Harrison Hove Starts His Journey

ONN's Meteorologist Harrison Hove is on his way to Antarctica.

Harrison applied for and received a grant from the National Science Foundation to travel to Antarctica to report on the several Ohioans doing research near the South Pole. Each day Hove will share his travels and projects that he and other Buckeyes are working on to ONN.

Here's a look at what Harrison wrote on Day 1:

I have never been to either the eastern or the southern hemisphere and now I find myself in both.  Monday night I boarded a jumbo jet from Los Angeles to Auckland, New Zealand.  The flight was 13 hours long and the longest flight I have ever taken. The food was good and there was free wine for all as well as on demand entertainment.  With all the distraction, I'm glad I was able to sleep eight or the 13 hours.  We touched down early Tuesday morning and my journey to the South Pole officially started.

I cleared customs without a problem with all the television gear in tow.  My next flight was to be from Auckland to Christchurch.  I didn't realize how brilliant this route would be until I was in the air.  People told me before I left that New Zealand might be the most beautiful country in the world.  After staring out my window for an hour I believe it.  The land goes from rolling green hills to flat farm land.  The beaches had that untouched blue color from the air.  New Zealand is made of up of two main islands.  The northern fringe of the south island had to be the most picturesque thing I have ever seen from the air.  These miniature lush, green mountains rose from the water.  It eventually turned into what appeared to be fjords.  Just an hour here and I was already hooked.

Christchurch, New Zealand is the hub for the United States' Antarctica Program.  I was greeted in baggage claim by a kiwi wearing this bright red US Antarctica Program vest. Her and her colleague, Arthur, escorted me to the clothes warehouse.  The US government fits you with warm weather gear to ensure everyone is properly prepared for this journey.  There is a changing room for the men and one for the women.  They give you two huge bags of this stuff and tell you to try it all on.  You name it, I have worn it.  I put on long underwear, sweat pants, thermal socks, glove lining, heavy duty gloves, goggles, wind breaker, ski pants, boots and of course a balaclava.  Of course, the centerpiece of the whole Antarctica fashion show was big red.  Get familiar with it because I will probably be wearing it every day.  Big red is a huge red parka that swallows you whole.  They were so nice that they even put my name on it.

Once I tried on everything and made sure it fit, I walked through the facility and saw the stock room.  There are hundreds of big reds in this warehouse.  I met someone who just came back from the ice.  He was from Cologne, Germany.  I have been to Cologne twice in the last year.  I met another kiwi from Christchurch who is on my flight to Antarctica as well.  Finally, my National Science Foundation colleague Debbie Wing joined me.  She is the one who planned the trip.

The hotel shuttle took Debbie and I back to our hotel. These rooms are gorgeous.  The patio area looks like a resort, but the ocean is about 45 minutes away by car.  I feel very lucky to be here.  It has not even set in yet, that I will be traveling to Antarctica Wednesday night. Tonight, I will take the public bus to downtown Christchurch and give it a look.  Some of the area is still closed and I have been told there are temporary shelters for shops since the structures aren't safe or have already been torn down/collapsed.

I am supposed to leave at 9pm local time Wednesday night.  I am going to be on one of the faster planes so I should reach the ice at McMurdo Station in about five hours.  I will keep you posted because we will be at the mercy of the weather. In fact, sometimes you even take off and half way through they might turn around.  This is called a boomerang flight.  Let's hope there is no boomeranging on this end.  Wish me luck! I can't wait to meet some Ohioans down on the ice.

P.S. = First fun fact of the trip.  The only U.S. President to ever visit the U.S. Antarctica Program in Christchurch was Bill Clinton.