to. Unbeknownst to me, I wasn’t taking anywhere near enough. Anxiety hit me all of a sudden and like a ton of bricks. There was a week where either I wouldn’t be able to sleep, or if I did, I would have to drink to get there. After that week I decided to try to get ahead of it. I had already increased my vitamin D intake quite a lot, and had finally gotten a “happy light”. A “happy light” is a super bright light that you use for an hour a day to simulate the sun. I’m a believer in them, without a doubt now. My attempts to get ahead of it was to be more outgoing in the community. After Stivers had left, my social life became less and less. I started going out more, and I started playing some of the sports that we have down there. I also started going out to Scott Base’s American night when I could. Everything I did certainly helped, although my anxiety didn’t fully go away until I was back home. It certainly got better and easier to handle.

June was mostly attempting to be more out going. I would go to the big gym and playing basketball. I also played pickleball, so much pickleball. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed playing. Also in June was Midwinters. Midwinter is the biggest holiday on the continent. Every nationality celebrates it regardless of race, religion, nationality, etc. Its something I’m incredible appreciative of the fact I got to experience it. Midwinters Dinner was absolutely amazing, so much good food. The galley had really out done themselves with it. Duck, Steak, Lobster. We ate good that night. The after party following the dinner was amazing. It was probably one of my favorite nights, if not my favorite night on the ice. That night marked not only the half way point of the season, but also the turning point of the season for me mentally.

July started off with the 4th of July celebrations. I got to drive the fire truck in the 4th of July parade. I had to work during the 4th of July party but we got to go and eat and have a great time. I got to witness such feats as human jenga, and full size donkey kong. It was another great experience. I witnessed far too many people become part of “The Hawks Club” which was people who let Catfish, one of the firefighters, cut mohawks into their hair. I’m not sure if there was a connection of not, but the later the night got and the more alcohol that got drank, the more willing participants there were. July also gave us the spectacle that was Toga night. It was so much fun that Harrigan lost all his clothes and ended up naked and drunk. Drunk Harrigan likes Tequila just a little too much for himself, but just enough for the rest of it. Its a shame he doesn’t remember it because it was quite a lot of fun.

August was uneventful at the beginning, filled with a lot of pickleball and shenanigans I’m sure. Although, the sun did decided to show back up on the 22nd. I was a nice change for sure. Halfway through August was the pinewood derby, I schemed and decided my best strategy was to follow my 7 year old me strategy and not worrying about it until the night before and then scramble for the best. I’m not going to say its the best choice, but I will say that I got 4th out of 22 participants. I think it speaks for itself. Also in August, I got to go spend the night at the Kiwi Square Frame. It took me having to get half of the stations signatures for permissions but it was absolutely worth it. It may be my second favorite night after Midwinter’s Night.

September was epic because we got our first planes in months! We got fresh food! We also got fresh people…I suppose you have to take the good with the bad sometimes. We had a winters over only party as one last celebration also. One final night to spend time with all these amazing people that we had been through so much with. I turned 29 also during this time. I was blessed with good friends at both McMurdo and Scott Base who helped me celebrate it and make it one of my most memorable birthdays.

October was short lived in Antarctica because I came home at the beginning of it! Although, I got to hang out with my good friends during that time and play a little more pickleball. I was only in New Zealand for a couple days on the way back home but it was a fresh of breath air. I got to see grass, and eat truly fresh food. It was so much getting to spend it was some of the winter overs as well.

I’ll continue at my adventures after I got home in another post. I think I’ve bored the people reading this post enough as much as they can probably stand. I just wanna take a moment and say my life in Antarctica wouldn’t have been half as amazing if it wasn’t for some of the absolutely amazing people I had the privilege of spending the time with. Especially: Catfish, Charlotte, Shannon, Dustin, Grandpa, Tori, Wes, Ghost, Lauren, Laura, Capt. Best, Lizzy, Stivers, Suzy, and so many more.

-Tyler

Artist of the Post – George Strait

So I know its been a little over a month since my last post. I can give several excuses as to why its been so long, but like all excuses, they will all stink. Life is good here, I’ve settled into somewhat of a routine. We are still working 24 hr shifts for now, but who knows how much longer that will last. My normal day off involves working out, and making phone calls home in the first part of the day. The afternoons and evenings range from short hikes to volunteering around the station. It all helps the days pass by quicker. I’m enjoying being here and my job. Its amazing waking up everyday and getting to see the beautiful mountains and surroundings. I’m also looking forward to being home and the things I have planned once I get there.

Its weird being on the outside looking in when it comes to COVID-19 and its effects on the rest of the world. Its strange that being in Antarctica is the best place to be while all this is going on. Its not really affecting us down here during our day to day routines. It is affecting our ability to get have people come down but that is somewhat minor in the big picture. I do worry about the people going home from here, they are making it home but there probably isn’t a whole lot to be going home to right now since everything is locked down. Hopefully it all passes soon though. I really hope it all passes over by October for sure.

Speaking of it all being gone by October, I’m planning a US tour for some of my time home. I plan on spending a month or two on the road, covering 2 roads and 14 states. I have my route there figured out and kind of the route back. I have an idea of what way I wanna go back but I haven’t mapped out the route and the cities I plan to spend the night in like I have the trip there. Luckily I have 6 months left on the ice to figure out the particulars of it all. I don’t think I’ll be doing it on the Wide Glide though, I plan to buy a newer bike when I get home. Hopefully I’ll be able to find something I like and still have enough time to do the trip before it gets brutally cold and miserable. It all really depends on when I get off Ice though at the end of the day.

Another relatively short post even after going so long without posting. There isn’t always a whole lot of stuff going on down here. You are left with plenty of time to think. If you’re not careful though you may over think and that could swallow you whole. I hope that you are having a great day, wherever you are in the world.

-Tyler

Artist of the Post – Benjamin Todd/The Lost Dog Street Band

I’ve been on the Ice for almost two weeks and life has been hectic to say the least. Luckily I’m generally good at adapting to new situations quickly. It also helps that most people here know how it is to be the new guy who doesn’t have a clue about whats going on. Luckily life has seemed to smooth out some what and I am getting into somewhat of a rhythm.

I ended up getting delayed a couple more days after my last post. I got here at 1:30am on the 6th. Fortunately for me I got about 4 hours of sleep before having to be at work for my first shift. I went several days in a row having either work or training. Luckily my leadership finally decided to give me a couple of days off. It was nice to recharge and rest. I also found out I was going to be a Driver/Operator here. Also, I’m getting to be a dispatcher some as well….I’m going to finally be in my arch enemies shoes. haha I’ve already gotten to experience some really cool things and see a lot. It’s really neat being in your normal job but being in a whole new world and environment to do it in.

I’ve met some really neat people also, and luckily I got put on a really solid shift. Unfortunately most of my shift is leaving over the next week or two, however I am excited to get with my winter-over crew. I’ve also gotten to see some animals like penguins, seals, and Orca whales. I don’t think its really hit me where I am and how far from everyone and everything I actually am. Some things are different but at the same time a lot is the same. That is one thing I have always noticed about firefighting, no matter where you go, you’re often going to feel right at home after a short time. I think it also helps that in the contracting world people come and go so often that you have to be able to make new friends easily. When I got here we had around 1300 people here, slowly we are decreasing those numbers everyday. Winter levels will be around 150 people. I am really looking forward to seeing how that is. We are also in 24 hours of sunlight. We do have a sunset coming up in a week. Its strange at times but I’m starting to get use to it. I hope that I’ll be able to adjust to the 24 hours of nighttime that it coming up.

Sorry for the lack of material. I’m not sure how’ll much I’ll post on this. Hopefully a lot but I never know. This is my second attempt to post on here since I have been on the Ice. The internet down here leaves a lot to desire. Luckily the more people that leave the better the internet will get. The rumor is that we might even get wi-fi. Fingers crossed on that one.

I hope that you are having a great day, wherever you are in the world.

-Tyler

Artist of the Post – Brantley Gilbert

I’ve been in New Zealand for 5 days now, and I’m enjoying it. My ice flight is suppose to be in the morning. I’m excited about finally flying down to the ice, however I am slightly anxious too. Its a rare emotion for me, it may be due to the fact that I’m finally starting a completely unfamiliar adventure, or it may be due to the fact the plane was getting worked on today for engine problems… I’m sure the anxious feeling will be gone by the morning, or at least I hope it is.

I’ve enjoyed being in New Zealand. I did not enjoy the 36 hour, 9,150 mile trek to get here. I’m glad I’ve had time to unwind before my ice flight, I know several people here don’t get that opportunity. I’ve met some cool people, both tourist and locals, and I’ve made new connections. You never know who you will meet when you half way around the world. I’ve also met several people who I’ll be spending the next several months with. Luckily I’ve gotten along with all of them. However, I’m not sure how well all of them will do down on the ice after seeing how they have behaved in Christchurch…only time will tell.

My first day I was able to walk around downtown Christchurch and even go do the gondola ride up the small mountain right outside of the city. I had planned to go explore the night life, unfortunately my jet lag caught up to me and I was asleep by 6pm. My second day was busy from the start. I had scheduled myself a Lord of the Rings tour to Mount Sunday which was they shot Edoras and the Kingdom of Rohan. Luckily it was a small group of us, and it was a great time. I met a couple from California who work in Hollywood, Ian & Amanda, who had been traveling and vacationing for a couple months. After me, we picked up a guy named “Oh” from Korea. He had gotten tired of working all the time and quit his job, he was in the middle of a tour of Oceania countries. I really admired him for being able to just not worry about what he was going to do when he returned home. He was literally just traveling to different countries he wanted to see and that was his only concern. Lastly we picked up Scuba Susan, she was an older lady who owned a scuba diving company that took on multi day scuba expeditions to The Great Barrier Reef. The leader of our eclectic group was an older gentleman by the name of Pete. When Pete wasn’t leading tourist on journeys of Middle-Earth, he was a deer farmer who also lead fishing and hunting expeditions around New Zealand. He was a plethora of knowledge about the local area and history. Having such a small group of us made the trip even better. We got to stop a couple of times and see some off the beaten path places that the smaller group allowed us to do. Mount Sunday was a lot bigger in person than it appears in the movies, and the area around it was just as beautiful as it looked in the movies. It was totally worth the price of the tour. That night after we had made it back to town, I went to the bar that Pete had suggested to us. I met some interesting locals there, one of which invited me to move into his house and become a New Zealand resident. Luckily shortly after Ian & Amanda arrived and I was able to enjoy the night and the band with them. Day 3 was a lot more laid back, managed to walk outside of downtown ChCh and found a great breakfast place. On the walk back I stumbled onto the New Zealand vs India cricket match that was going on. Even though I had no idea what was going on, it was still fun to hang out and take it all in. After leaving there my walk back to the hotel took me through the botanical gardens and to the local museum. The museum was free admission so there was no way I could turn down going in and exploring. If you’re ever in ChCh I definitely suggest checking it out. The rest of the night I didn’t do too much, explored a new bar or two and then stopped in at a local ice cream place to try a “New Zealand only” flavor that Pete had suggested the day before. Day 4 (today) had me waking up and finally going to get issued my ECW (Extreme Cold Weather) gear and doing some orientation. I was also able to meet the individuals I would be flying down with. After that was all over, I ate some food and relaxed around the hotel and took care of some laundry and other stuff to get ready to leave tomorrow.

We are suppose to check in for our flight at 9:30am, but they said that there is still a chance of a delay. It going to be interesting to see how the next few days go, both for me and family and friends back home. I know my traveling isn’t ever easy on anyone, luckily I’m blessed to be surrounded by people who normally support my adventurous tendencies. Maybe one day I’ll be tired of it all and ready to settle down. Maybe I won’t. Parts of me could see it going either way at times. I realize I’m not getting any younger, but there is still so much to see and do. I keep getting asked what I’m going to do after my contract is over, and honestly I have no idea. In my typical fashion, I think I’ll wait and worry about that when its closer to time…

I hope whoever is reading this is having a phenomenal day.

-Tyler

Artist of the Post – The Lumineers

What a last couple days it has been, both privately and professionally. I trudge on though. I met 3 of my co-workers yesterday, including my Captain/officer in charge for the duration of my deployment. I like all three of them luckily. Only 8 more of them to meet, fingers crossed. I have faith, plus I’m going into it with an open mind. Thats all you can do sometimes.

Yesterday was a pretty good day, after meeting my new co-workers we headed to the Fire Academy of The South. I’ve been to 3 fire academies now, and this one may be my favorite. I just had a really good day. It was also nice to see that my co-workers seemed to be solid firefighters, which was such a relief. I suppose I should’ve expected it, someone looking into this line of work and willing to do all the requirements would be more committed to the field than some you see at small municipalities. It was refreshing none the less. It was also EXTREMELY great to hear my captain talk about progression in the fire service and how its a necessity. That might have been the best thing I heard all day yesterday.

So today is going to be an adventure today, I’m flying roughly 9,150 miles today. This journey started at 4 am this morning, even though I don’t fly out from Jacksonville till 7:15 am, here I sit. Forever waiting to board a plane. I leave the United States from my last layover on Tuesday night, and land in New Zealand on Thursday morning. Who needs a Wednesday anyways, right? I’ll also technically be able to mark two more states off my list as well in Texas and California, although I doubt today will be my last times visiting there. Hopefully anyways. I have a 3 hour layover in Houston and a 7 hour layover in Los Angeles. I was planning to leave the airport in LA and maybe stretch my legs a little but I’ve been advised against that due to how horrible the traffic is and how bad it sucks to go through security at LAX. So I suppose that means I’ll be stuck in the airport the whole time much to my horror.

One thing I’ve noticed in writing this blog is how programmed I am to wanna use emojis during it. Its an odd habit that I evidently have developed. One I think I might need to work on, luckily going several months without a phone will help with that. Its like in 2019 when one of my new years resolutions were to stop putting “lol” with every text message. I was able to do it, but I also noticed I had to let some people know I was doing that. Its funny to me that people take little things like answering “Yeah” and “Yeah lol” differently. I’m going to post some pictures at the end of the post, so heads up. Hopefully you survived this whole post, without too much pain. “lol”

-Tyler

P.S. I think I’m going to start doing an artist of the post. Who I as listening to while writing each post. Todays Artist of the Post is the amazing Benjamin Tod/Lost Dog Street Band (Benjamin’s band)

Fortune favors the bold is one of my favorite quotes and one I use very often. Whether it be in my own life or when asked advice by my friends. It happens to be a very fitting title for my first blog post, especially at the time I’m writing this. The idea of a blog or online journal is something I’ve thought about but have never committed to. Sitting here on my last night as a Winchester firefighter before I started the next big adventure in my life I decided it was finally time.

The next 12 hours are going to be exciting and sad at the same time. I’ll be turning in my gear at both Winchester Fire and Tullahoma Fire, the two departments I had wanted to work out growing up as a young volunteer in the fire service. I’m so glad I got the opportunity to work at both places. I’ve had some great experiences and met some great people at both places, I’ve also been mad and disappointed with both places. I think that goes with any job really though. Life is all about the ups and downs though. Hopefully I’m on an permanent upswing though.

The reason I’m leaving both departments is because I have received an opportunity of a lifetime. I got hired to be a Firefighter/AEMT in Antarctica(yes they have fires). That is one of the reasons for this blog, its an adventure of a lifetime and I’ll have plenty of time of my hands. I’m not sure how much I’ll have to write about. Hopefully a lot, if not, no worries. I’ve been lucky to have traveled a lot in life. So I’m sure I’ll be able to waste your time and fill out these paragraph boxes.

I don’t know how long blog post should be. I suppose that may be dictated by how often I post or how much I have on my mind. Hopefully I figure out this out and so much more about life along the way. I’m excited about all the things I have coming up in life, but I would be lying if I didn’t say I was a little nervous too. It has been a long time since I have up rooted myself totally, and I never have when I’ve been at such a stable point in my life. I may be making a mistake like some people think but…Fortune favors the bold.

-Tyler