The family lore is that I am somehow related to Roald Amundsen and the E went rogue and became an O somewhere in the Midwest. While I am not able to verify this claim, it's still kind of cool.

As a winter-over I had to fly to Centennial, Colorado (near Denver) to take a psych exam – during this visit to HQ for RPSC I was introduced to the network team and colleagues I would be working for remotely. I was asked 62% of the time if I had any relation and gave the “according to family lore… ” bit.

So it would be nice to actually verify this – but the quote I received for a genealogist to do this research was around $2000 at least. I'll have to see how this goes and possibly accept that my answer to the relation question will be vague.

Regardless of relation, the planets have aligned such that I'm able to go during the season that marks the 100th year since Roald and his team reached the South Pole for the first time on December 14th. This day is going to be a busy one at the station. There will be quite the influx of tourists who will be celebrating the 100th, some arriving by plane, some racing across the ice, some re-creating the exact Amundsen and Scott routes.

Carla sent me an article talking about the races, hikes, and even memorial service that will be happening during the summer season.

Tourists Mimic Polar Pioneers, Except With Planes and Blogs