diff --git a/.github/workflows/test-cice_ubuntu.yml b/.github/workflows/test-cice_ubuntu.yml
index 250e4a473..50e02a030 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test-cice_ubuntu.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test-cice_ubuntu.yml
@@ -47,29 +47,14 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/checkout@v2
         with:
           submodules: 'recursive'
-      - name: link
-        run: |
-           ln -s ${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}/../CICE ${HOME}/cice
-#           ls -al ${HOME}/
-#           ls -al ${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}/
-      - name: install conda environment
-        uses: conda-incubator/setup-miniconda@v3
-        with:
-          activate-environment: cice
-          environment-file: configuration/scripts/machines/environment.yml
-          auto-activate-base: false
-          mamba-version: "*"
-      # - name: setup conda env
-      #   run: |
-      #     cd $HOME && mkdir -p cice-dirs/runs cice-dirs/baseline cice-dirs/input
-      #     source $HOME/miniconda/bin/activate
-      #     conda init tcsh
-      #     cd $HOME/cice
-      #     conda env create -f configuration/scripts/machines/environment.yml
       - name: make test directories
         run: |
+          ln -s ${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}/../CICE ${HOME}/cice
           mkdir -p "$HOME/cice-dirs/runs" "$HOME/cice-dirs/baseline" "$HOME/cice-dirs/input"
+#           ls -al ${HOME}/
+#           ls -al ${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}/
       - name: check for tabs
+        shell: /bin/csh
         run: |
           cd ${HOME}/cice/cicecore
           set cnt = 0
@@ -83,6 +68,16 @@ jobs:
             endif
           end
           exit $cnt
+      - name: install conda environment
+        uses: conda-incubator/setup-miniconda@v3
+        with:
+          activate-environment: cice
+          environment-file: configuration/scripts/machines/environment.yml
+          auto-activate-base: false
+          mamba-version: "*"
+      - name: make test directories
+        run: |
+      
       # - name: setup conda env
       #   shell: /bin/bash {0}
       #   run: |
@@ -92,9 +87,6 @@ jobs:
       #     cd $HOME/cice
       #     conda env create -f configuration/scripts/machines/environment.yml
       - name: check conda env
-
-# See https://github.com/marketplace/actions/setup-miniconda#important ... its very hard to figure out how to get the conda environment activated correctly!!
-
         run: |
           conda activate cice && which clang && which gfortran && which mpicc && which mpifort && which make
           clang --version