Contact Information and Care Packages!

“Letter writing is the only device for combining solitude with good company” ~~Lord Byron

This post is not nearly as exciting as the others have been. But here's the nitty gritty!

Care Packages Are Welcome!!

Mailing Address:

McMurdo Station -- RPSC

[Fran Haynes], RPSC

McMurdo Station

PSC 469 Box 700

APO AP 96599-1035

Tips for Senders:

• Packages intended to reach McMurdo Station and South Pole Station by Christmas need to be mailed from the U.S. by Halloween
• Flat mail (letters) goes faster than packages. Packages may take up to six weeks.
• Do not mail perishable food.
• Do not use foam peanuts—flat bubble wrap envelopes work best!

 Care Package Ideas:

• Dried Fruit
• Trail Mix
• Teas (I don't drink coffee...)
• Chocolate :)
• A good book
• Music
• Something amusing!

***I will have access to the internet so I should also be able to send emails as well. Skype won’t work down there, so email, pen and paper, or phone calls will be the best mode of communication.

 In Case of an Emergency: (if it involves my family or a close friend):

• To get an urgent message to me in the Antarctic, call RPSC headquarters in Denver (303 790-8606). Ask for Human Resources and explain that it is an emergency. 

Time Zones:

• South Pole and McMurdo stations operate on the same time as New Zealand, which is 16-18 hours ahead of the United States. If it is Tuesday afternoon in the U.S., it will be Wednesday morning at those stations.

 How Mail Gets There:

• Mail is received in Christchurch seven days a week. Letter mail is transported from Christchurch to Antarctica on all available southbound flights. Letter mail service varies, generally taking five to 14 days, but sometimes longer depending on the time of year. Letter mail always takes priority over package mail, both to and from Antarctica. Packages have the lowest priority of all cargo being transported to Antarctica, resulting in a delivery time of up to six weeks.
• Please do not send perishable foods.
•  The most cost-effective way to mail a parcel weighing more than 10 lbs. to Antarctica is parcel post. If you might have a parcel that contains only videos, books or CDs, it can be sent special fourth class ‘media rate,’ which is the lowest cost.
•  Do not use ‘packing’ and instead use clothing or something similarly useful and non-polluting to cushion the objects being mailed.
•  Packages destined for summer participants at McMurdo or South Pole should be mailed after Labor Day, or they will be returned. Mail that misses summer participants is either forwarded (if a directory card has been given to the McMurdo post office), or returned to the sender.
•  Parcels mailed after February 1 will not be received in Christchurch in time to be forwarded to McMurdo, so please don’t mail anything AFTER FEBRUARY 1^ST!!!

 My Flight Itinerary:

Traveler: HAYNES / FRANCIS IRENE

Date	From/To	Flight/Vendor	Status	Depart/Arrive	Class/Type
10/08/2011	ANC-SEA (Anchorage/Seattle First Flight)	AS 120	Confirmed	07:30 AM/11:58 AM	Economy / T
10/08/2011	SEA-DEN (Seattle/Denver Second Flight)	AS 672	Confirmed	01:05 PM/04:35 PM	Economy / T
10/08/2011	APA	RED LION HOTEL	Confirmed	10/08-10/10
10/10/2011	DEN-LAX (Denver/L.A. Third Flight)	AA 3822	Confirmed	04:20 PM/05:50 PM	Economy / B
10/10/2011	LAX-AKL (L.A./Auckland New Zealand Fourth Flight)	AA 7337	Confirmed	11:40 PM/09:10 AM +2	Economy / B
10/12/2011	AKL-CHC (Auckland/Christchurch New Zealand Fifth flight)	AA 7132	Confirmed	12:05 PM/01:25 PM	Economy / B

I depart for McMurdo from Christchurch on Oct 14^th flying via a C-17 and will land at McMurdo around 1400 military time. 

Here's a few images of a C-17 to give you an idea. It's gonna be a ride of a life time! (Photos taken from a Google Search)

 (I will be one of these red dressed people on Oct. 14th)

(The interior of the plane)