Georgia on my Mind !

It is Friday, November 27, and as I write this it is 11:05 AM for these waters, and folks in Iowa may just be getting up....or not! The island of South Georgia is at our bow as I write this, and we will be disembarking in about two hours or so for our first of many on shore adventures. Prior to doing that we had to see an informational video from the government of South Georgia, and sign a document that we had viewed it, and were aware of their strict laws regarding the environment, animals, and what we may and may not do, while there. After viewing the video we had to take down to the mudd room (the place where we get on the Zodiac rafts) all of the items we will take ashore, so they could be examined, cleaned and vacuumed out. That included my high boots, gloves, parka, and camera bag. All items in bags and pockets had to be removed so all traces of soil, food, or other items that may be there could be properly disposed of before going ashore. All that is done and I am just now crusing along as the island gets larger and larger in the wide windows of the Chart room, just below the bridge. You WILL see more photos from South Georgia, as we will be circumnavigating around the entire island, and will stay here for nearly five days as we see hundreds of thousands of King Penguins, many seals, Elephant seals, and species of Albatross. It is cloudy, windy, and the temperature is about at 32 degrees F, at the moment. More to come....

Happy Thanksgiving.....

I am most thankful for my loving family and friends that may be reading this blog today and any day. We had a very delicious turkey dinner on Thanksgiving evening, with all the trimmings, and while I do have pictures of my plate, I want to spend my picture upload time sending you these lovely icebergs. I am going to present a sound slide show with music to the theme of "Big Country," tonight for our group and these are some of the images in the show. I am also very thankful that I can be here in this incredibly beautiful and precious place. Enjoy the beauty of the ice!

Bring on the Ice!

Deception Island Adventure

Deception island is deceiving! If you look for it on Google Earth it will resemble a donut….but, there is a small bite taken out of one side! Millions of years ago it was a large and active volcanic cone, that created an island. Some time later another eruption blew out a chunk of the cone on one side, and the center or caldera of the volcano filled with sea water. The caldera is about a mile in diameter, and sometimes the water in various places is warmed by steam.

In 1969 a steam vent along the side walls erupted causing a mud and ash flow that covered a small cemetery there, and destroyed some the structures of an old whaling village. Remnants of the tanks for storage of whale oil are still there, and the place looks like it has been frozen in time.

We first stopped along its outside edge to see a penguin colony for several hours, and then we moved around to the entrance to the caldera, through an opening called Neptune's Bellows. About half way through the caldera we encountered ice that got thicker and more widespread until at last we stopped. Crew members got out and checked the ice for its stability, and soon we were all frolicking down the gang plank and enjoying the ice and snow there. Some people took photos, others played soccer, while still others enjoyed hot chocolate provided by the ship's restaurant. After awhile we got back into the ship and it moved to the other side of the caldera where the water along shore was suppose to be warm. Several brave men and women (me included) got down to our swim suits and went into the water and it was not warm all!! It was in fact nearly 32 degrees, and so I stayed in a very short time, and quickly went for a large warm towel that was nearby. Nearby Adelle Penguins looked puzzled with wonder at the sight of it all. The Adelles have white circles around their eyes that distinguish them from the Chinstraps and Gentoos. We got dressed, and back aboard the ship with bragging rights that could proclaim we had experienced a swim in the waters of Antarctica. Here are a few photos that captured some of these events.

A look Around the Front of the Ship...

The bow of the ship is a place where photographers gather to photograph whales and other significant scenes. Looking towards the ship you can see the bridge area and on the deck itself the large spools that hold the rope for tie-ups at a pier. Also in that area are two very large anchor winches, each of which has 900 feet of heavy anchor chain. Their is an anchor on each side of the bow, and they weigh 5000 pounds each. There is even a spare anchor behind the winches in the event they would loose one of the anchors.

At the front of the bow our ship flies a small flag with logos for Lindblad and National Geographic and a very prominent penguin as well. Up on the mast above the bridge are flags of the two companies, and a colorful flag that is that of the Bahamas, which is the country of registry for this ship.

The Emperor of Antarctica!

I met and photographed the Emperor of Antarctica yesterday and it was exciting. We were going along between ice flows (various sheets of ice) and I saw some penguins sitting on one of them. That was not unusual but I put my camera up to my eye and I could see one was more than twice as large as the others. THAT one was an Emperor Penguin...the largest, most elusive, and the hardest penguin to see in Antarctica. So I took a bunch of photos, and then went up to the brige (command center of the ship), and told the Captain about what I had seen. He had seen it as well and was slowly turning the ship around, and did so, cautiously approaching the ice flow where the penguins were. The smaller Adelle penguins were all nervous and excited but the Emperor just laid down on his belly and watched us. I took more photos of course, but the first ones of him standing up are far more dramatic, when his height is compared to that of the Adelles. In an earlier post on this blog you can find the average height and weight of various penguins, but as I reall the Emperor is nearly 4 feet tall or more, and can weigh as much as 90 pounds. The Emperors were the star of the wonderful movie, "March of the Penguins," which is worth seeing on DVD if you have not seen it yet. So that was my moment with the Emperor, and I was the only person on the ship that got it photographed standing up, as I was in the right place at the right time. Here is the resulting cropped photo to show the Empero off in all its glory. Enjoy!

Update 11-25-09...

This is a text only update to make things current at least on this section of the blog. The date is Wednesday, November 25, 2009, as I am typing this it is 11:52 AM here in the Weddell Sea, South East of the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. That makes it nearly 9 AM in Ames, Iowa, so if the kids at Meeker check in today they will know where I am located. It is cold and windy out here in the open sea...and rough! The ship rocks a great deal back and forth, and while my stomach protested at 7 AM today, it is fine now. Earlier today in the dining room, the ship pitched a great deal to one side and dozens of glass plates and cups all fell to the floor and broke. I was not there at the time, but it must have been dramatic.

The temperature is just at about the freezing level of 32 degrees F, but we have strong winds as high as 45 mph at times that toss this ship around a great deal. We are heading to South Georgia Island and should get there by Thanksgiving Day most likely in the evening.

Other postings which follow this one may appear out of order, because I have been so busy, or needing sleep or the satellite link on the ship was not working well, or all of the above! This is not a pleasure cruise, but a working one as I see it, and when we go ashore on Zodiac rafts and hike in the snow to be with penguins, up steep hills, and across rocky beaches it is hard work, at least for this photographer.

You will see other postings on other topics that have occurred prior to todays date, but they still will hopefully be of interest. The icebergs are fantastic and come in all sizes and shapes from GIANT to little sculptured wonders. They will appear in a post sometime soon as well. Time to go for now...more later!

Say Hello to the Gentoo Penguins!

Meet the Chinstraps !

The Chinstrap Penguins have become my favorite so far. They look like they are smiling and happy, and when we saw these on November 18, they were sure busy and totally ignored us most of the time. They would go swim for awhile and eat some food, and then come back out onto the black lava beach. There will be other penguins posted here soon, so stay tuned! It has been cold but not unbearable as temps have not gotten much below 20 degrees during the day, and on some days as high as the 40's. So long now from the bottom of the world!