Sunny and off the grid in Greenland

The first day in Greenland was rainy and then snowy and then sunny. Of course by the time the sun came out it was 11pm and I really wasn't in the mood for sunny weather. Thankfully the sun decided to stay out all day. We decided to take a trip to one of the data loggers in the field. This particular sight was once located just off a road that lead to the Ice Caves. In recent years, global warming has left the ice caves in less than impressive state and the military is no longer interested in maintaining the road. Our research contact here in Thule said we could go but just know that if the truck got stuck we would be on our own, the military would not come save us.



We drove off the base passing many of the satellite installations of the base. It turns out Thule Air Force use to be top secret. It was built during the Cold War to track Soviet missiles as an early warning system. At the height of base use, the base held 10,000 people. Today it holds about 300 in the winter and 600-800 in the summer depending on the number of contractors. There is a lot of unusual sights built and abandoned in the tundra but we will get to that later.

So we drove down towards the ice caves. All of the roads have these adorable sign posts that say things like "Towards Camp Toutle", "Toward the Ice Caves", etc. Driving along the road we saw many small herds of arctic hare. These large white rabbits can keep up with our Toyota truck (about 20-30 mph) and often feel compelled to race the vehicle.

Arctic Hare Racing the Truck. Thule Defense Area, Greenland

 When we reached the road for the ice caves, it was blocked by 4 posts and a metal chain. We expected this. The road is no longer officially on the map. It is not being maintained and at best it can be used by military personnel as a hiking trail. The sign says it is 8.3 miles. Large orange cones block the road to keep cars from driving around it. It seems that there has been a long history of military boys driving off base and off road only to get stuck in the snow. Well we are not military personnel. We are intrepid explorers and we have research equipment to check. So of course we moved the orange cones and drove around the chain. 

It was a bumpy ride but we made it nearly to the sight before we decided it was too risky and walked the rest of the way. Once a few snow drifts gave us problems but that is what 4 wheel drive is for! The lead on our team is an excellent driver and only once this whole trip was I worried and only for a second. This location is a polar desert. According to wikipedia, polar deserts have less than 250mm of precipitation and the mean annual temperature in the warmest month of the year is below 10C (50F). Although I understand another definition involves temperature and less than 5% vegetation. Either way this sight applies. All the snow in the photos is wind blown. 

The Polar Desert covered with powdery wind blown snow

After we walking around for 45 minutes while we let the data download we headed back to the truck. It was a beautiful day. Sunny and a warm -3C (27F) with no wind. We decided to head out to an old part of the base no longer in use for a picnic lunch. On the way we saw a broken  and abandoned bridge in the snow. 

The real bridge to nowhere

We headed out to an old ramp built by the military to get onto the ice sheet. The ice sheet was already inclined and they mostly just added rocks to help keep it insulated. A few years ago it was washed out. Since then the glacier has continued to recede creating these beautiful carved icebergs. The landscape is incredibly dynamic and the effects of global warming are compounded. 

Carved Icebergs

Near our lunch spot I finally got a good picture of arctic hares! There was a

family of arctic hare who took over a picnic bench and were hesitant to give it up. 

Family of Arctic Hare

Here is the view from our picnic spot. Of course it is difficult to capture the wonder and awe of the scenery because the distances are so great. Your eyes easily transverse the distance and makes far away objects look closer. You see them bigger. Then you pull out your camera and it is so tiny in the frame. 

Arctic landscape taken by the old abandoned air strip

We then headed out to the "old mine" this was a tunnel built out into the tundra. Why? I don't know. I know the Cold War was a weird time. I am told they built an entire base under the ice complete with nuclear power (Camp Century, http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Iceworm) There was a lot of concern about surviving a nuclear holocaust so perhaps this tunnel was related to that. Either way the scene now looks like the inspiration for a level of donkey country for the Super Nintendo. Mine cart carnage. One of the mine cart levels is in the snowy level of the game and you are riding on short twisted broken piece of track. In the snow there was rusted twisted piece of track and the entrance of the tunnel is open although it is closed about 10 feet in. 

Twisted rail track

The sign says it all

Opening to the tunnel

From inside the tunnel. As much as you can get in.

We ended the day by the radar station where people still watch for missiles but mostly observe space trash. This is the only active military mission in Thule and everything else  is support for that mission. The whole area has signs that say keep moving because there is high levels of radiowaves (radiation) emanating from the buildings. But the view from there is worth it. 

Another good view

Panoramic view

It was a wonderful day of exploration and science. It was also a great night. The first sunset of the season was expected at 1am. There was a party down by the waterfront of the base. They have a building that looks like a beach house, all windows and a bar, a fireplace, and an awesome deck looking out over the harbor. I met a lot of cool people mostly Danish contractors. 

Danish military ship, Ejnar Mikkelsen, in the harbor

This is a view of the harbor taken by Thor. He was excited about the Danish naval ship anchored in the water and the sun making it look like it is on fire. The light up here is so white in the summer everyone was excited to see the orange and reds in the sky.

Thor felt like the sun hitting the ship made it look like it was on fire. That was why he wanted to borrow a camera. Using instagram it really does look on fire.

After the party down at the pavilion, everyone headed to the bar. The Top of the World (TOW) club is the only bar in Thule. It has a white table cloth restaurant that looks like it was furnished in 1958, a room with slot machines, a ballroom and a bar. 

The fabulous interior of the Top of the World (TOW) club restaurant. I love vintage decor. This doesn't look like it has been updated in at least 40 years.

It was a perfect day in Greenland. Although I didn't realize exactly how rare those sunny days are this time of year. Apparently much of the summer was cold then it warmed up and was swarmed by mosquitoes and then it got cold again. You just have to appreciate those sunny cool clear days when you get them!