ANTARCTICA (THE ULTIMATE FRONTIER)

NOVEMBER 21. TO DECEMBER 19, 1994

It has been a dream of mine to go to the Antarctic for many years. I had a file of articles saved and the oldest one was from 1980. The sense of adventure appealed to me plus the pristine beauty and of course the wildlife, penguins and other birds and the seals, whales, and so forth. When the Cheeseman's (the couple who led our trip to Venezuela) announced they had chartered a ship to go to the Antarctic in November 1994 I was sorely tempted but I figured I still would be working and I could not afford it. Then a series of events came together. Nancy Hay (my room mate in Venezuela) said she was interested in going (neither of our husbands were). I found out I could retire in June of 1994 and get a pension and full health benefits. I suddenly thought of teaching summer school as a way to earn the extra money needed. So after discussion with David I decided to retire and go to the Antarctic. I cannot describe the excitement I have felt once this decision was made. We will be embarking from Ushuaia on the tip of Argentina at Tierra del Fuego. We will visit the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, The Antarctic Peninsula come back through the Drake Passage, up the Beagle Channel to Ushuaia. The trip is very expensive at a total of $9000 but this is cheaper than many advertised trips. Both Nancy and I are fortunate in being able to use our United frequent flyer miles for a free round trip to Miami. We are also delighted that our birding friend Rosalie is also going. In addition our friend Peter is going and also Rob and Rita Colwell. So Maryann's birding group is well represented. It should be a great trip.

February 11 was our first pre trip meeting. We met many of the passengers and they seem very nice and knowledgeable. The people we met seem about our ages, some a little younger and a few a little older. This will be a very active trip with much time in the field so you really must be physically fit. I met one woman who lives near me in Menlo Park; in fact I picked her up for the meeting. We met the geologists who will be traveling with us and they gave a brief fascinating lecture on the geology of the Antarctic. There is going to be a lot to learn and during our long days at sea we will have many classes which will be interesting I am sure. They can get a long record for climate history of earth from core samples of the ice. They can get a lot of information from the pollens and so forth that are still in the ice as the ice is very old. This area is the most biologically productive place on earth. Gail talked about the places we will visit and some of the birds and Doug showed some pictures and talked about more of the wild life. The Wilson Storm Petrel is the most abundant bird in the world and we will see lots of them. We also spent time looking at clothes and talking about what to bring. Sure enough the next day I met Nancy at REI where we were both looking for clothes we needed. So now I must stop thinking about this trip until next August when I must start all the reading I have to do. It is really important to me to do a lot of reading and get a feel for what I am going to see.

SUNDAY 11/20/94 At 1:00 Nancy Hay and I leave on our adventure to the Antarctic. It is funny but this trip I was rather more nervous at the last minute than I usually am. Also I felt a little sad at leaving David for a month. I have planned and thought and studied for this trip for a long time and yet I was a nervous wreck as I was leaving. But once we were at the airport and good byes were over I was fine. We met Rosalie at the airport plus several other people on the same flight - we all had a rather similar look about us. We had an uneventful flight to Miami. Four of us took a taxi to the Motel where we were greeted by a lobby filled with three inches of water, a downstairs pipe had burst! But since we were on the fourth floor we stayed anyway but someone had to help me carry my fifty pound suitcase past the water before I could roll it on the dry floor. A word about my suitcase - I have never carried so much luggage, thank goodness my new suitcase has wheels, I'd never manage otherwise, it weights fifty pounds and my backpack is twenty. After arriving about midnight we got about four hours of sleep because we had such noisy neighbors, but we greeted about thirty fellow travelers at seven in the morning. After breakfast we headed out in two vans and spent the day at the Everglades and along the Keys looking at the birds and scenes. I found it really fascinating, it reminded me more of Venezuela rather than any place in America. I was rather surprised at the Everglades. I thought it would be "closer" and more densely packed with tall brush and trees. It was open with lots of water (from Hurricane Gordon) and open fields of water and sedges. We had one alligator on the path and gave it very wide berth. We also still saw some remnants of Hurricane Andrew two years ago, big hills of destroyed houses in the Homestead area. Anyway I found it all fascinating. About five we went to the airport to check in and started meeting some of our 84 fellow travelers. It was like old home week. There are lots of Cheeseman groupies and many of us from all around the United States already knew each other. It was fun, but I don't know how I'll ever remember everyone's name. At 8:00 we boarded and it is now 11:30 PM with "dinner" over and I'm ready for sleep - I'm punchy and so excited.

TUESDAY 11/22/94 Buenos Aires - After 8 long hours on board we finally arrived and oh I am exhausted. Some people can sleep on the plane but I sure can't. We had dinner and breakfast on board, food isn't too bad but I don't eat it all. Anyway all 84 of us got our luggage except for one of the Zodiac drivers whose luggage got left in Salt Lake City, including his waders! Two large buses met us and drove us to the Hotel Claridge in downtown Buenos Aires. Our bus was so loaded that he could not shift into first up a hill so we had to get out and walk a bit until he got going! The photographers in our group carry an unbelievable amount of stuff, it is almost ridiculous and sometimes they are rather obnoxious. We have all levels and kinds of interest on this trip. Some excellent birders and some total novices. It sure is going to be an adventure. While we were waiting to get into our rooms Nancy and I walked down the shopping street "Florida". It very much has the feeling of an European city with all the usual stores. People are all very well dressed and several people stopped to offer help when we were looking for where to go. We walked down to the standard Latin American Town Park with the statue of their liberator, St. Martin on a horse in the middle of the square. It is a lovely park and there was a patriotic ceremony going on to welcome an ambassador, lots of school children with songs and band playing. Then we came back to our room and took showers and straightened out our stuff. While looking through my suitcase I found a cute card that David had stuck in - what fun. We will go birding at a park soon. Hope I hold up!

WEDNESDAY 11/23/94 We are currently on the plane to Ushuaia but before I relate this part of our adventure let me tell you about last night. After several hours of birding at the Reserva Ecologica Costanera Surseven of us went out to dinner together. (Rob, Rita, Nancy, Rosalie, Beverly, Peter, and me). A man in the lobby had recommended a place to Rob so we went. We walked about 10 blocks which was kind of interesting. The alleys remind me of Italy. I noticed that most people were pretty dressed up - even at ten at night. The men still had suits and ties although it was still warm. Anyway we had a wonderful dinner. Being in Argentina most of us wanted beef - I ordered what I assumed was a small steak. It was enough for three people but was so delicious - like a very tender filet mignon- that I ate it all. We also ordered water, wine, salad, potatoes and the whole meal cost $29 each including tip - not bad at all! The waiter brought us a complimentary bottle of champagne at the end - what a nice treat. The name was "The Nazarene" and I'd go again! Well it was a later night than I had planned but well worth it. We both went right to bed. We had a nice room in the Hotel Claridge - a rather high class hotel, small but clean, an improvement over Day's Inn. Today after a full night's sleep of 7 hours I feel more human. I need one more good night. You should have seen our breakfast - a lavish buffet of anything you wanted. I ate lots of fruit and yogurt. The yogurt is so good, I wish we had yogurt like that at home. You also should have seen the lobby filled with our baggage for 84 people - it was phenomenal. We had two huge buses to take us to the airport plus another van for surplus luggage. The logistics are mind boggling but Dough and Gail are doing tremendously. Gail checked us all in and we just took any boarding pass. It was a good way to mix up a bit and meet other people. There are some nice people on this trip (some pills too!). I have the last seat in the back of the plane - pretty bumpy here.

WEDNESDAY 11/23/94 11:30 PM We changed planes at Rio Gallegoes for a 40 minute ride to Ushuaia - what a beautiful view of the Andes, the rivers, and the Beagle channel as we flew into town. No modern airports here, you walk from the plane on the tarmac to the terminal building. Two buses met us and drove us up the mountain to our hotel, the Glacier (right below a glacier!). On the way up what we thought was fire damage was avalanche damage, right below our hotel. Anyway it was a very luxurious hotel with a lovely room and view. After a quick shower and change we left and went back down to Ushuaia and played tourist. This is the most prosperous South American town I have ever seen. Their industry is tourism and electronics! They have four electronics factories from Japan and also tourists come here to go to the Falklands and Antarctica. They are tax free which encourages industry and being right across the channel from Chile they do business together despite their political differences. My seat mate on the flight was a pilot who flies commuter planes from Rio Gallegoes to Rio Artego to Ushuaia to Punta Arenas so there is plenty of business. We walked down the streets and bought a few souvenirs, went to the museum, took pictures of our ship in the harbor and had dinner on the waterfront with Rob, Rita, Rosalie, Beverly, Hans, Carlotta, Nancy and me. It was great fun. Tomorrow the ship!

FRIDAY 11/25/94 On board - how exciting! Thursday, (Thanksgiving day) was such a full day that I collapsed at night and slept like a log for the first time on this trip. Thursday morning we went to the Tierra del Fuego National Park and spent a wonderful day sightseeing and birding. The group was very diverse and the birders rather overwhelmed some people. I don't think they realized how dedicated some birders are. We saw some wonderful birds including the Magellanic woodpecker and the Torrent duck. The scenery was surprising. There were lots of trees, much greener and thicker than I expected. It was cold but not unpleasantly so. We ate our picnic lunch outside so we could sit and watch for the woodpecker - wow what a bird. The mountains are all very black and jagged, part of the Andes chain and with no trees on them. Ushuaia is an interesting town, all roads are unpaved so it is very dusty. The houses seem to be built without a plan for the town. They are very small, unpainted and made with a variety of material and style. They seem to be rather frail. Anyway about 4:00 we boarded ship and oh wow. I can't imagine a more perfect place to be right now unless it was someplace with David. The ship is so fresh and spiffy and our rooms are like a fine hotel albeit small. We are very comfortable and I am so glad we paid for a private bath, it is small but well arranged. Our beds are comfortable and we have e plenty of storage room - too much actually. We even have a desk. This ship is a scientific ship and now that Russia is poorer they use it four months for tourists in the Antarctic in order to pay for the scientific experiments in the Arctic during the rest of the year. We even have a refrigerator in our room. The food we have had so far is very good and we had turkey and trimmings for Thanksgiving. The wine is very expensive $4.00 for a 4 oz glass but beer is half that and so is hard liquor. This morning I was up at six and walked around the outside decks so I know my way around the ship now. We can go anywhere from deck 3 up (2 is the crew and cooking quarters). The bridge is also open to us and is a great place to watch birds, warm and cozy - we just have to be quiet. I love to watch the albatrosses, they glide so lovely and their wing tips just barely touch the water. It has been nice to have a "free" day because I was so tired I haven't kept up my notes. We had three lectures, one on birds, another on whales, and other on geology. Each guy is so enthusiastic about his topic, it is great. We also had Zodiac instructions and a life boat drill. The life boat holds 66 people in a very small space. Tomorrow will be a "hard" day. We'll be at the Falklands about 1 AM - when a customs agent comes aboard and stays with us the whole time in the Falklands. We can land and walk the three and one half miles across "New Island" or ride to the other side on the ship. I'm walking of course - hope I make it. I'm really excited.

SATURDAY 11/26/94 What a fantastic day - hard to believe. Forget pictures, they don't tell the story. We landed on New Island, a privately owned island of the Falklands. Ian Strange owns and lives there and keeps it as a preserve, he charges for landings instead of raising sheep. He has also written a field guide book of the Falklands. We had our first experience of Zodiac driving. It really looks precarious but it wasn't too bad. The wet landings aren't too bad (and I never did get water inside my boots). This landing was on a pebbly beach. Ian has about 2 or 4 houses on the island. We walked to the Rockhopper rookery and I can't believe how exciting is was, so much better than any National Geographic special. We walked up and over wide open fields of rolling hills that was mostly covered in some low grass and tussock grasses. When we got to the other side it was a rocky sea edge - something like the coast of California near Asilomar. We could see thousands of rockhoppers hopping everywhere. We saw lots of courting behavior and heard lots of noise - I love it. We saw lots of black-browed albatrosses nesting and flying from the cliffs. We also had so much fun discovering lots of other little birds, we got quite a list. The area around the rocks is full of tussock grass and lots of hills and rocks. Some of us decided to take a "half of an hour" walk to see the fur seals. But we forgot about the Cheeseman half hour walk which equals three hours for the rest of us. Only problem was we started at 11:30 and didn't carry lunch which meant we ate at 2:30. Thanks goodness I carried my dried apricots and fruit bars and water. Also good thing I've been in training for the trip by walking four miles everyday. My legs didn't ache at all after this walk. The view and the experience were well worth it and I needed the exercise after several days at sea. When we go back to shore we scarfed our sandwiches which they had saved for us and then we were offered a Zodiac ride or a "half hour walk" to the Gentoos - we rode. Oh what a wonderful experience awaited us. The area is mostly barren with rolling hills and a view low grass areas. In the bare spots are large groups of gentoo penguins. Our first sight was a long single file line of penguins coming from the ocean "over the hill and far away". It is so much more intense in person than on the TV specials but it is just like what you see. We sat pretty close to a colony and just watched them. We saw two eggs hatch and new babies emerge and we saw several other ages of baby penguins pop out from under parent and demand food. Lots of egg setting, turning and egg exchanges with all the attendant ritual. The mate who is being relieved never left until the relieving parent was perfectly settled and that took some time with deciding which way to sit, rearranging the "nest" and so forth. The nest is just a small spot with a few clods of dirt and some rocks. Some penguins kept bringing clods of dirt to the sitter and dropping or even tossing it at the penguin. All behavior is the same for both male and female. You can only tell which is the male during copulation. There was a lot of courting behavior and a lot of rejection. The pair bonds seem to have already by established. We saw 2 penguins have a knock down flipper fight - not sure if that was courting or territory. Every time a Skua flew overhead a throaty noise would arise from the colony and the penguins would all put bills up in the air. The skua would stand around waiting for someone to make a mistake so they could grab a baby or egg. We never saw them get one although we did see a Skua flying with an egg. We really enjoyed a lovely day and came back for dinner and finally bed!

SUNDAY 11/27/94 I'm hot, tired, my feet hurt, but we have had such a great day. We first went to Carcass Island (owned by Rob McGill). There we took a two mile walk along the beach and the ridge and saw an incredible number of birds and scenes. The tussock grass is really something and the view indescribable. We hike in our rubber boots because we have wet landings and it is too much trouble to change and carry boots. The group has really separated into birders, photographers, and others. With 84 people that is really best. We came back to the ship, had lunch while the ship moved to New West Island, another privately owned island. Here we hiked up for about half a mile to a wonderful black-browed albatross nesting sight and we enjoyed an hour of sitting and watching them and the rock hoppers among them. Sitting quietly there we could hear the wind rush through the wings of the albatross as they flew over head - what a wonderful sound. It is funny - we have planned for very cold weather and so far we have been hot. Most of this island is a sheep farm and they have several land rovers which ferried some people up and back but being intrepid birders we hiked - oh I am so glad I had time to get in condition - my legs don't hurt at all - just my feet. On the way back to the ship we stopped at the owners (the Napiers) and had a proper British tea. It was lovely and fun to be in their home. They get paid for this and the fee they are paid to allow a ship to land on these private islands is a way to help them run their property in an environmentally sound manner - an example of good ecotourism. They have half the sheep they used to have. We came back to the ship and shared a bottle of wine ($16 for the cheapest bottle - a Mondovi from California) with the Colwells, had a late dinner and to bed to prepare for another long day tomorrow. Last night a bell woke us up at two A.M. and thinking it was a life boat drill we went outside but only a few people were there and it was just a false alarm. But the ship was all lit up because we were anchored in a bay and lots of storm petrels were flying into the ship so some were trying to toss them back. But the rescue had to wait until morning and daylight. These birds cannot fly from land so in the morning they had to be picked up and tossed into the air and then they were fine. It happened one other night and with over 100 birds rescued only three died.

MONDAY 11/28/94 I have to look at my watch to tell the day and date - what a way to live. I should have been an explorer. Today was spent on Steeple Jason Island. We were the first ship in two years to land there. It is owned by a New York banker, Peter Steinhert who is a conservationist. He is very selective in who lands. He charges $15 per passenger to land (as does every Island owner). This island has the largest nesting colony of block-browed albatrosses in the world - four miles of some one million birds nesting on rocky cliffs. We went quite close and just sat and listened. I think the most thrilling sound is the wing beat as they cut the wind flying over head - like a kite flying. It was incredible and everyone agrees no picture or word is adequate. Oh the glories of God's creation. We also sat eating lunch on the rocks watching the Gentoos march back and forth to the sea. This landing was a mile from the ship so we had a fun ride. We had to get back to ship by 3:00 because of the tides and because the captain had to take the custom's official back to Stanley. We had picked up a customs official at the beginning of the Falklands and he stayed with us until today when we leave. He really didn't do anything as far as I could see, mostly a formality. The real concern is to make sure we have no Argentineans on board because they are not allowed in the Falklands. He very kindly offered to take our letters and mail them from Stanley since we didn't get our promised stamps from Ian Strange. The letters will go to England and then to wherever. I had six written so I hope they arrive home before me. We may be able to mail from South Georgia so if I have anything to write on I will. They are missing a good bet by not having cards and souvenirs for sale on board. They have a few things for sale but they aren't much and they are very expensive. We now have 2 days at sea to South Georgia, time to relax and do laundry (except I'm sending a lot "out" to be done - it is worth it and a small price compared to the cost of the trip.). Maybe I'll even rest and read a book. I haven't done any reading yet, we've been so busy. Oh how great is this adventure.

WEDNESDAY 11/30/94 We spent all day of 11/29 and all day of 11/30 sailing the Scotia Sea. It hasn't been real rough but a dozen or so people missed dinner last night. I feel fine except I'm so sleepy I find it hard to read without falling asleep and I don't hear the alarm in the morning. We have enjoyed a couple days rest from the arduous hiking of the last few days. We have two or three lectures every day. Doug talked about seals, David about penguins, and Tim on photography. Today Hans talked on the geology of the Falklands, whales by Doug, and exploration history by Neil. We have some wonderful experts on board. Today we had a tour of the bridge with a detailed explanation and then went to the engine room. The ship is Finnish design and Russian built. It is extremely high tech with lots of computers. The maximum speed is about 15 knots. There is one computer that shows the longitude and latitude so we can look and see exactly where we are. It also shows the ETA which changes constantly with each speed change. The engine room is huge, noisy and spotless. The control center looks like NASA. This is a scientific ship that also takes passengers. It was built in 1988 and there is a rumor that it was intended to also be a spy ship with the captain denies. Since the fall of the Soviet Union the money was not so available for science so by taking passengers to the Antarctica they raise enough to do the studies in the Baltic and Arctic. It has about ten labs. The crew is 43 and carries 85 passengers. The ship is stabilized with two water tanks (one on each side), each holding 150 tons of water. After that tour I finally decided it was time to suit up and bird at the stern. I have been birding from the bridge, either inside or just outside at the protected area. It is raining so on went all my gear and was it necessary. It is exhilarating back there and I did see a new bird plus some old friends. It was fun. We seem to be much more stable now. We had been going slowly using only one engine to conserve fuel, but Doug called Toronto (the location of the outfitters) and now we are using two engines which will allow us to arrive at South Georgia 20 hours earlier. We should cross the Atlantic Convergence in the next 24 hours or so.

4:00 PM. We are currently confined to "inside" all decks are closed because of the swells - it is exciting. We are only going 4.9 knots (maximum ship speed is 15 knots) (multiply knots by 1.14 to get miles per hour).

THURSDAY 12/1/94 6:00 PM The ocean is so big and my ship is so small. It is almost frightening and certainly awesome to stand in the bridge and watch the swells hit and wash over the bow. I can't even guess the height and depth of the peaks and valleys. We have been going between 4.6 and 5 knots all day - it is some storm. At this rate it will take two extra days to get to South Georgia. We have an easterly storm instead of the usual Westerly. I certainly can appreciate the early sailors and why this is called the roaring forties. It feels like a continual earthquake on the ship. I wonder how long it takes to get sea legs. I'm pretty steady but sure keep "one hand for the ship". I spent my day at the bridge and even suited up and went outside in the one sheltered area we are allowed for now. For exercise I ran up and down the stairs from deck 3 to 5 - ten times. We had 3 lectures, Hans on the prevailing winds, Dave on Penguins, and Doug on Whales feeding. I enjoy learning this information but it doesn't all stick in my brain yet. One significant fact is the bottom water of the Antarctic moves up to the Arctic in about 700 years. So what happens here will affect the rest of the world. I've have had enough of rough ship life and I'm ready for some other kind of excitement!

FRIDAY 12/2/94 noon: We are at 53 degrees south, 37 degrees west going 10.6 knots and the ocean is 6 miles deep. South Georgia is in sight! And best of all we are out of the storm. The swells are too high to Zodiac around Bird Island so we are on our way to Grytviken to pick up the customs agent and hopefully walk around this evening. It will be great to be released from the ship for a bit. This morning we suited up and spent 2 or 3 hours on deck. It was wonderful and I'm very grateful for every piece of clothing I have. We had so many birds to watch. We saw King Penguins porpoising and fur seals popping out but the most beautiful bird was the snow petrel. Rosalie came up and said she wanted one and at that moment it flew directly overheard - a totally white pigeon sized bird back lit by the sun. It was gorgeous. The albatrosses are so fun to watch. We each seem to find our little spot on ship to watch. I think most people were out today. (54 degrees South, 36 degrees West)

SATURDAY 12/3/94 11:00 AM I'm sitting on a bench on deck 5 watching the incredible snow covered mountains of South Georgia pass by. Sometimes the snow comes clear down to the water and there are several glaciers as we pass by. These are the Southern part of the Andes, just think I've been in the Northern and the Southern part of the Andes. I have been standing on deck for the past two hours watching the birds fly past. Occasionally we see the King Penguins porpoising by. It is cold on deck, I wear my polartec 300 covered by gortex along with my face mask and dark glasses. I look like a terrorist but I'm comfortable. Yesterday (FRIDAY 12/2/94) we landed at Grytviken, a very well protected harbor. The old whaling station is a World Heritage place and as such is protected. Some repairs have been made to the church and one building has been repaired and made into a museum but the rest is left as it is to decay and rust. We visited all we could and got within 15 feet of two King Penguins. What a thrill that was. It was good to get off ship and walk for a while. We also saw Shackelton's grave - what an incredible man and story. After we got back on board some British military came on board and we bought stamps from them and they mailed our letters for us. They will go to Stanley and then the UK and then on to the US. We are now on our way to another safe harbor for a landing after lunch. There may be fur seals and they terrify me - this is their breeding season and they are very aggressive. We certainly have a lot of travel between stops.

5:00 PM We tried to land at the Bay of Isles to go to Albatross Island but the Katabatic Winds kept us off. (Katabatic comes from the Greek word for descent.) It was just too choppy and the anchor would not grab so we had to come out and drift until now when we are trying again. We had a lecture from Hans on global changes as indicated in Antarctica - very interesting.

SUNDAY 12/4/94 10AM Wow what a morning but first I shall back up to report on yesterday afternoon (SATURDAY 12/3/94). About 5:00 Nancy and I suited up to go to Albatross Island where the Wandering Albatrosses nest. When we got outside and saw the choppy seas and felt the winds we hesitated. Rita and Rosalie had decided not to go because of the storm and because of the fur seals and as we watched them loading the Zodiacs we chickened out also. After a while we changed our minds as it got calmer but by then it was too late. So we watched them through out binos and also a scope. We could see the albatrosses on the cliffs nesting but all the people who went seemed to be standing together in a group. Well we went and joined the rest of the people in the bar and had a beer and pouted. Fortunately it wasn't long before Rob came back and told us we didn't miss a thing. It was so packed with fur seals that they couldn't walk anywhere. Only a couple of people really enjoyed it - the rest said it was a bummer. We had a late dinner, moved our clocks ahead one our and set the alarm for 4:00 AM in order to face calmer seas. At 1:00 AM we both woke up and Nancy said to look out the window. I put on my glasses and saw the most beautiful sight you can imagine. It was softly snowing and petrels and storm-petrels, attracted by the lights of the ship were flying around - it was so peaceful and beautiful. Unfortunately it meant that the next morning the decks were full of petrels so people were picking them up and releasing them. They make the most wonderful sound as they fly or swim. Well at 5 AM we loaded the Zodiacs, dressed in 3 and 4 layers of warm clothes (waddling like penguins) and went to Salisbury Plain and walked among some 300,000+ King Penguins. We landed on the beach and were greeted by the Kings who just walked right up to us. They looked at us as though to say "who are these big penguins in my area." The beach was lined with clusters of Penguins as far as you can see. The noise they make is thrilling - rather like a party horn. Well we were told to walk about half a mile down the beach to see the rookery so taking a seal stick we proceeded. It was really nerve wracking to run the gauntlet of seals but the stick did seem to work. You touch them on the whiskers (or snout) and they back off. But oh the King Penguins as we walked past were wonderful and then we came to the rookery - UNBELIEVABLE! Lots of first year birds in a brown fur coat and they whistle like a musical. They are so curious - as we stood still they came up to see if we were a parent and would feed them. As we walked they would follow behind. We saw lots of courting behavior, feeding, and just walking and standing around. There were penguins all around us on the level, up the hill, in the tussock grass - as far as the eye could see. And the sound rivals any nature noise I've heard. What an experience. After about three hours of watching all this we came back to the ship, hung up our drippy clothes and ate a well deserved late breakfast. What a morning! What will the afternoon hold?

SUNDAY 12/4/94 PM Visiting the Wandering Albatross Nests or "How we survived the Fur Seal attack." At 2:30 we head for Prion Island to see the nests of the Wandering Albatross - the largest birds in the world. It is a long slow Zodiac ride to there and when we arrive the beach is loaded with breeding fur seals. We debated about even landing and our driver was annoyed because the bamboo sticks were not there. He kept yelling at the people already landed and didn't let us off until the sticks arrived. You are not supposed to run and back away, just face them and tickle their whiskers! Oh Right! Well we got our sticks, got on shore and made our way in a group up the hill. What a crazy, stupid, thing to do. It was scary to say the least. We had spotters all the way up. The fur seals growled at us from among the tussock grass as we slipped and slid in the snow up the hill past them. Well at last we were at the top and what a thrill to see the Wandering Albatrosses on their nest. The biggest bird in the world with 11 feet wing span and 4 feet body and we were ten feet away. The young were so fluffy and so curious and so big. They were in all stages of molt. It was exciting. We birders also were thrilled to see the South Georgia Pipit - the most southern passerine in the world. Some non-birders scoffed at our enthusiasm over this little bird but it is amazing to think of its survival in this area. Well we made it back down and Nancy and I were among the first Zodiac to return. We took good long showers and partied next door with the Colwells to celebrate our survival. Oh what will tomorrow bring!

MONDAY 12/5/94 AFTERNOON Another wild adventure - it is really a good thing my family doesn't know what I really am doing - they'd be horrified. We anchored at Hercules Bay (between Bay of Isles and Cumberland Bay). From the ship to shore was almost two miles and the swells were pretty healthy but oh the thrill of arriving at a Macaroni Penguin colony. The size of the colony is uncountable, the shoreline is covered and all through the mountains in between the tussock grasses were thousand of Macaronis - sitting on eggs, courting, feeding, hopping, etc. We Zodiaced around and when the motor was cut the sound was amazing - just surrounded us. It was such fun to watch them. We also saw Petrels, Skuas, and Sheathbills, plus a few Fur Seals. We also saw some all white Giant Petrels. We saw some baby squid in the water - they were less than one inch long. What great scenery we saw. We stopped at a cove and let off five people who were going to take photos. I didn't get off because the rocks were too slippery. There was mass confusion because one engine conked out and the Zodiac had to be towed back. We ended up going back with only five people and what a trip that was. You really felt the waves with a light boat.

MONDAY 12/5/94 9:00 PM Much shorter ride this afternoon to St. Andrew Bay to see another huge Kind Penguin Rookery. It is not worth repeating what I have said before - it is just wonderful. The swells made boarding and landing the Zodiac a real challenge. We got soaked coming back but at least my feet are dry and so far my inside pants don't get wet. I sure have the right clothes so far - not one piece too little or too much. This rookery was very relaxing because we only had to walk through Elephant seals and a couple of small fur seals. Some one could make a few bucks by making stuffed baby King Penguins to sell on board. They are so cute. They are curious. Each Zodiac is met by a group of penguins who just watch us. a baby elephant seal took a life jacket to play with and I took it away. I sure wish I had the words to describe the incredible vista - penguins on the beach, plains, and hills as far as the eye could see. Despite what is shown in Nature Specials there is a lot of standing around socializing and just walking around. It isn't just feeding and sleeping and I did not see any of the gruesome feeding attacks that you always see on the TV nature specials. More landings tomorrow and then on to the ice! It wasn't cold today at all - between 45-50 degrees.

TUESDAY 12/6/94 NOON Just returned from another King Penguin colony at Gold Harbor. You'd think we'd get bored but absolutely not! Today we watch some juveniles take their first swim. It was so funny. They are so clumsy. Lots of elephant seals which we avoided. The young have such sweet faces. I love the light-mantled sooty albatross. What a beautiful bird. We saw them courting and nesting. Mixed in with the Kings were Gentoos. We have our first ice berg in the cove where we are anchored. It is small but so beautiful and thrilling. I can hardly wait for the Peninsula. St. Andrews Bay, 54 degrees 25' south, 36 degrees 9' west, wind 5-6 knots air 40 degrees.

TUESDAY 12/6/94 7 PM: Oh Hum another penguin colony. But this had chinstraps and are they feisty little things - such clean neat looking birds - I love them. We went to two sights at Cooper Bay. One place had Macaronis climbing up a long snow covered hill to nest up in the tussock grass. It was a beautiful rocky spit. Then we went over to see the chinstraps and mixed among them were Kings and Gentoos. Some Chinstraps were courting, some mating, some sitting on two eggs, and some exchanging nesting duty. It was fun to watch plus all the other activities, Fur Seals, Elephant Seals, Terns, Skuas, Petrels, etc. The scenery is spectacular. It was a pretty choppy ride but this time I was in the middle so I didn't get so wet. It is fun to see all the Russian staff come out to look too. For many, this is the first time they've been where we are because few ships go to these spots. This ship has 12 ten day trips after us where people just get through Drake Passage, come to the Peninsula and then back. I am so glad to have extra time down here. I won't be back and I won't miss anything this time. I asked Gail how she knew about these spots because she hasn't been to many of them before. They had made friends with Nigel Bonner who has studied in South Georgia for 40 years and he gave them all this information. He had been invited on this trip but he died in August. Also David Parmelee has studied for 30 years and written some books on the birds of Antarctica so he knows lots of places. He worked at Palmer station (the US scientific base on the Peninsula) so that is why we have permission to go there. He studied the Skuas and petrels there. We have a lot of interesting people on board, staff and passengers. 6 or 7 doctors, several college professors, two ornithologist both of whom wrote books, authors, photographers, professional travel guides and so forth. I'm not all that keen on socializing but it does make for some interesting table conversations. Thank goodness we don't have assigned seating. A word about our meals. We have a large dinning room that seats all of us. Meals are at 8:00, 12:30, and 8:00 with tea and fruit and cookies at 4:00. Breakfast is buffet with yogurt (yea!), eggs, bacon, fruit, cereal (cold and hot), toast, and coffee. The chef is Swedish but has lived in Canada for ten years. He commented that we don't eat as much as most cruises, but the food is so heavy and greasy and over spiced. Lunch is often what we would have for dinner and dinner is twice that. Usually a soup and sometimes a salad, chicken, fish, or beef. Often lamb or veal or pork, all of which is greasy. We often have a choice of fish or meat. Lunch and dinner are served by three serving "girls" from Russia. They are very sweet but service is very slow and seems to come from the kitchen (below) a few plates at a time. We certainly have plenty of food and pleasant surroundings to visit. All of the Russian staff is very pleasant and friendly - few speak any English. Our cabins are "cleaned" once a day and sheets changed once a week and towels on request so we are well taken care of. We have a comfortable library that has a large table and seats about 20. They have a few books in there but we spent most of our "free" time reading in our cabin - it is very comfortable and we have plenty of room. We also spend lots of time outside watching the birds.

WEDNESDAY 12/7/94 Drygalski Fjords -INCREDIBLE! We cruised in the Zodiacs for three hours and visited places few humans have seen. Again the Cheesemans had heard about this place from Nigel Bonner. The beach where the Weddell Seals were was named Bonner Beach. They are the most Northern Weddell Seals. The glaciers were fantastic. We drove through teal blue water filled with bergie bits and cut the motors and enjoyed the silence. Even here there were a few gentoos, plus some Blue Eyed Shags nesting, Kelp gulls, petrels, terns, and pintails. How marvelous to be at a place known only to God and His wild creatures. We had a farewell to South Georgia Party on deck and raised a glass to Nigel Bonner.

THURSDAY 12/9/94 Calm Seas which is rather pleasant. The staff sure keeps us busy. In fact I skipped this afternoon lecture in order to catch up on my bird lists. We had a very interesting lecture this morning by Neil Marsden who worked for the British Antarctic Survey as a surveyor and was stationed on the Peninsula for two years. He showed very interesting slides and his story reads like a book. Doug also gave a lecture on whales and seals again. He sure is enthusiastic about them. Some of us also took a kitchen tour with Stephan. What a hole they have to work in. It is very small and hot and not at all up to the standards of the public part of the ship. The ovens and stoves are older than the ship and the baking ovens don't even work. He showed us the cold storage - it is huge. They have awful conditions in which to produce the food they do. There are 2 of them and they do a good job, I just don't like most of the food. The Russian crew have their own cooks so the Russians cook on one side of the kitchen and our chefs on the other!

FRIDAY 12/9/94 60 degrees South 53 degrees West. We are really seeing ice bergs now. They are fascinating to see. We can see them about 15 miles ahead. The radar picks them up and the computers reads out the distance. The seas are pretty calm and we are going 14-15 knots so we plan to arrive at Elephant Island this afternoon. It depends on the seas if we make a landing. It sure is cold outside, ice forms on the mast and drops off. I had the fun of watching two Fulmars fly along side my porthole for 15-20 minutes. I opened the port and even at this deck (four up from sea level) felt the spray. We had three lectures this morning. David talked about Skuas, his is so interesting and has such stories to tell from his years of study. Doug talked about fish and invertebrates and the food chain. Neil talked about the Volcanic Eruption at Deception island. He is a great historian.

3:00PM We are truly in Antarctic Waters now (as opposed to sub Antarctic waters). The ice bergs are tremendous. We sailed to Elephant Island but it was too choppy for a landing. The place does not look real because it is like nothing I've ever seen before. We saw the "beach" where Shackelton's men spent 105 days while he went to South Georgia to get help for his men. It took him 16 days to get from Elephant Island to South Georgia while it took us 52 hours. He was an amazing man. The spot his men stayed is right next to a glacier and about the only flat place on the shore. As I sit in our cabin writing at the desk I can watch ice bergs out our window - it is thrilling.

SATURDAY 12/10/94 7:00 AM We are anchored in Admiralty Bay at the Polish Station of Arctowski. We plan to pick up more fuel for our Zodiacs here. We've been making so many more landings that the average tour ship that they needed more fuel (Average landings are less than 14 we made a total of 25 by journey's end.) 62 degrees South 60 degrees West

7:30 PM We just returned from a landing at Hannah point on Livingstone Island. We are really in the Antarctic now. It was cold and a wet landing (as usual) but with all my clothes I was quiet comfortable. We saw chinstraps and gentoos. I really love the chinstraps - they are a clean and neat bird and they do a dance like Snoopy's dance of ecstasy. They were sitting on nests and there was a lot of rock carrying back and forth. Southern Giant Petrels were nesting also. It was great to get off the boat but it has been an interesting day. These ice bergs are beautiful and we passed a lot. They are all so different, some soft and round, others like sculptures, some like castles. I love looking at them. Tomorrow starts early, 5:00 AM.

SUNDAY 12/11/94 8:00 AM. Just three weeks ago today we left Menlo Park, it seems ages ago - this has become an all encompassing life. At 5:30 AM we went ashore at Bailey Beach - the outside of Deception Island (an active volcano - last erupted 1967). The shore was loose volcanic ash and not many Zodiacs can land there which is why we landed early in the AM (the winds are less in the early morning). This is a chinstrap colony and the tens of thousands and more penguins are as far as the eye can see. It looks like an ant farm. It is fun to watch the constant activity coming and going. They are sitting on eggs. There is lots of rock carrying and presenting and the ecstatic display. Sometimes the whole colony is displaying, sometimes just one or two. It is great fun. Soon we will be going inside the caldera.

NOON: Just returned from Whalers Cove - inside the caldera of Deception Island. A beautiful cove with a very narrow entrance (Neptune's Bellows). There were 5 officers (as opposed to the usual 3) on the bridge with someone looking at each radar screen all the time. Another ship was in there but they left after we arrived. Only one tourist ship is allowed at each place and schedules are made one or two years in advance. After entering at Neptune's Bellows we climbed to Neptune's window as Hans explained the geological information. This erupted in 1967 and destroyed the Chilean Base. We wandered through the remains of the abandoned British base that Neil had worked at. It was a beautiful spot and quite warm as opposed to the other side this morning which was cold and windy. The sun came out and it was so pretty.

6:00 PM: Pendulum Bay and the HOT Springs. Some hearty souls (including Nancy) went swimming but not I. The edge of the water was very hot and then 3 feet later it was cold. About 20 people went swimming while the rest of us stood around and took pictures - a silly fun event. (currently 63 degrees 30' south) On to Paradise Bay!

MONDAY 12/12/94: EMPEROR PENGUIN! Yep we saw an Emperor Penguin this morning on an ice berg in Gerlache Strait. David Parmelee said it was only the third Emperor he has seen in 20 years in this area. It was so exciting. To back up -- I got up at 5:30 this morning and went up on the bridge. It was foggy and snowing but so beautiful. I can not describe the feeling of actually seeing the Antarctic Continent. We are in the Gerlache Straight at about 64 degrees 30'. There were lots of ice bergs and flows and four officers were on the bridge watching and maneuvering very carefully. Rosalie was the only other person up at that time. After a while other people came and I went out on the bridge deck to enjoy the fulmars and snow petrels. It wasn't terribly cold unless you were in the wind. It was about 40 degrees F. I also went above the bridge with Peter and Rod and enjoyed the whole scene. Well about 7:00 or so Scot saw 4 penguins with one very large one on an ice flow. Gail persuaded the captain to turn back. At first he said no but she explained that nobody had seen this penguin before and he was 50 inches tall. So he turned back. He got so close to the ice berg we had wonderful looks and spent about an hour watching him. He was next to 3 Adelie penguins which emphasized the size and 3 to 4 times as heavy. He was preening himself. It was wonderful to see all the people on the bow or above the bridge to watch and photograph him. It was a true birders thrill - a lifetime experience. We spent a long time with him and the captain got very close for us. The captain is a very serious and very conservative man so this was most accommodating of him. When we thanked him afterwards he smiled for the first time I've seen him and even made a joke about the Penguin not liking people because he kept his back to us. I know Doug was hoping for sun this morning but we couldn't wish for a better start.

9:30 AM 64degrees 39' South 64degrees 32' West PARADISE BAY Oh this is truly paradise. This is the Antarctic Continent - this is what I came for. It is incredible. The water is like glass. The snow covered mountains are reflected in the water. The ship cuts through the open pack ice as we quietly sail ahead. I stood outside for a long time to fully live this experience and now I'm warming up in my cabin sitting on the bed with open port looking out - what an experience.

9:00 PM What a day. Today we first set foot on the Antarctic Continent (as opposed to the Antarctic Region which is the area from the South Pole to the Antarctic Convergence - about 50-60 degrees South). We sailed in Paradise bay and landed at an abandoned Chilean Base - Gonzales Videla. There was a gentoo colony to welcome us and such incredible sights. After walking around in penguin goo and snow for a while we took a Zodiac ride for about an hour. The water is so clear and smooth it mirrors the mountains. There is a lot of snow and glaciers but it is calving. There are also lots of ice floes that the Zodiacs must skirt. It was so lovely, the blue of the ice is unlike any color I've ever seen before. We came back, had our tea and went to the Argentine base of Almirante Guillermo Brown for a little shopping - T-shirts and key chains. Some people stayed to climb the hill and toboggan down but most of us went for a Zodiac ride for a couple of hours. I hope I never forget the sights and beauty. When we got back on board we were greeted by a barbecue at the stern. It was fun and we had lots of good food - one of the better meals. The captain joined us and the Argentines from the base. What a great day. Now it is time to go to bed but it is daylight outside - sure is weird. Thank goodness we have dark shapes in our cabins because we have little or no dark at night.

TUESDAY 12/13/94 Lemaire Channel 65 degrees 10' South 64 degrees West. It is a very narrow channel but we made it. There was a lot of ice but the ship broke through very nicely. Just beautiful. We landed on Peterman Island and I just can't say anything different from what I've said before. We did get to see our first Adelie colony. They are such clean and neat birds - the ones most cartoons and etc are base upon. Not only do they toboggan down hill they toboggan up hill using flippers as thought they are scooting along on 4 feet. What enduring creatures. A large colony of shags was also nesting near them. Oh I really feel as though I am in Antarctica now. I have finally used all my clothes as it was very windy as well as some rain and some snow. We had to walk through about 3 feet of snow. It is interesting how quickly everything dried. The air is really dry.

4:30 PM We are now headed in a Northern direction, 65 degrees 30' was the furthest south we could get, one degree from the Antarctic Circle - too much ice to go further. More ice had blown in since this morning and Lemaire Channel was almost solid pack ice with some ice bergs. It took us two hours to go less and a mile. The channel is very narrow and has some subsurface rocks so it was tense for the captain but fun for us. I spent some time outside and some time inside. Standing on the bow the noise of the breaking of he ice was tremendous. This ship is not an ice breaker but one step down from that level. But it did just fine although the sides are now all scratched up and one berg made a dent in the side. Once the whole channel was blocked with ice bergs and the ship had to back up and get more force to push a berg aside. The non-sailing crew was having a great time watching and taking as many pictures as we were. I don't think this was usual for them. There were 6 officers on the bridge. What a life!

PM We spent a couple of hours at Port Lockroy in the Neumayer Channel. A beautiful spot with gentoos and a blue whale skeleton. What a lovely spot - this area was in the film "Life in the freezer". All this beauty is just running together in my mind - I can't keep it separate.

WEDNESDAY 12/14/94 Our first disappointment of the trip. We were unable to land at Palmer Station because of the 40 knot winds. That is the U.S. scientific research station. It would have been fun to see it. I know David Parmelee was disappointed because that is where he did research for 20 years - mainly on Skuas and Giant Petrels. He did talk on the radio phone with his former student who is now continuing his research so he was really pleased about that. Oh well there goes our one chance of buying souvenirs of this trip for the folks back home - the ship has nothing for sale worth buying. Well the storm that brought us the Emperor Penguin is the same storm that prevented us landing at Palmer so we still got the best. So we continued up Neumayer Channel through a heavy snow storm and stopped at Cuverville Island. Since we had nothing else planned for the afternoon we bundled up and went in a snow storm for a landing at the Gentoo colony. It turned out to be most interesting. Soon after landing the snow stopped. We were met my 4 British students, Amanda, Amanda, Kim, and Shawn (3 girls and 1 boy) all in their 20's working on PhD’s and masters. This is the 3rd and last year and they started with nothing - not even a topo map. They sleep in four small tents and have 3 small huts they build for cooking, storage, and radio. The study is done this year and all will be dismantled and returned to natural when they leave. One thing they are studying is the affect the tourists have on the Penguins so some of us agreed to be a part of their experiment. Amanda filmed a group of penguins for 5 minutes, then we came and stood near them for ten as she filmed them. Then she filmed them after we left. Eventually she will study these films and make conclusions. They are also doing other studies on the island. Also there were 2 kayakers from Australia and we saw them as we were cruising around - busy place. They all came on board for showers and dinner. As we cruised around we had 7 or more Orcas swimming right in front of us - also some Humpbacks which some zodiacs followed for several miles. I still enjoy the birds more.

11:00 PM We have the most incredibly beautiful scenery passing our ship. The sun is shinning on the snow-covered mountains and the sky is blue. We watched from the bridge - it is hard to believe it is bedtime!

THURSDAY 12/15/94 We say goodbye to Antarctica with a final landing at Half Moon Island - a lovely chinstrap colony. It was pouring rain - our first rainy landing and a fitting farewell. I'm glad to be going home but I'm sad to leave this place. It has truly been an adventure that will always bring back cherished memories. Having dreamed of going to the Antarctica for so many years it more than lived up to my desires.

FRIDAY 12/16/94 We are in Drake's Passage now. Oh this rolling seas. Half the group is down again. We had a couple of lectures today. Neil talked about the race to the South Pole of Amundsen and Scott. What adventures. Dave talked about his study of wolves in the Arctic. His studies were the start of what is being studied today and he found that there were many myths about wolves.

SATURDAY 12/17/94 Noon: Cape Horn is in sight. We saw one more new bird this morning, a Royal Albatross. I've been standing at the stern to absorb my last of this experience. We had a lecture from Hans about his study of gray whales feeding on the ocean floor and a lecture from Tim and Renee about how professional photographers make a living. It isn't easy and it isn't rich. We have 12 professionals on board.

SUNDAY 12/18/94 The Ushuaia Port Pilot came on board about 2 AM. The sights at 6:00 AM as we sailed into the Ushuaia Harbor were beautiful. Much of the snow from a month ago had melted and the town looked so picturesque and colorful. We found that our airline flight had been changed from 10 AM to 3:00 PM so we spent some time in town. We birded around a bay and had the pleasure of seeing an Andean Condor - what a bird. We also shopped and ate lunch in town. Then we got a flight from Ushuaia to Rio Gallegos changed planes, stopped at Trelew and then to Buenos Aires arriving about 10:00 PM for an 11 PM flight - total chaos but we all made it and so did our luggage. We arrived at Miami 8 and a half hours later at 5:30 AM (Miami time) cleared customs at 6:45 AM and asked if we could get an earlier flight than our scheduled noon flight to San Jose via Chicago. We got on a seven o'clock flight non stop to San Francisco! It was great but we had to run to make it. We each had two or three seats and so ended our trip on a comfortable note. I had a window seat behind the wing and had the best view across the country that I ever had - no fog until the Bay area. I called David from the plane and he met me in SF and took us home. What a great trip. Thus endth my tale!