To Foreign Shores

We lifted anchor and set off from Antarctica on St. Patrick’s Day, in the afternoon. We had one last zodiac landing in the morning at Half-Moon Bay. There were dozens of fur seals, thousands of chinstrap penguins, a few Weddell seals, and one lonely Macaroni penguin, trying to blend in with the chinstraps. Macaroni’s have what look like huge bushy yellow eyebrows, but this poor little guy looked pretty bedraggled, as he was molting.

The mood onboard is somber and reflective. Gone is the joyous expectation of discovering new lands. Now each of us must face the return to jobs, long flights, and sad world news. But along with this I look forward to seeing my loved ones, my dogs, and a Missouri springtime with the promise of a new garden. I’ll always remember this trip to the bottom of the world, to Terra Incognita. The early explorers, upon returning to their homelands, had difficulty readjusting to their old lives. Many wrote about hearing the little voices that bid them to return to this continent of wonder. Perhaps I too will hear these voices and return. Perhaps.

The Land That Time Forgot

We entered Deception Island on March 16, through its only navigatable entrance called Neptune’s Bellows. The entire island is an ancient volcanic caldera. Pressure held the roof up, and when the eruption ceded, the roof collapsed, leaving a ring-shaped island with a narrow entrance. The island ring is composed of high mountains, bluffs, and volcanic craters that still do erupt. One eruption occurred in 1967, creating a mud flow that destroyed a Chilean and a British research station. The last major eruption was in 1970, but there is considerable seismic activity all of the time.

On the outside of Deception Island is a large chinstrap penguin colony, but no place to safely land the Zodiacs. Inside were fewer penguins (they don’t like the warmer water), but many fur seals, and the remains of an old whale processing plant. Beaches of lava cinders were all around, and the water’s edge steamed and smelt of sulpher. Hot water flows down through the beach and into the cold water of the bay.  

When I was a young teen, two of my favorite authors were Jules Verne (creator of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ) and Edgar Rice Burroughs, creator of the Tarzan series and many other works of science fiction. One of his books, called The Land That Time Forgot took place during World War I, and told of an unknown continent near Antarctica that was inaccessible from the outside, except for an underwater tunnel. It was the remnant of an ancient volcano whose roof collapsed, but instead of penguins, seals, and whaling stations, it contained dinosaurs and half-naked cave women. Jules Verne told of Captain Nemo’s secret island, and the description was word-for-word from the writings of early explorers and whalers. Except for these little technicalities, these fictional sites matched Deception Island.

We landed near the old whaling station, and walked along the water’s edge to where we could turn and climb up to a spot called Neptune’s Window. To our left was the wide desolate beach, with the crater beyond it. Cold water streams flowed from the glaciers beyond the crater, and the site was littered with whale bones and fur seals with an attitude. You might remember from an earlier post in my blog that the fur seals can run, and they are very territorial. Most just looked at us as we passed on by, but some came at us. As we were beginning our climb up the slope, the people ahead of me yelled for me to look out, pointing madly. I turned to see, and there was a fur seal heading straight for my ass. Luckily I remembered what the best plan was: run for the crowd. I didn’t have to run faster than the seal. I only had to run faster than the others.

The seal lost some momentum going up the hill, and I was experiencing an adrenalin rush. Our guide got between the seal and us, and as the seal went at him, he clapped his hands right in the seal’s face. It stopped, looked around, and went off. Another good seal evading tactic to remember!

We circled around and ended up at the old whaling station. It was built in the 1930’s, and then abandoned in the 60’s. The rusted storage tanks and boilers did indeed look like something out of Jules Verne. I got some good photos, and then headed for the crowd near the Zodiac landing site. It was time to go swimming!

Most of us stripped down to our swimsuits (if we had one), and jumped in. Now, the water might have been steaming, and we were in a volcano, but let me tell you: that water was COLD! The outside air was warmer, and I got some more shots. Unfortunately, others had gotten some shots of me too. All in all, it was a great time, even if I did have to settle for fur seals and bikini clad girls, instead of dinosaurs and half-naked cave women.

After lunch, we went ashore again, and hiked to the top of a crater. It was dormant, but had erupted in the recent past. The glaciers had ash mixed in, looking more like shoveled snow in a big city. The entire island had such a lonely beauty about it. Our guide said that during the winter it all would be snow covered and the bay would be frozen over. We left, and our last shore landing would be on St. Patrick’s Day, at Half-moon Bay.

Terra Incognita

We spent two solid days crossing the Drake Passage, or “Drake Lake” as some call it when it’s relatively calm. Except for the rolling swells that rocked one to sleep at night, and reminded everyone to keep one hand free to grab a railing, the passage was smooth. We spent the time with lectures on geology, whales, birds, seals, and how to get in and out of the Zodiac craft. We photographed a lot of birds, including Albatrosses, Petrels, Fulmars, and Chinstrap Penguins. I woke up this morning and looked out of my porthole to the low sun rising over glaciers and icebergs. Breakfast was announced early, and by 9:00 AM we were on the Zodiacs heading for Detaille Island, the site of a former British research station, and south of the Antarctic Circle (66 degrees, 30 minutes south).

Small rocky islands, and blue chunks of glacial ice surrounded us. I was finally here, on the continent that old maps referred to as Terra Incognita. Antarctica. Adelie Penguins abounded by the hundreds, as well as fat Weddell seals and the fast and vicious fur seals. Weddell seals are designed for swimming, and except for the Emporer Penguin is the only Antarctic animal that doesn’t migrate to somewhere else come Winter. Fur seals can get up on their flippers and run faster than we can, so we kept our distance from them. Brown Skuas flew overhead looking for the occasional lone penguin chick to eat. The little Adelies waddled by us, sometimes stopping to look for a moment, and then waddle on. The old wooden buildings had been long abandoned, but are designated historic sites.

Adelies were named by an early French explorer in honor of his wife, and were an important food source for early expeditions, though they, and all wildlife here, are protected

We returned to the M/S Expedition and saw several Humpback Whales, some very near the boat. After lunch we went out on the Zodiacs to cruise around the icebergs. Some were a deep turquoise blue. These are the remnants of glaciers that calved, and the ice within them had been under so much pressure that there was no air in the ice, hence the blue color. We found several Crabeater seals basking on the icebergs, looking up at us, then going back to sleep. I asked if they were named by an irate explorer after his wife, but they poo-pooed that theory.

We’re heading back north now, after reaching 67 degrees south. Like I said in my last post, internet service is sketchy at best. If I don’t get another post off soon, I’ll get several off back in Argentina. Gotta run: Humpbacks have been sighted.

The Ides of March

I just returned from another landing, this time on Danko Island. It didn’t have the whales and seals that some of the other places had, nor as many penguins. But in many ways it was one of the most pleasant places I’ve visited here. Besides the magnificent scenery that abounds here, it had a pebbled beach strewn with remnants of icebergs of various sizes. Newly molted Gentoo Penguin chicks were taking their first swim in the sea, and it was a time for me just to get off alone and take it all in. I had my camera turned off and just became part of this peaceful setting. Most of the people who came ashore decided to hike to the top of a nearby hill, but I can hike hills in Missouri. Here I could just enjoy the sea.

Yesterday we landed at Port Lockroy, a former British base that was established as part of Operation Tabarin during the Second World War to keep an eye on the southern seas. It was abandoned and the birds got in and was a royal mess until someone decided that it was an important piece of history and needed fixing up. So, the Antarctic Heritage Trust was founded and volunteers come down to live and work on the place. Today Port Lockroy has been restored to pretty much what it looked like in the 50’s, except it now has a gift shop and a Post Office. The staff live in a modern insulated quanset hut, and there’s a Gentoo rookery nearby. The place is overrun with penguins, and as quaint and wonderful the place looks, it smells like the chicken house from hell.

On a nearby island was the site of a former whaling station, and the ground is littered with the bones of whales. One set has been laid out to show the size of it. But it too has hundreds of Gentoos, and smells just as bad as Port Lockroy. And speaking of the Port, I did mail some post cards from there. They should arrive stateside around Christmas, as the last mailboat has already left.

Tomorrow we should land on Deception Island. It’s an active volcano, and the crater is a natural bay, with warm waters. I asked one of the staff if there was a possibility of us going for a swim there, and he said to take the word possibility out. We ARE going swimming tomorrow in Antarctica.

Penguins and Seals and Whales ,Oh My!

Two nights ago our supper on board ship was interrupted by an announcement that there were whales all around us. Most of us went rushing outside, cameras in hand, and none of us were disappointed. We were in the middle of a pod of Humpback whales that were working together hunting krill. Their strategy is to swim in a narrowing spiral, herding the krill into a tighter and denser group, and then dive straight down with their mouths open, filling up with some good eatin’. Later, as winter approaches, they will migrate north to the equator, and then back down to Antarctica in the spring. But for now, they were here. The channel we were in looked like a field of geysers as the whales spouted. Some would roll on their side waving with their fins, and finally dive, their great tails dripping water before they sank out of view.

Yesterday we landed on the Antarctic mainland in the morning ,at Prospect Point, and the day was superb. We were just north of the Antarctic Circle, the sun was out, and the sky was a deep blue. Adelie penguins came out to greet us, and mighty icebergs were all around. There is really no way to accurately convey the experience. Imagine the Rocky Mountains almost completely covered with thick blue glaciers coming down to the sea. Except for the chattering of humans, the only sound was the occasional thunderous crack as building-size glacial chunks broke off and fell into the water, becoming icebergs. These would be be sculpted and smoothed by the wind and currents, slowly drifting northward toward warmer waters to melt.

We got a closer view of the icebergs that evening as we went out in the rubber Zodiac rafts for a closer look. The sea is so clear here, clear enough to see the undersides of the bergs. As blue as the sky, they proved to be frozen freshwater, as all glaciers are. Down near the Antarctic Circle the sea is beginning to freeze, and the bergs are becoming welded together by the pancake ice. Pancake ice is frozen sea water, much colder than frozen fresh water, and we were breaking through an icy field as the pack ice began to surround our ship. Still fresh enough to get through fairly easily, in a few weeks time the ice in these waters would be too thick for boats.

I woke up this morning and the channel was free of pack ice, but icebergs still abounded. We had gone further north and it was warmer, just above freezing. We went to Peterman Island, where there was a large colony of Gentoo Penguins. We returned to the ship, and after luch went on the Zodiacs to Pleneau Bay, a twisty waterway between glaciers and mountains. We saw several crabeater seals, the most common seal on Earth, numbering in the millions. We were also fortunate enough to come upon a Leopard seal basking on a small ice flow. They are the main predator in southern waters, and eat penguins, other seals, krill, fish, and have been known to kill humans. Later we saw more fur seals and a lone Weddell seal before returning to the ship.

Tomorrow we plan to visit Port Lockroy, a British base, and part of the Antarctic Heritage Trust. More on that later.

We spent two solid days crossing the Drake Passage, or “Drake Lake” as some call it when it’s relatively calm. Except for the rolling swells that rocked one to sleep at night, and reminded everyone to keep one hand free to grab a railing, the passage was smooth. We spent the time with lectures on geology, whales, birds, seals, and how to get in and out of the Zodiac craft. We photographed a lot of birds, including Albatrosses, Petrels, Fulmars, and Chinstrap Penguins. I woke up this morning and looked out of my porthole to the low sun rising over glaciers and icebergs. Breakfast was announced early, and by 9:00 AM we were on the Zodiacs heading for Detaille Island, the site of a former British research station, and south of the Antarctic Circle (66 degrees, 30 minutes south).

Small rocky islands, and blue chunks of glacial ice surrounded us. I was finally here, on the continent that old maps referred to as Terra Incognita. Antarctica. Adelie Penguins abounded by the hundreds, as well as fat Weddell seals and the fast and vicious fur seals. Weddell seals are designed for swimming, and except for the Emporer Penguin is the only Antarctic animal that doesn’t migrate to somewhere else come Winter. Fur seals can get up on their flippers and run faster than we can, so we kept our distance from them. Brown Skuas flew overhead looking for the occasional lone penguin chick to eat. The little Adelies waddled by us, sometimes stopping to look for a moment, and then waddle on. The old wooden buildings had been long abandoned, but are designated historic sites.

Adelies were named by an early French explorer in honor of his wife, and were an important food source for early expeditions, though they, and all wildlife here, are protected

We returned to the M/S Expedition and saw several Humpback Whales, some very near the boat. After lunch we went out on the Zodiacs to cruise around the icebergs. Some were a deep turquoise blue. These are the remnants of glaciers that calved, and the ice within them had been under so much pressure that there was no air in the ice, hence the blue color. We found several Crabeater seals basking on the icebergs, looking up at us, then going back to sleep. I asked if they were named by an irate explorer after his wife, but they poo-pooed that theory.

We’re heading back north now, after reaching 67 degrees south. Like I said in my last post, internet service is sketchy at best. If I don’t get another post off soon, I’ll get several off back in Argentina. Gotta run: Humpbacks have been sighted.

Ship Ahoy, Mate! March 8, 2011

I barely woke up in time this morning to pack my bags and get them ready for pick up to the ship. I blame it on jet lag, but it could have been a combination of hiking up and down the hills of Ushuaia, and drinking their beer. Whatever the reason, I got my bags ready for pick up, checked out, and went to town with my shipmates Dave and Chuck to see what Mardi Gras was like at the tip of South America.

We stopped first at an information center. It sat near the pier, and we could see our ship, the M/S Expedition. The harbor itself was closed and guarded, and no one could board until 4 PM, so I asked the lady at the information center about where I could get some Mate. She pointed out a café near-by, so off we went. We were served a gourd like cup, with a filtered metal straw, and filled with a loose green tea-like matter. I poured hot water in it, and tasted it. It had a bittersweet taste, not unlike green tea, and I just kept pouring hot water on it until I had drunk it all. It was indeed energizing, much more so than tea, and not as jittery as coffee. AND, it was legal!

We went to the parade ground where the marchers were gathering, and took a few snapshots before going on to the pickup place for the ship. Our 2:00 parade hadn’t started by 3:30, so we blew off Mardi Gras. There were some drummers, and dancers that were interesting, but it reminded me of a small town parade.

We boarded the boat, and were assigned our rooms. I got a new roommate, a young man from Britain. This was all assigned by the staff. My shipmates are from all over the world, and some are seasoned travelers who’ve been all over. We had our mandatory life jacket/lifeboat lecture and try out, then up on deck as we left Ushaia harbor. We are heading down the Beagle channel to the Southern Ocean. The front desk is passing out Dramamine tablets like candy to help with any sea sickness that’s bound to come up.

Email is chancy this far south. I’ll send off what I can when I can.

Last Tango in Ushuaia

Even though the trip to Argentina went pretty much without a hitch, there is always some element of stress inherent with traveling long distances. We flew out of Houston at about 10 PM on Saturday, and I just couldn’t get to sleep. I had a window seat, but even though we were flying over oceans, jungles and mountains, it was night. I caught a glimpse of the city lights of Cancun, and Panama City, but that was it. I had to wear my big wading boots so I could cut down on the weight of my luggage, and my legs were cramped because there was no way to stretch them out. The meal they served was some beef like mess with a starch. I got up and stretched and walked a little, and finally we touched down in Buenos Aires about 9:30 AM on Sunday.

During the flight they passed out customs declarations to be turned in at the customs office upon landing. It asked me to declare anything of value, and said the duty would be 50% of the value. I had all my camera equipment and my computer, and feared I would be paying hundreds of dollars in duty fees. I read it again as closely as my sleep deprived brain would allow, and found where it said used items needn’t be declared. Whew! I did have to pay a $150 entry fee, because that’s what our country charges them for visas.

I did all the passport, customs, declarations rigamarole, and then took a taxi to the hotel I’d be staying in on my return visit to drop off some luggage I wouldn’t be needing until I returned to Buenos Aires. They had no record of my making any reservations. I got online and provided the info they needed, dropped off my suitcase, and went to the other airport where I would catch my plane to Ushuaia.

The Jorge Newberry Airport was very interesting. I had to wait for my flight for about 3 hours, and struck up a conversation with an Irish geologist who was on the way to the Mendoza wine country. The gift shops all over Argentina sold these little gourd-like cups with a silver straw called a bombilla, used for drinking Mate, the national drink of the country. There are Mate museums, Mate festivals, and Mate social events all over Argentina. Mate is an herb that contains caffeine, but tends to be more energizing, like green tea, rather than getting you wired like coffee. I couldn’t wait to try it as soon as I could find a café that sold it.

I flew out of BA at 4 in the afternoon, and my fellow passengers were mostly Argentines. We were served these awful ham and cheese sandwiches in flight, but I didn’t mind too much. I finally got my big sweaty boots for the first time in days, and it felt sooooo good! It was night when I got to Ushuaia, and was surprised to see how large the town really was. Here it is, at the end of the Earth, with a population of around 80,000. The Martial mountains surround it with the Beagle Channel spreading out below. I was finally here, south of the Equator and at the end of the Earth. I headed for the hotel lounge and had a few beers with some folks who were heading for Antarctica also, then crashed out, exhausted.

Monday was exhilarating. I woke up at 6, and went back to sleep till 10, then up to the restaurant for my complimentary breakfast. I was ready for some eggs and bacon after having to eat those sandwiches on the plane, but all there was were little rolls and some ham and cheese. It was time to go downtown.

Ushuaia really is downtown, from the hotel up on the mountain. I went down with this Canadian soldier to the main drag, and the place was crammed with tourists and the little junk shops to serve them. The whole city was geared to the tourist industry. Besides being the jumping off point for Antarctica, Ushuaia also was the base for people going to the Tierra del Fuego National Park for climbing, skiing, and boating. I tried to find a place that served Mate, but a storeowner said that restaurants didn’t serve it. It was consumed in homes, in social settings. I went back up the hill to my hotel, and returned later that evening for another look around.

The sun doesn’t set here till after 9, but the streets were completely changed. There were fewer tourists, and more locals, especially teenagers. They sat around listening to music, drinking Mate. There was a couple who were street performers who danced the Tango. I tried to sneak a picture of them and they grabbed me and made me do the Tango with them, or at least make an attempt. Onlookers must have liked it, because they all laughed, and my buddy who was with me snapped a pretty good shot of me in action.

Tomorrow we all board the boat and then leave for the Drake Passage the next day. Ushuaia is having its first Mardi Gras parade ever on Tuesday, so I’ll try to catch it before boarding the ship.

Getting Into Gear

When one thinks of Antarctica, unbearably cold conditions come to mind. When unbearable cold comes to mind, I think "dress warm, AND dry!" For the past few months I've been trying to decide what gear would be best to bring along on the trip. I have two criteria: It's got to be warm, and it has to be light weight. Dressing warmly isn't too big of a problem. Our winter here in Missouri has been a good trial run in trying out clothing. It'slooking for light weight gear that's been challenging. Aerolinas, the airlines I'll be flying on between Buenos Aires and Ushuaia, only allows 30 lbs of luggage per person. That might be okay for going to the beach, or across town, but traveling to Antarctica? Hell, my computer,camera and photo gear alone weighs almost half that! So, where do I skimp and still have enough to keep me alive and comfortable?

The key lies in dressing in layers, and making use of the onboard laundromat occasionally. My boots are from Rocky Boots, with neoprene up to my knees, flexible, and waterproof .I'll have a silk under stocking with a couple of pairs of woolen socks over them. My long underwear is marino wool (note:cold water wash, air dry. Remember that John!). I'll have either jeans, or woolen pants with a water/wind proof covering. Fleece worked well for the tops, and I'll get my parka down there. Over it all I'll have a wind/water proof shell. I'll wear two pairs of gloves, and have a hand warmer (some call it a "muff") so I can work my cameras.

Last week, when our temps dipped to below zero, I put everything on, except for the parka, and went for a walk. I waded in the creek up to my knees and my feet were completely warm and dry. The hand warmer, even without the little heat packets, kept my hands toasty, even without any gloves on. I wore what's called a Balaklava (fancy name for a ski mask) and I was almost too warm. The layering worked well for a cold winter day in Missouri, but what about the Antarctic?


I checked online, and was pleased to discover that the Antarctic peninsula has an average March temperature (it'll be Fall there then) of -1.9 degrees C (28.6 degrees F). That's the good news. It's also the wettest and windiest region, with 200 mph wind gusts at times. That pretty much rules out sandals and shorts, but that's okay. Gotta keep my luggage weight down anyway.

Where no man's blogged before...

Folks, I'm completely new at this. Only recently have I ever even texted anybody, let alone blog, twitter, or whatever-else- is- new as I write this. However, this seems to be the best, and the most entertaining, way to let my friends and family know about my upcoming trip. I'm not very efficient at snail mail (I never even sent off any holiday cards this year!), and even if I were, there wouldn't be anyplace to mail any letters from.

Last summer I decided to take a trip, a cruise, to someplace I've never been before. I'd been to Europe, and all around the USA, but had never been on a cruise. Now, most people would have opted for traveling to someplace warm, with sunny beaches and friendly natives wanting to take their money. I'm more of an ends-of-the-Earth type of guy, so I looked into, and booked, a cruise to Antarctica.

"Why in the hell would you want to go there?" I've been asked this several times, by others as well as myself. I could have gone almost anywhere else. Let's face it: anyplace else is easier to get to than Antarctica. Anyplace else would be much more hospitable than the Bottom of the World. Antarctica is the coldest, windiest, driest, iciest, and highest of all the major landmasses in the world, and the closest landmass is South America, 600 miles away across one of the most dangerous stretches of water on earth, the Drake Passage. There is no native population there, only an occasional scientific base. Winter there is solid night, and the summers are 24 hours of daylight.

But Antarctica is also teeming with life found nowhere else in the world. The coastal regions abound with several species of penguins, whales, seals, and seabirds. The most courageous and best known explorers have traveled there seeking adventure and breaking records: James Cook, the first to circumnavigate the continent; Roald Amundsen, the first to reach the South Pole, on December 14, 1911; Robert Scott, who arrived 35 days later, and died on the return trip; Sir Ernest Shakleton, whose ship the Endeavor became locked in the ice and destroyed. He led his men over the ice packs, and through gruelling seas, leading his entire crew to safety.

So, my question is: Who in hell wouldn't want to go there? My wife of sixteen years, Robin, passed away last June, and I had to get away to somplace completely different. Sunny beaches are fine for young lovers, and happy families, but I needed more. I needed an adventure, not a vacation. I needed an experience where the risk of death would be the price to pay in order to savor and bask in the land of extremes, a place where few have ever traveled.

I booked my trip through Vacations to Go. I'll be on the ship M/S Expedition, and for the most part will be in relative comfort, eating good food and hob-nobbing with smart folks. The trip starts out in Ushuaia, Argentina, sails across the Drake Passage to the Antarctic peninsula, crosses the Antarctic Circle, then back to Ushuaia. I'll also spend a few days in Buenos Aires before flying back to the good ol' USA. But it won't all be solid comfort. There'll be day trips via Zodiac rafts to explore the continent, out there in the coldest, windiest, iciest place in the world!

I hope you follow my blog, and share your thoughts with me. I should have internet access, and hope to post photos, and maybe videos, as I go along. This'll be the trip of a lifetime for me, and I want to share it with you.