tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47819636569052098862024-02-07T15:04:30.404-08:00Lewis TravelblogJason Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01461099823515269993noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781963656905209886.post-15699057924316949362011-12-14T15:47:00.000-08:002011-12-14T15:47:38.458-08:00Home Again<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">Well guys, we've now been home for a few days, and this will be my final blog entry. I hope that you enjoyed following along with us as we journeyed through the rich waters and icy landscapes of Antarctica. I know for Jason and I that having so many of you following this blog from back home gave us a structured feel to our days, and knowing that you all were following gave us comfort for being so far away from anything we've ever known before. To prepare y'all, this entry will be a little different as I will vary from the more typical story form used previously. No one really wants to know about the airport and traveling back, that's why so many people take drugs on airplanes...to sleep through it!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">For me this trip had its ups and downs, but it leaves a truly sweet taste in my memory.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">My favorite sighting: of course the killer whales on Thanksgiving! Seeing something like a killer whale amongst the icebergs with the backdrop of the mountains was amazing. Then the fact that we saw them up close, performing such a rarely documented behavior made it something that I will remember for the rest of my life.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Honorable mentions: penguins and elephant seals at Gold Harbor, blue whales/fin whales, and the Lemaire Channel.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Things I'll miss:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The people: Thank you so much to the Lindblad and National Geographic staff aboard for providing the natural information, photographic expertise, and in general, guiding our voyage. Thank you especially to the crew for putting up with us for three weeks, keeping the ship impeccable, and providing us all with food. I'll also miss all of the friends we made aboard the ship as they are also returning home.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The sights: Antarctica and South Georgia Island are two of the most special places I can think of. The animals, the mountains, and of course icebergs and glaciers make them truly majestic in nature. For me, it was truly a time to see God through His magnificent creation. How great is our God! This trip really gave me time to think about that, and is one of the more memorable points for me.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">What I won't miss:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The sounds: Penguins and seals can be kinda annoying. It's that simple.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The smells: It's more simple; they STINK! Penguins on their own do not smell, but thousands upon thousands in one place and their obligatory waste makes a penguin colony have a very bad odor. I hear though that they are much worse later in the season?! And finally, there are few things that I have smelled that are worse than a fur seal!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">While I'm at it....</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Fur seals: They deserve their own section. They STINK! They make annoying sounds, and they possess one of those smells that you can smell over distance. Days later you can even catch a whiff of them, making your nose cringe. They're also aggressive toward humans, even the little ones! That's three strikes.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The trip is over, and I miss waking up to mountains and glaciers, but I am really glad to be home and see friends and family. Also, I'm sure you can understand the comforts of home: your own bed, your own shower, driving yourself, and being able to find someplace to be alone (no offense to my other 148 shipmates or the staff/crew). There's only so long that I can live aboard a ship. And then there's food, not that the food aboard the ship wasn't tasty, but....I love Mexican food and cornbread! I've had Mexican once and fresh cornbread twice since I've been home....</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">So once again, thank you for following along with us through our travels. Thank you for giving us the thoughtful support while we've been gone. I'm sad that I can't continue to see those sights, but I am glad to be home with you all. Thank you!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">From Atlanta at last,<br />Greg</span></div>Jason Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01461099823515269993noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781963656905209886.post-6237087761620739802011-12-14T15:46:00.001-08:002011-12-14T15:47:50.116-08:00Real<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">Atlanta:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">It’s been almost a week since I returned from Antarctica, and I think that this week has given me some time to process what was one of the most incredible journeys I’ll ever take. In some ways, it seems like Antarctica belongs to a dream world, totally separate from the world where I drive a car and work in an office. It seems so far away from the traffic, the buildings, and the streets that I see on a daily basis, but I know that it’s real. When someone asked me this week where I had been and I told him, he jokingly asked, “So it’s a real place? There’s actually something down there at the bottom of the world?” Yes, Antarctica is a very real place. Yes, there are quite a lot of things at the bottom of the world. We all know this to be true, but experiencing it puts it in a very new light.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Antarctica may be even more real than the world most of us live in. The cities and towns we call home, the important places on the map are the ones that humans have made. We’ve created our own homes. We’ve created these dots we call cities and these all-important lines we call borders. They seem so concrete and real, but cities have importance because we’ve given it. Borders are imaginary lines in the sand we’ve created. In Antarctica, the imaginary lines lose their meaning, and the dots simply don’t exist. There are only mountains, glaciers, islands, straits, bays, and peninsulas. It’s a world we have not made. The penguins come to their breeding grounds. The whales patrol their favorite waters. The sea birds roam the globe, and it all goes on all the time whether we’re there to see it or not.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Here at home, I returned to my office to find the sounds of heavy equipment running and trees shaking and falling by the hundreds as a road crew clears room for a widening highway. The wheels of industry turn, and progress goes on back here in our artificial world. It pains me to watch this happen, but I know that by driving on this highway every day to go to work, I’ve spurred it on.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I don’t have a solution or some eloquent resolution. I only know that everyone I know who has been to Antarctica and experienced really wild places knows that we need them. None of us may be able to tell you precisely why, but we all know the wilds are precious and that there’s something there that calls us back.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">~Jason</span></div>Jason Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01461099823515269993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781963656905209886.post-64208447651267465112011-12-14T15:45:00.000-08:002011-12-14T15:45:23.259-08:00Round the Horn (Nov. 27)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">Tonight, I'm writing from a very different world. A container ship is alongside, and trucks and forklifts go back and forth along the pier. The city of Ushuaia splays up the mountainside, and the city lights shine in the delayed dusk.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">We've spent the past two days sailing from the white continent back to the civilized world. As we left Antarctica behind, it was hard to believe that we were leaving the world of snow and ice and mountains to return to the real world. It still is really.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The first day at sea we were in the realm of the albatross. The giant birds once again joined our ship to wish us a safe voyage home. They reminded us once again that they are the masters of the sea and sky and that we are but visitors.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Today, we woke with the call of our landfall at Cape Horn. It was interesting to see the site of so many legendary sea stories. Rounding the Horn used to be a very dangerous task of the mariner, but now we motor along regardless of the wind and gaze on the monument commemorating the mariners' sacrifice.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Cape Horn.</i></span></div>
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The rest of the day we spent packing and settling our affairs here on our temporary floating home. The <i>National Geographic Explorer</i> really has come to feel like a second home. We know the hallways and the best places to be at each time of the day. We say good morning and greet the crew by name. Saying goodbye to the ship is bittersweet, but saying goodbye to our shipmates is more difficult. We've become very fond of our fellow travelers, and we've experienced some amazing things together. Tonight, we had a farewell dinner with a big table of friends knowing that we'd never all be together again. As we finished the meal, our port came into view, and the reality of going home hit us. We talked about how much of a shock civilization will be after the great white emptiness of Antarctica.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Ushuaia harbor.</i></span></div>
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Tomorrow is a travel day. We'll move from the city at the bottom of the world to Buenos Aires, and then, we'll be home the following morning. It's been quite the adventure, and I want to thank all of you for following us. Keep taking a look at this journal as we post pictures from home where the internet is more readily available.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">~Jason</span></div>Jason Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01461099823515269993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781963656905209886.post-71960996378523471532011-12-14T14:01:00.000-08:002011-12-14T14:02:08.266-08:00C-C-C-OLD!!! (Nov. 25)<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Well, this is both a sad and exciting day! It was the last time we landed in Antarctica. The next time we will disembark the <i>National Geographic Explorer</i> will be in Ushuaia, Argentina! Tonight we begin our journey to once again cross the tumultuous waters of the Drake Passage. We're hoping and praying for a safe and speedy voyage home! We should arrive in Atlanta early on Tuesday! We're also very excited to be back home and see friends and family!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Today we visited a British base here on the Antarctic Peninsula named Port<br />Lockroy. It was significantly smaller than the seemingly small American base at Palmer. Lockroy is home to only five people that do various jobs from managing the southernmost post office in the world to restoring and preserving the old expeditionary and whaling sites in the area.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Port Lockroy.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The Post Office.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">The base itself is only operates in the summer because the entire area is inaccessible in the colder months due to ice, but even during the summer, the members of the base have a very hard time traveling around. It's not that the walking here is much harder than other places on the Peninsula. It's more that they possess no boats or vessels of any kind. Everywhere they go must be on foot, and it's on an island. As I heard it explained, it is a matter of keeping the base small and inexpensive. If they had one boat, they'd have to have a back-up boat. If they had more than one boat, they'd have to have a technician to maintain and fix them. If they had more staff they'd have to have a doctor. With all the new personnel, they'd have to build extra lodging quarters, and then more personnel to build and maintain those. And it goes on and on... What I can't figure out is if they currently operate without a boat, why they couldn't operate it without a back-up boat? If the first one broke, then they'd be back to status quo until next season right?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Penguin on the menu?</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Anyone have a can opener?</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Standard issue back in the day.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Do these penguins speak with a British accent?</i></span></div>
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Anyway, after the morning landing, the captain pushed the ship up on to some long awaited fast ice where we got out and ran around and threw snowballs. Afterwards many from the ship chose to take a "polar plunge!" Yes, I partook, and no Jason did not. As I found out from the scientific staff aboard, there are apparently five oceans not four! Our education system has not caught up to the scientific community. So I completed my quest of swimming in all the worlds oceans. The Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and now the Southern Ocean! It was COLD! The captain said it was somewhere between 28 and 30 degrees Fahrenheit, which was much colder than the Arctic Ocean at 34 degrees. <br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Out on the ice.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The </i>National Geographic Explorer.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Well folks, this will either be my last or next to the last entry before we do any kind of recap when we return! Jason should be covering our next two days at sea. Thank you very much for following so far. It's meant a lot that so many of you at home have decided to keep up with us while we've been traveling these last three weeks!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Thanks again,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">And for the final time from the bottom of the world,<br />Greg</span></div>Jason Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01461099823515269993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781963656905209886.post-12024215808986296312011-12-14T13:35:00.000-08:002011-12-14T13:36:24.022-08:00Thanksgiving (Nov. 24)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">Happy Thanksgiving to everyone back home! Our Thanksgiving has been anything but conventional, but I have even more than usual to be thankful for.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I woke to very first thing I'm thankful for today -- the sun. It seems to circle endlessly here. It shines its light, and by its light, I see the ice and the snow and the sea and sharp mountain peaks. Its light is the reason for all the life I see and have seen, which today especially was incredible.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I'm also thankful for phytoplankton and Antarctic krill today, and by the time you've read the rest, you'll understand why I care about microscopic and very tiny oceanic organisms.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">We're right at the end of our time in Antarctica, and my mood was a little mellow and contemplative. I felt as though I've seen so many amazing things that I wouldn't see anything new today. I was kind of hoping for a leopard seal, which I'd already seen but wanted a little better look.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">So with that great level of expectation, I boarded a zodiac for a little cruise in the bay. I was content to wonder at the mountains and see the icebergs, and I was beginning to say goodbye to this special place.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">As so often happens, I was completely wrong in my attitude. My expectations were far too low. I heard and blowing sound and then saw one of the naturalists point, and he yelled, "KILLER WHALE!" I saw the ripples and then a sharp, black spike materialized out of the sea ice and crested several feet out of the water. The whale disappeared, but I sensed that I needed to look down in the water. The sleek, black shape became clear through the darkness of the water and sped straight toward our zodiac. The whale swam right under us! It was probably close to twice the length of the zodiac. That alone would have made the day, but it wasn't about to end.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Orcinus orca</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">We soon located the rest of the pod and followed them down the bay as quickly as we could through the thick ice. We caught up and saw one of the whales poke its head above the water to look at the top of the ice floes. The others soon joined in and found a seal on top of one of the large pieces of ice. The next thing I knew, a huge wave crashed against the seal's ice. The whales appeared on the other side as the wave passed through. They coordinated and rushed toward the ice together and dove to make a wave to knock the seal into the sea. As all this coordination and intelligence struck me, another wave struck the seal, and it struggled to keep its place on the ice. The pod turned to look at the seal, and each individual took a look at what they discovered to be a leopard seal. In that moment, I think they decided that the leopard would put up more fight than he was worth. They moved off down the bay again.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Killer whales seal hunting.</i></span></div>
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It was absolutely amazing to see such teamwork, creativity, and cunning in animals. The knowledge of the physics of making wave and the collaboration to make it happen seems beyond the capabilities of mere animals. This behavior has only been documented in killer whales a handful of times before. Apparently, it's one of the key groundbreaking scenes in the as yet unreleased in the US BBC nature series.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">As a friend of mine would say, today was all time.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">In the afternoon, our ship was invited to visit the Palmer research station. Palmer is one of only three American research stations in Antarctica. Suffice it to say that some really incredible people endure some really crazy conditions for some really good science. The scientists joined us for our evening recap, and that brings us back to krill. The scientists at Palmer are studying krill as the keystone species in Antarctica. The sun provides the energy for the phytoplankton, and the krill eat the phytoplankton. Everything from penguins to seals eats krill, and the killer whales eat both. Without the sun and krill and phytoplankton, I would have no killer whales to be thankful for.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Palmer Station.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Believe it or not, this was the only sign with Antarctica on it on the whole trip!</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>We were very at home in Zodiacs.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">It all comes full circle. As I write, the sun hangs just above the horizon, and it seems like it's been there for a hour. The glacier next to Palmer is orange, and the ice has choked the harbor so that it looks like white, rocky land. It's the sort of unearthly scene that seems normal in Antarctica.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">~Jason</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>An Antarctic sunset.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>Jason Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01461099823515269993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781963656905209886.post-15950451273228624422011-12-14T11:01:00.000-08:002011-12-14T11:02:23.536-08:00Of Overlooks and Kayaks (Nov. 23)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">Alright guys, one more day until Thanksgiving! This morning we anchored the ship in a place called Neko Harbor, which is named after an early twentieth century Belgian whaling vessel. Our group was able to take zodiacs around the area to examine all of the floating pieces of ice and look for wildlife among them. We were able to find numerous groups of Gentoo penguins porpoising through the water looking for fish and a few birds perched on ice bergs, but unfortunately no seals. The harbor itself was simply breathtaking though! Glaciers covered the mountains around the harbor and some of the vistas looked too perfect to be real; it was like a dream! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Neko Harbor.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">When our zodiac cruise ended, we landed where the rest of the ship's company were at the Gentoo colony. Nothing against the Gentoos (except for the fact that they smelled horrible!), but the real highlight of the morning was walking up the steep, snow covered hill to overlook the bay! The hill really tempted me to slide down, but they warned us against it at this particular place....sad.....one of the ship's crew brought his snowboard and went down the hill that way! We hung out at the top of the hill overlooking the colony, the mountains and the glaciers, waiting for ice to calve in spectacular fashion. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Overlooking the glacier.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Not much ice fell, but we were rewarded with a particularly odd sight. Four penguins decided to walk up the hill and join us. Penguins seem to be very curious and often hair-brained. It was simply as if they said, "I wonder what's up there," and just kept walking. I don't know what was in their heads. It's like they wondered what those funny colored penguins were doing up there and didn't want to miss anything. Our resident ornithologist has told us repeatedly he doesn't think penguins are the brightest birds in the world. I'm starting to understand why, but they're still funny, awkward, and pretty lovable. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Silly penguins!</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">We're spending the afternoon in Paradise Harbor. Which if you like ice, then I suppose this fits the bill pretty well. Similar to most of the places that we've been, this is yet again surrounded by glaciers, mountains, and filled with icebergs. I'm not complaining in the least! I'm just trying to convey how much of this place is absolutely covered in glaciers and mountains! It's mind boggling! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">This afternoon there was no stepping ashore, but we did get to paddle around the harbor in kayaks, which was more exciting for the trouble of it rather than the kayaking itself! The scene was gorgeous, but the ice kept closing in on us until the point that we got stuck in a small open hole surrounded by brash ice and larger icebergs... As this was happening to everyone, they picked up all the kayakers and took us back to the ship. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">And as I just found out, our expedition leader, Lisa, and the geologist, Jason, are getting married today. Best wishes to you both, and may you have a very happy marriage! Congratulations!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">~Greg</span></div>
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<br /></div>Jason Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01461099823515269993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781963656905209886.post-72995666846895402612011-12-14T10:41:00.000-08:002011-12-14T12:46:53.114-08:00A Day in the Life (Nov. 22)<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I'm watching the extinct volcano of Deception Island as we sail south. It looks like the sun will be setting soon, but I know that the soft, orange light will stay on the clouds for the next several hours as the sun skirts the horizon. Days are reluctant to end here, and they seem eager to start.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Ours began this morning by moving from the famed Weddell Sea to King George Island in the South Shetland archipelago. The ship pulled into the shallow bay ringed by low hills covered in snow, interrupted only by the occasional black cliff. Orange, red, and blue roofs dotted the hillsides, and an old, gaudy, red and yellow freighter was anchored in the harbor with us and a lone iceberg.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The Harbor at King George Island.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">King George Island is home to more research stations than any other area in Antarctica. We made an unplanned stop at the Chilean base because they have an airstrip, and our chief engineer likely broke his leg in the bad weather we had. He's fine, but as an aging gentleman and a veteran sailor, he's upset at himself that he didn't take more care moving around the ship. The sailor's motto is after all, "One hand for you. One hand for the ship."</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">As we waited for his flight to arrive, we took time to stroll around the Chilean and nearby Russian bases. The researchers went about their daily tasks, painting, carrying garbage, or suiting up for a very cold dive as need be. It was a reminder of what life is like here. There is little room for luxury, and utility is the chief priority. The Russian Bellingshausen Station struck an odd contrast between rusting boxed buildings and the log built Russian Orthodox church on the hill. The Russians were beyond utilitarian in the work buildings but built a beautiful church with ornate iconography on the inside. The whole setting was so out of place. The sounds of working tractors and diesel generators just didn't seem to belong here in Antarctica, yet this is the experience of the only people who live here, even for a brief time.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The Chilean Station.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Hello from "Russia"!</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>A typical building at the Russian station.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The southernmost Russian Orthodox Church in the world.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The inside of the church, beautiful.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">For me, it was a dismal scene and a reminder that I am a stranger here. Life goes on without a single human every day and every year as it always has. The penguins come and go, and whales cruise the deep whether we know it or not. It seems we can only get in the way.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">In the afternoon, we called on the Chinstrap penguin colony at Half Moon Island. They didn't seem to mind visitors, and I don't blame them. If my home was half as spectacular as theirs, I would welcome uninvited guests as well. Half Moon is a tiny speck of land in a bay between two much larger islands. Mountains covered in snow and glaciers ring the bay and rise for thousands of feet into the clouds. Deep blue icebergs sit in the bay, and today the weather was beautiful with some sun and very little wind. The penguins nest at several rock outcroppings on top of the island so that they have one of the best views I have ever seen.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>An iceberg in Half Moon Bay.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The view from the penguins' doorstep.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Life at the colony is busy these days. It is breeding season. Pairs are seeing each other for the first time after months apart at sea. They dance and call together, (I definitely can't call it singing.) and the males bring pebbles and small stones to the females at the chosen nesting spot. The constant gift giving, noisy displays, and territorial disputes contrast sharply with the lifeless, silent mountain peaks behind them. It was a truly beautiful day. Two humpback whales even decided to leap for joy at the entrance to the bay. Seeing then launch themselves, all 40 feet of themselves, into the air never ceases to amaze me.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">This place has so many incredible corners to explore. I'm told that our destination for tomorrow is spectacular even by Antarctic standards, so I'd better get a good night's rest.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">~Jason</span></div>Jason Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01461099823515269993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781963656905209886.post-3891373689281558672011-12-14T10:15:00.000-08:002011-12-14T10:20:03.211-08:00Ice (Nov. 21)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">Antarctica, the seventh continent. Well, actually, it's my fifth, but most people call it the seventh. It's also called the white continent, and I think I know why. It's also known as the highest, driest, coldest, windiest, and loneliest continent.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">When I awoke this morning and looked out the window, I was blinded by the amount of ice outside! There were huge tabular icebergs everywhere. For those of you who don't know what those are... a tabular iceberg is a large iceberg that was once a part of an ice shelf. As glaciers shift down to the sea, ice shelves (tall, flat pieces of ice) break off in long, narrow icebergs about 30x5 miles long. Those are what I first saw when I looked out the window. There is simply a lot of ice! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Tabular ice berg in Antarctic Sound.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Our landing this morning was at an Adelie Penguin colony at Brown Bluff. These little guys are small and quirky, just as you would imagine a penguin would be. Oh, and I forgot to mention that it is much colder here. It snows here a lot and is about 4 degrees Fahrenheit with the wind chill. No longer Chaco weather out on deck unfortunately. Not that it really was before either, but Jason and I have kept to the Chacos so far, much to the bemusement of our shipmates! But we bundled up for this landing and were rewarded with our first continental landing, meaning that we actually set foot on the continent of Antarctica, not just an outlying island. It's exactly as I imagined Antarctica would be when I was little! Lots of ice, very cold, and many, many penguins! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Adelies at Brown Bluff.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>We made it to Antarctica!</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">We had intended on finding some thick ice and running the ship up on it so that we could get out and walk around, but we never found ice that was suitable for this purpose. So we sailed around looking for seals and ice bergs. During dinner the captain even rubbed the front of the ship onto a huge berg and pushed it down the channel quite a ways! Very cool day. And as we came to find out, it was one of the coldest summer days in the last four years!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Pack ice in Erebus and Terror Gulf.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">And right before I was about to post this, we saw killer whales!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Greg</span></div>
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<br /></div>Jason Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01461099823515269993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781963656905209886.post-43571943981321720072011-12-13T18:02:00.000-08:002011-12-14T10:19:44.938-08:00Sea (Nov. 20)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">We've spent the past two days at sea, making our way from South Georgia to the Antarctic Peninsula. They've been relatively uneventful, but I'll catch you up on the highlights.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Days at sea can seem either surprisingly busy or smack of sheer boredom. Yesterday was mostly busy with talks from the staff on Robert Falcon Scott, the second man to reach the South Pole who died in the attempt, and some time working with the photo staff on improving creativity in our next few days at Antarctica. The weather was unusually calm with fog and occasional hard snow.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Scott was a remarkable person and an incredible explorer, but I was surprised to learn that he was a troubled soul at some level. His quest for the Pole seemed to reflect his introspective nature and personal insecurities. It seems that he needed Antarctica as a mirror to show who he really was. He needed the wild and unconquered places to test his limits as an explorer and a leader. In his case, Antarctica proved too much. He succeeded in reaching the Pole, but he could not make the return journey. He and all of his men died getting back to base camp. He made it to within 11 miles of a food cache he had prepared, but neither he nor any of his men had the strength to continue on. He froze to death in his tent after writing letters to his men's families and finally a letter to his ever-supportive wife who was on her way to New Zealand in anticipation of his safe return. His story is a tragic success. It reminds me what the few remaining blank places on the map can mean to us. For some, they are testing grounds, to others, mirrors to the depths of their own souls. Still others look to these places to see their own insignificance, see the power they know exists in something greater. Antarctica can be a place to strive for and strive in and through. It's like a mirror. There are as many Antarcticas as there are people who come here, as many images as there are people who look into the mirror. Scott and Shackleton competed for the same Pole, but each experienced a very different Antarctica.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">When I woke this morning, I heard a loud vibrating and shaking noise followed by a sort of small crash. Next I felt a rise that kept rising and rising and finally fell with the same shaking. I eventually put together that we were in a storm and that the shaking was the propeller coming out of the water as we crested a big wave. The gale kept blowing all morning. The waves crested and blew spray through the air. We crashed down wave after wave, and most people stayed in their cabins. At breakfast, we heard metallic crashing and banging from the galley and saw crew people carrying power tools -- not a good sign. By lunch it was starting to calm down and everything was fine, but the weather we had was a reminder of just how tough these seas can be. The twenty-odd feet and 45 knots of wind we had can be much much worse, but it was quite enough.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Now we're only about 50 miles from the Continent, and we're very excited to be getting off the ship tomorrow.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">~Jason</span></div>Jason Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01461099823515269993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781963656905209886.post-77657806357679654322011-12-13T17:50:00.000-08:002011-12-13T17:50:39.515-08:00BIG (Nov. 18)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">Well, this morning we woke up not knowing where we'd be. There are storms brewing between us and Antarctica, and we are in for a fairly rough crossing, or so we're told... The ship will spend the next two days zig-zagging between storms in an attempt to find the calmest crossing possible. As a result, we weren't sure when we woke up whether we'd still be in SGI or already on the move to beat the storms. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">We did wake up in SGI, which was always the intended schedule, but we were in the wrong place. Our intended destination was also going to be rough and therefore wasn't a very hospitable place to anchor overnight, so we awoke in a familiar place: Gold Harbor. This was the landing earlier in the week where we had beautiful light, thousands of penguins, and elephant seals! Coming back was always a hope of mine, but typically unusual for these trips. So for me at least, it was a pleasant surprise!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">As we departed from Gold Harbor, we said goodbye to SGI in a spectacular fashion, or perhaps I should say that the island gave us a spectacular farewell! The view of the mountains was incredible. All of the peaks were snow covered all the way down to the sea and glaciers surrounded many of the peaks. The peaks looked like daggers trying to slice the cold sky. I couldn't believe the number of sharp mountains! That island is truly a special place! It seemed to be inviting us back to experience all of its hidden wonders!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">And that wasn't even the high point of the day!? On our way to Antarctica, we had to take a detour for...whales! Ahhhh, saying that just seems peaceful! We turned towards the distant signs of these great creatures to get a closer glimpse. As we got closer to the numerous whale blows that appeared on the horizon like white trees, we found that we were watching a group of dozens of fin whales feeding on the surface. This is a new type of whale for me, and it happens to be the second largest whale alive! We continued to get closer and closer, but some of the whales didn't look quite the same. Yes, the best thing possible happened, funny how that sometimes happens...! BLUE WHALE! I can't figure any other way to make it sound more exciting. Just seeing one has always been a dream of mine, a point on my life-list! You first see his head break the surface and then the back, and then the back, and then some more of the back, and then finally the tiny little dorsal fin! It was incredible, but then there was a second! We were watching two of not only the largest whale in the world, not only the largest animal in the world, but the largest animal that has EVER lived!!! That's big! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Fin Whales and Blue Whale.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">~Greg</span></div>Jason Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01461099823515269993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781963656905209886.post-68737811643571585382011-12-13T17:40:00.000-08:002011-12-13T17:51:05.741-08:00Nescit Cedere! (Nov. 17)<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Today was our penultimate day in South Georgia, and it was as action packed as any we've had so far.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The plan for the morning was to use the zodiacs to view several otherwise inaccessible areas. We arrived in a little fjord called Hercules Bay very early this morning. The walls of the bay rise straight from the ocean to form a vertical amphitheater of black rock, unbroken except for a few areas where the hardy tussock grass has been able to colonize the slopes. Our main reasons for visiting this little corner of South Georgia were the other residents of the steep slopes -- Macaroni Penguins. Macaronis, affectionately known as "Macs", are by far the most abundant penguin on South Georgia, but visitors seldom see them because they choose to nest on steep cliffs with heavy surf. We were fortunate enough to visit the colony in Hercules Bay at close range from our zodiacs.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The Macs are a lot of fun to watch. Because they have inaccessible homes, even they have a hard time reaching them. Imagine the last time you got out of a pool. Chances are you weren't especially graceful. Now let's add two feet of swell and make the edge of the pool an algae covered rock with an almost vertical face. Still feeling confident? Just one more thing -- you can't use your arms because you don't have any arms because you're a Macaroni Penguin. That's what your commute home from work is like. The good news is that you can make it to work very quickly. All you have to do is lose your balance, and you'll be at your office as soon as you roll and fall down the rocks and into the icy water.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">These amazing animals are just as beautiful as they are crazy. We watched them come and go from the water, swimming straight up through the water to burst out and fly through the air for the briefest of moments before occasionally making a successful landing on the rocky shore and usually slipping hopelessly back into the sea to try again. If that kind of a morning doesn't make it a good day, I don't know what does.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Macaroni Penguins going home.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Oh, the hotel manager decided it was a good idea to serve hot chocolate to us on our boat cruise. Unfortunately, the gentleman in front of me had a hard time keeping his in the cup.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Hot Chocolate all over my face. You should've seen my camera!</i></span></div>
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The plan for the afternoon was to sail to St. Andrews Bay, the site of the largest King Penguin colony on South Georgia. It is home to 250,000 breeding PAIRS of birds - and they have chicks, lots of them, so the conservative count runs near three quarters of a million animals. If that's not enough, there are elephant seals, fur seals, and even a few (introduced) reindeer to watch. This is the sort of amazing place we've come to expect from South Georgia, but the scale of St. Andrews blew me away. I think I scared everyone on the bridge when I spontaneously blurted out, "whoah!" while we were approaching the bay. I had just noticed that the whole coastline was covered with penguins. Surprisingly enough, the penguins were upstaged this afternoon. The weather stole the show as a storm kept trying to blow in over the mountains and down the two glaciers that feed the bay. The storm never came in, but catabatic winds blew a cold wind off the glaciers carrying particles of ice and dust and whipping the sea up into foam and spray. We had to stand into the wind, and after a little while, the captain called us back on board. By this time the wind was blowing a consistent 55 knots and gusted to over 70. The crew and the zodiac drivers (our naturalists and professional photographers) got everyone back on board quickly and safely, but the zodiac ride in was... Energetic.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The St. Andrews king penguin colony with a storm coming in.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Greg, with the rest of the penguin colony.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">What struck me as I was riding back in the zodiac while I was soaked by the spray and pelted by the wind were a few little sea birds no bigger than a swallow. The storm-petrels were riding the punishing wind as though it were a gentle breeze. They were truly at home, wheeling just above the waves and plucking tiny bits of food out of the foam as spray blew from the tops of the waves. At that moment, I realized just how out of place I am in the great Southern Ocean and just how tough you have to be to live here. That's why James Edward Oglethorpe was so struck by the persistence of these little seabirds on his crossing from England to found the colony of Georgia long before this island was on the map. His fascination with this bird led my alma mater, Oglethorpe University, to name their mascot the Stormy Petrels. We also use his motto, "Nescit cedere," the Latin for "He doesn't know how to give up," as our motto. It applies to the petrel as it does to the Macaroni Penguin and all who survive in the Antarctic, especially the heroes of Antarctic exploration like Shackleton, as Greg reminded us yesterday. It's an inspiration to all of us to strive hard and never, never give up.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">So we braved the weather, entered our comfortable, heated ship for a hot shower, and continued on for the evening to cruise Drygalski Fjord. We're still in the fjord as I write and sit and listen to one of our naturalists and another guest play mellow tunes from Hendrix and the Beatles after dinner. It's all just another day on board the <i>Explorer</i>!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Drygalski Fjord.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Until tomorrow, friends, and nescit cedere.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">~Jason</span></div>Jason Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01461099823515269993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781963656905209886.post-90503679890956242282011-12-13T16:37:00.000-08:002011-12-14T10:01:33.901-08:00Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton (Nov. 16)<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Today was all about Shackleton. He was one of the most epic men that lived during the twentieth century. Here's a short recap of what he did in case you didn't know. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">In 1914, he led an expedition to cross the Antarctic continent through the South Pole. He and his crew sailed to the Weddell Sea to begin their expedition, but their ship, the <i>Endurance</i>, was frozen in the pack ice. Shackleton decided to wait out the Antarctic winter for the ice to thaw and release their ship, but it was eventually crushed and sank, leaving the 28 men to their three life boats. They sailed in the life boats to Elephant Island where Shackleton left two of the boats and 22 of his men behind. He and five other men then sailed for over 800 miles in 15 days to South Georgia Island! They rigged a sail on their largest lifeboat, the <i>James Caird</i> (24.5 feet), and navigated by taking solar readings, but the sun only appeared four times throughout the voyage! Upon landing on the western side of the island, Shackleton and two others made the trek across the island to reach the only active whaling camp at Stromness. They completed this nearly 22 mile section in only 39 hours, crossing glaciers, climbing over, and rappelling down mountains all during the winter! One of the men even fell through a frozen lake up to his waist before completing the trip. Overall, they spent more than a year to struggle back! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Shackleton came off the glacier all the way in back of the photo.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>This is the lake where Tom Crean fell through the ice.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Shackleton's first view of the Stromness whaling station.</i></span></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Shackleton's Waterfall, the three men nearly died descending the cliff on the right.</span></i></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Stromness.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Shackleton is known for perhaps the most spectacular failure ever! He did not cross Antarctica. He didn't even really begin to attempt it before the ship got stuck! The reason his failure has been memorialized is not just because of how he returned to civilization, but that he did all of what I previously described, without losing a single man! Truly epic!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Today we completed the last four miles of this intrepid journey. The hike was beautiful! The ship dropped us off in Fortuna Bay and picked us up on the other side of the pass at the Stromness whaling station where Shackleton ended his adventure. The whaling station, in case you were wondering, has long since been out of use. The afternoon was spent in the"capital" of SGI, Grytviken, which has a post office, museum, fishery officer, and a hydroelectric power plant, but only a handful of people. Shackleton died here aboard the <i>Quest</i> in 1922 and was buried in the small cemetery outside the town. While we visited he grave, there was actually a beautiful rainbow, the end of which coincidentally rested on the site where he died. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>A full size replica of the </i>James Caird.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The Grytviken Church.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>"To the dear memory of Ernest Henry Shackleton -- Explorer. </i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Born 15th Feb. 1874. Entered the Life Eternal 5th Jan. 1922."</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Shackleton's gravestone had a caption from his favorite poet on the back.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">"I hold that a man should strive to the uttermost for his life's set prize."<br />~Robert Browning</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I have no idea what Browning intended by the quote or how Shackleton interpreted or applied it, but it leads me to what I mentioned in one of my earlier entries. I listened to a message of Francis Chan's as he spoke on Philippians 1:27, about letting your manner of life be worthy of the gospel. What a challenge! I don't think I'm striving like I could or should be, but maybe that's why I'm being reminded about it lately....</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">What is your life's prize? Do you strive for it?</span></div>
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~Greg</div>Jason Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01461099823515269993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781963656905209886.post-86940271318959211172011-12-13T15:52:00.000-08:002011-12-14T10:00:57.478-08:00Wow! (Nov. 15)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">Describing the past two days is impossible for me. South Georgia is more amazing than I imagined. This place is truly special. I've never visited anywhere quite like it. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">For those of you who are not familiar with this incredible place or think I'm speaking of the southern portion of my home state (which is also pretty special), South Georgia is an island southeast of South America and a little northeast of the Antarctic Peninsula. Its about 100 miles long, 20 miles wide, and has peaks ranging from an average of about 5,500 feet to a high of about 9,500. It has black sand beaches, glaciers, fjords, mountains, streams, and waterfalls. It's as though a mountain range simply rose out of the ocean. This island feels more like a continent than an island when you set foot on it. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Typical South Georgia</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Amazingly enough, it gets even better. The beaches are literally covered with wildlife. From thousands and hundreds of thousands of beautiful, comical King Penguins to hundreds of giant elephant seals or the aggressive fur seals, every time we set foot ashore we are surrounded. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Gold Harbor and the </i>National Geographic Explorer.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Greg and Elephant Seal pups.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">When I first saw Salisbury Plain for yesterday's landing, I was overwhelmed. I didn't know where to look or how to see it all. This morning's landing at Gold Harbor was even more overwhelming. As my feet hit the sand, I walked between two Elephant seal bulls, each weighing around 6 tons, to see the mountains with a hanging glacier and an icefall all behind a king penguin colony. It may have been the most dynamic place I have ever been. At one time, I was watching an albatross at its nest while looking down at thousands of king penguins with a beautiful mountain backdrop, seeing the largest carnivores on earth (yep the Southern Elephant seal, as long as you exclude whales) battle for mastery of the beach, and watching the glacier calve down in a giant waterfall of ice and all that with amazing weather, a rarity in South Georgia. Overwhelming. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">This afternoon, we went for a hike from another beach up to a mountain pass to see the next bay over and the main mountain range on the island. The view from the top was awesome. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Mountain pass overlooking Cumberland Bay.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>This was the high point of our hike.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I'm sure there's a lot more to say, but I'm not really sure how to say it. I'm just really glad and thankful to be here. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">~Jason</span></div>Jason Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01461099823515269993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781963656905209886.post-56038136409114936682011-12-13T14:09:00.001-08:002011-12-14T10:00:38.130-08:00Penguins, Penguins, and More Penguins (Nov. 14)<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">Today, we visited South Georgia Island for the first time! This was day one out of the five that we will be spending here. As usual, we landed on two separate sites, one in the morning and one in the evening. In the morning, we visited Salisbury Plain, and we visited Prion Island in the afternoon.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The morning was absolutely amazing! It happens to be the exact place from the picture that first inspired me to go here many years ago. One of my favorite photographers, Thomas Mangelsen had a coffee table book with a lot of pictures from this place, and the real place seems just as enticing as I first imagined it. The rocky beach is surrounded by snow covered mountains and glaciers! There were over one hundred thousand king penguins at this one beach! Yeah, that's right, 100,000. Count them, five zeroes! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Just us and a few friends at Salisbury Plain.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">We landed on the beach early this morning for a try at a sunrise shot, but it was completely overcast and has been quite foggy all day. But we still managed to get some really special pictures! The beach was absolutely covered with penguins waiting to hop into the surf, and the male fur seals and elephant seals were also present, staking claim to their piece of the beach for the upcoming breeding season. (Small note: I do not care for the fur seals. They are actually quite aggressive and smell almost as badly.) </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The penguins here are quite curious. When you sit down to their level or when they relax, they will walk right up to you, which is really cool, but sometimes they're too close to focus your camera. They also have the typical penguin waddle and awkward head movements that make them seem so comical! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The afternoon was not quite as good as the morning, but the naturalists kept telling us how special it was to land there. The weather has to be calm enough, and you must obtain a special permit to land here. In addition to that, this is the only place that visitors (meaning anyone other than researchers or government officials) can see a wandering albatross on its nest. The Wanderers as we call them, just happen to be the birds with the largest wingspans in the world. We managed to see 5-6 chicks on nests, but no adults were present. They were out to sea gathering food for their chicks. Now I say chick, but that may be misleading. This is a semi-fluffy bird that weighs around 25 pounds and is larger than its parents. After all of their feathers finish developing and the parents leave them, they actually have to lose weight to fly for the first time. Without the parents arriving though, the photography wasn't so good. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Oh and Jason is "pumped" because we saw the South Georgia Pipit, which is apparently the most southern songbird in the world. So, on a ship with many birders in a "prime" birding location with guides and an ornithologist who specializes in sea birds, I've come to notice something... Jason's birding habit is closer to the level of the ornithologist than many of the self-proclaimed birders aboard. I think we all knew he had the bug, just not how badly, lol. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The "mighty" South Georgia Pipit!</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Anyway, hoping for another great day on SGI! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Oh and for everyone back at PCC in Atlanta. Thinking and praying for y'all! Managed to get some additional time aboard ship yesterday to watch one of the Passion 2011 videos of Francis Chan. So good! And I happen to have enough to watch one each Sunday that we're missing at PCC! Can't wait for Passion 2012 at the Dome!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Greg</span></div>
</div>Jason Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01461099823515269993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781963656905209886.post-9144382423304062232011-12-13T14:08:00.000-08:002011-12-14T10:00:26.872-08:00The Albatross (Nov. 12)<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The short version of today's update is that we were at sea all day and that we'll make our first landing in South Georgia in the morning. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">What I'd like to try to do is explain albatrosses to you. I've learned quite a lot about them in the past several days, and they're really special birds. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">As a birder, it's expected that I love birds, but quite often I find myself seeking the birds because it's something to be sought rather than because it's a bird. Albatrosses are very different. They instantly remind me of what only a bird can do -- fly. These giant birds soar on the wind and ride it in ways that seem to defy what's possible. They can ride the wind for hours on end without a single wingbeat. The air and the the sea are their native element. When the winds blow and the seas rise, they take to the sky and make it their playground. Wheeling through a strong gale and driving rain only inches from the waves seems to be their idea of fun. They hardly ever go to land, but when they do, they pick the wildest, most remote islands in the world and make their homes on the crags above the crashing waves. They don't land often, so they really only manage a controlled crash. Coming home to land is the only thing they don't do gracefully though. When mates see each other after an absence, they greet each other with a beautiful ritualized dance and carefully clean each other's feathers. It's amazing to watch. I feel privileged to be in the Southern Ocean that such amazing creatures call home. </span></div>
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~Jason</div>Jason Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01461099823515269993noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781963656905209886.post-84126111821107143612011-12-13T11:40:00.000-08:002011-12-13T11:40:12.752-08:00A Fond Farewell to the Falklands (Nov. 11)<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>National Geographic Explorer</i>, at sea:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">As I write, we are en route from the Falkland Islands to South Georgia. We've spent the entire day at sea without a speck of land anywhere in sight. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Yesterday we visited Stanley, the capital of the Falklands. The town sits on a bay on the far eastern end of the islands looking smart as any English town should, but its bright roofs seem a little out of place. We toured the main attractions in town in the morning. (I think there are only three.) In the afternoon, I went birding on foot near the ship. The prize of the day was the Rufous-chested Dotterel, a plover rather like a killdeer. This basically meant a clean sweep of the important birds of the Falklands for me, which is exciting. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The Falklands Whaling Museum.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The Falklands War Memorial, for those who died in the 1982 conflict.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Stanley Harbor.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Next we said goodbye and set sail for South Georgia. This was honestly bittersweet for me. To me, the Falklands were just a bit magical. They're so remote and windswept that they should be a wasteland, but there are so many incredible creatures that choose to call them home. From the tiny Cobb's wren that only lives in the Falklands to the great colonies of penguins and albatrosses, I was simply amazed. I'll have to find a way to express to you what it was like for me to be in such close proximity to so many gorgeous albatross, but I'm afraid I'm not up to the task tonight. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Goodnight and know there's more to come,<br />Jason</span></div>Jason Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01461099823515269993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781963656905209886.post-75126541718913808592011-12-13T11:32:00.000-08:002011-12-14T09:59:30.657-08:00Rockstars and Little Brown Jobs (Nov. 9)<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">We made landfall for the first time today! When we awoke, we had finally reached one of our three long awaited destinations: the Falkland Islands. It is no wonder the British claimed and settled these islands over two hundred years ago; they strongly resemble the grassy hilltops of the Scottish Highlands! They must have arrived and thought, hmmm I bet I can put a bunch of sheep here!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Greg looking over West Point Island.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The small islands in the background are the Jason Islands.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The endemic LBJ, the Cobb's Wren.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The other endemic, the Falklands Steamer-Duck.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">We landed on two of the islands: Carcass Island and West Point. The morning and afternoons on both islands were spent walking about looking at the various flora and fauna of the islands, mainly birds... Jason was quite happy. He was thrilled to see the two endemics (birds that live only in the Falklands). One was an LBJ the other was a flightless duck that I am surprised could even walk because he was so fat! We did see three different colonies of penguins, all different species. My favorites were the Rockhopper penguins, which were nested among hundreds of albatrosses. Many albatrosses were flying overhead, some only inches above our heads, as they tried to land among the crowded rocks! These albatrosses fly gracefully at sea sometimes for years before returning to land. Because of this, they are particularly bad at landings, which makes them quite comical! The rockhoppers climb cliffs out of the sea to nest on a rock cliff hundreds of feet above the water. They also have little yellow feathers above their red eyes that look like golden eye brows and an attitude that seems to say, "I'm fat and I like it!" Very simply stated, they got spunk! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">All in all, I am happy to watch penguins and albatrosses, the other birds take some patience as I wait for the groups of people to find them in their binoculars and look for a tiny brown bird flitting around in a tussock of grass. Jason is at home of course! I enjoyed walking around and savored being ashore as we will spend Saturday and Sunday at sea on our way to South Georgia Island. Each time we left the island by zodiac, we were greeted by dolphins that were only too happy to surf in our wake! Tomorrow we will arrive at Stanley, which is the major settlement and bustling metropolis home to....2000 to 2500 people.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Rockhopper Penguins.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Black-browed Albatross.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">~Greg</span></div>Jason Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01461099823515269993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781963656905209886.post-10270774482593886902011-12-13T07:02:00.000-08:002011-12-13T07:03:57.807-08:00At Sea (Nov. 8)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">Today was spent at sea between the Tierra del Fuego and the Falkland Islands. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I woke this morning and felt the gentle rise and fall of the ship that had been rocking me to sleep all night. We are fortunate that this is a gentle rocking rather than the sound beating the sea can give you. As I opened the shade to look outside, I was immediately greeted by a seemingly smiling Cape Petrel, one of several species of seabirds that would be our companions all day. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">A day at sea can seem boring to some, relaxing to others, but to the very observant, it changes constantly. As wind rises or falls, the seas become more choppy or smoother, and the birds respond to the wind that carries then and powers their graceful flight. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I saw the very first albatross only moments after opening the shade for the window, and they are amazing! They fly inches above the waves without flapping and never seem to move even a single muscle. They are more home in the air than I am on land. I see how they can spend years at sea without returning to land. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">As the day progressed, it became apparent that the empty, featureless sea is neither empty nor featureless. Groups of albatrosses and penguins were visible signs of concentrations of sea creatures below the surface. South American fur seals looked up at us with their dog-like faces and turned swimming quickly away. Currents and variations invisible or nearly invisible to us are clear landmarks to the animals of the sea. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Besides all that, life on the ship can be busy. There are shipmates to meet, meals to be eaten, lectures to be heard, and maybe even a little sleep to be had. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">We capped it all off tonight with a full moon rising over a glassy sea with the pink and purple from the sunset still lighting the horizon. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Not a bad day. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">~Jason</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'helvetica neue', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 0px;"><br /></span></span></div>Jason Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01461099823515269993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781963656905209886.post-26501165037745921622011-12-13T04:42:00.000-08:002011-12-14T09:58:47.488-08:00The City at the End of the World (Nov. 8)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">Tonight I'm writing from our new home on board the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"><i>National Geographic Explorer</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">. We embarked ship this afternoon and are now on our way the Falkland Islands.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">This morning we rose early to say our goodbyes to Buenos Aires. Greg and I agree that it's a very interesting city and that one day simply can't do it justice. We then got on a plane and flew South (I'm sure you're sensing the theme here).</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">After four hours, we landed at the city at the end of the world, Ushuaia, Argentina. As I left the airport, I was immediately reminded of Alaska by the sharp peaks with a dusting of snow above the sea. We then drove through Tierra del Fuego National Park to Lamanaia Bay, which is the official southern end of the Pan-American highway. Greg and I had visited the northern end at the Arctic Ocean in Deadhorse, Alaska in 2008. I couldn't help but be struck by how different this was. At the Arctic Ocean, it was the culmination of a very long journey. We were in the wilderness, and we were well aware how small we were. Here, we had just gotten off of a plane and been in a city of over 10 million people. It seemed strange and actually a lot like cheating that we had gotten there so easily.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">We then took a catamaran ride and saw some interesting wildlife. Today's South American sea lions will be the only ones of our trip. They don't like the cold seas further south. I also saw a few birds which I'm sure would only interest me, so I won't bore you with the details.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The good news is that this is only the beginning of this journey. We have many incredible places yet to visit, and the <i>Explorer</i> seems like the perfect ship to take us there. I can't even begin to tell you how well equipped it is for this kind of expedition. It's ice reinforced, stabilized and has more technology aboard than most state of the art airliners. I'll have more on the ship tomorrow as it is a day at sea on our way to the Falklands.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">~Jason</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>Jason Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01461099823515269993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781963656905209886.post-28154082295342681282011-12-12T18:58:00.000-08:002011-12-14T09:58:09.846-08:00Palaces to Mausoleums: The Life of Argentine Presidents (Nov. 7)<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I am writing this in the Caesar
Park Hotel of Buenos Aires, but by the time any of you read this, we will be
sailing for the Falkland Islands. Apparently,
Internet is as expensive in Buenos Aires as it is aboard ship, so we opted to
wait the posting of this entry until we were aboard our floating, temporary
home. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We arrived safely in Buenos Aires
this morning. After clearing customs, we spent roughly an hour and a half by
car just getting to our hotel. Although we drove on the world’s widest road (La
Avenida 9 de Julio), we were still subject to the detriments of every major
city's transportation systems: traffic! The hotel is amazing and quite
comfortable, but we will spend only one night here. With what little spare time
we had, we decided to take a bus tour of the city with some of the other
Lindblad guests. We visited what is supposedly the worlds 3rd most
selective cemetery, which was filled almost completely with mausoleums....fun....Soon
after arriving, I realized those places really creep me out. We did see the
resting sites of many Argentine presidents, Eva Peron, and even the Nobel Prize
winner responsible for the discovery of lactose, but in the end, it was still a
derelict place reminding me of our impermanence and fleeting lives in a world
that we consider to be the only constant. Plated coffins and marbled
crypts bear no consequence in the ethereal yet wonderfully concrete world of
tomorrow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Later, we moved through the streets
and squares and found the presidential palace, a beautiful cathedral, and other
buildings and statues representing the tumultuous past of Argentina from the
time of the Spanish to the war with Britain or their own civil war that began
in the late 1970s. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">All in all, Buenos Aires was a
beautiful city, but I'd much rather see the natural beauty of southern
Argentina! Tomorrow, we depart from the hotel very early in the morning to fly
4 hours to the southernmost city in the world, Ushuaia! We'll get to spend a few
hours in the Tierra del Fuego national park cruising through the islands before
finally arriving at the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">National
Geographic Explorer</i>! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">~Greg</span></div>Jason Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01461099823515269993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781963656905209886.post-17528582011988753292011-12-12T17:00:00.000-08:002011-12-14T09:57:43.086-08:00Hasta Luego Atlanta (Nov. 6)Well today is the day! We've officially embarked on our journey by saying our goodbyes, and now we're waiting for our flight in the Atlanta airport.
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Driving here we felt as though we were saying goodbye to family and friends, home and our city, and even fall. The leaves in Atlanta are gorgeous right now, but when we wake up in the morning, it will be summer in Buenos Aires. Just yesterday we watched some dear friends of ours get married (CONGRATS!) in a beautiful chapel in the woods surrounded by fall color in greens, golds, oranges, and reds, but soon all we will see is whites of snow, ice, and cloud, blacks and greys of mountains and rocks, and the blues of sky and sea. It's simply surreal.
So long for now Atlanta, we'll be home soon!<br />
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~Jason and GregJason Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01461099823515269993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781963656905209886.post-54086459292717550752011-12-12T16:58:00.000-08:002011-12-12T17:05:54.219-08:00We're Going to Antarctica! (Nov. 4)Hello Friends!<br />
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Welcome to the online journal for our expedition to Antarctica, South Georgia, and the Falkland Islands! This journal will function kind of like a blog, but it will also track our progress on the map and show the route of this journey. Greg and I would like to thank you for following along and reading because we want to share an incredible place and an incredible experience with everyone back home.<br />
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When I tell people that we’re going to Antarctica, most people either respond with “What are you doing there?” or simply, “Why?”. To be really honest, this response confused me at first. I’m sorry if you’re one of the ones who has asked me these questions, but I think I’ve come to understand why you ask. My initial reaction is, “What do you mean by that? Isn’t just being in Antarctica enough?”<br />
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Maybe your mental image of Antarctica looks like a giant, barren wasteland of snow and ice. You’re imagining blizzards, whiteouts, maybe even avalanches, and you might be shivering even while sitting in Starbucks reading this. The interesting thing is that you’d be right. Antarctica, taken as a whole, is the highest, driest, coldest, windiest, most barren continent on earth. It has the world’s worst weather, and the coldest recorded temperatures on earth. Little to no life survives in the interior.<br />
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It’s wonderful that this is not the whole story of the land at the bottom of the world. As all continents are, Antarctica is surrounded by water. What makes it special in this case is the great Southern Ocean. This constantly cold water is the most productive on earth, and it’s the reason we’re traveling to the bottom of the world. Think about millions of penguins, albatrosses, seals, and whales. They all thrive in the freezing ocean. The sea is their home, and for three weeks it will be our home as well.<br />
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Our journey to the extreme south takes us by way of Buenos Aires, Argentina to the southernmost city in the world, Ushuaia, in the Tierra del Fuego. This is the land of Magellan, Cape Horn, and thousands of seafarers now legendary for braving the toughest seas on earth. This is where we’ll join the National Geographic Explorer, our home and transportation to Antarctica.<br />
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Take a look at the map of our journey and see where the Explorer will take us. We’re excited to start and hope you’ll join us!<br />
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~JasonJason Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01461099823515269993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781963656905209886.post-60529089594196240722011-12-12T16:55:00.000-08:002011-12-12T16:55:41.602-08:00AntarcticaHello everyone!
I'm resurrecting this long-neglected blog to share about my recent trip to Antarctica. I'll be reposting entries written during the trip.Jason Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01461099823515269993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781963656905209886.post-52831782427038634932008-07-23T10:27:00.000-07:002008-07-23T12:14:44.624-07:00The Dalton HighwayHello again. The road is calling, but I'm going to take time out to update you on the trip. <br /><br />After Delta Junction and the end of the Alaska Highway, we did not take a rest like sane and normal human beings. Instead, we decided that we'd done well so far and continued to move north. We drove through Fairbanks and continued on our way to the Arctic Circle, the northernmost road in the US, the Arctic Ocean, and the furthest point of our trip from home. The Dalton Highway runs 494 miles from Fairbanks, AK to Deadhorse at the Prudhoe Bay oilfield. It is a mostly gravel road for supplying the small city at the top of the world all for one thing -- oil. Our goal, however, is not to find oil, but an incredible part of the continent that few people ever visit. <br /><br />Fairbanks lies in a huge plain right in the middle of Alaska. To the north, hills rise and roll up and then down to the Yukon River. It runs for 2,400 miles from Atlin Lake in British Columbia to the Bering Sea. After the Yukon, the road again rises into the hills. Here, the trees become stunted, especially in low, flat areas. The trees can't grow roots through the permafrost and have a very short growing season. Even further north, open tundra become intermixed with the dwarf forests. Next comes the Arctic Circle. The Arctic Circle is the latitude line 66 33' 39". It is the southernmost point at which there is 24 hour daylight. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRSDrAd7bTDPe-nUaA3Y1Xp-Odo0DOkogkjnYLjLdAOCTpLKAFQuZyOwr9WMVsSshQBld_a_hw4APgCHEbKrbLHGMc8Rb-8CoAHsixwkXKIMMAvs3heBx9XcjpP-UlRZnyxuveIgeOWX9S/s1600-h/IMG_0833.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRSDrAd7bTDPe-nUaA3Y1Xp-Odo0DOkogkjnYLjLdAOCTpLKAFQuZyOwr9WMVsSshQBld_a_hw4APgCHEbKrbLHGMc8Rb-8CoAHsixwkXKIMMAvs3heBx9XcjpP-UlRZnyxuveIgeOWX9S/s320/IMG_0833.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226270605824887250" /></a><br />Sorry to be so didactic, I'll try to tone it down. Our biggest shock at this point came when we got out of the car to take the picture. We were instantly swarmed by mosquitoes. Let me take a moment to explain my prior experience with these insects. I've fished in the Everglades and other swamps countless times. I've paddled in the Boundry Waters, where mosquitoes literally sounded like a motor boat. I've been to Alaksa and experienced the state bird on seven previous occasions. I thought I knew mosquitoes. Sadly, I was wrong. Greg and I stepped out of the car, and we were immediately confronted with them. They looked like a cloud of nats, but they were bigger, much bigger. I waved my hand randomly and hit several. I brushed five off of the right arm of my jacket, and then I knew that this would be a long trip. We ran to take the picture and fled inside the car. I'd never seen mosquitoes like that, but it only got worse. The Arctic tundra continues and becomes more prevalent north of the Circle. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhU_RnBNOBVC4mb_TaWjsJD4f_vYqKB716LAL6PHcw3L8wNgHc12-hr2u5SAuzvF16GF26oEhaXPCOHG7-oxf9uWwPva21Rg_M4Ky9t0eTKkOoBhfamPbfOBUsyVoy7rwk03SGDDAmX5b-/s1600-h/IMG_0896.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhU_RnBNOBVC4mb_TaWjsJD4f_vYqKB716LAL6PHcw3L8wNgHc12-hr2u5SAuzvF16GF26oEhaXPCOHG7-oxf9uWwPva21Rg_M4Ky9t0eTKkOoBhfamPbfOBUsyVoy7rwk03SGDDAmX5b-/s320/IMG_0896.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226274523297948466" /></a><br />The Brooks Range in contained entirely north of the Arctic Circle and has several peaks over 9,000 feet. This is one of the most extreme environments on the planet. Coldfoot on the south side has the record for the lowest recorded temperature in the US at eighty below. During most of May, June, and July, the sun never sets, and the reverse is true for the winter. We camped just outside Coldfoot and braved the worsening mosquitoes. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiey0QYgsbxf-0lSG87Lo2EW5E4t73c_F9P-MsPhSbpgWf5NNNqw1Hrb9NUFfju0MdaUAyPYeyR9x-4icGg1HZZv2nYLzgO_4h_0X1uZNo1ggt1pyOLV1M1mD7BvJw__3D4U32Rl8tGW9Sw/s1600-h/IMG_0889.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiey0QYgsbxf-0lSG87Lo2EW5E4t73c_F9P-MsPhSbpgWf5NNNqw1Hrb9NUFfju0MdaUAyPYeyR9x-4icGg1HZZv2nYLzgO_4h_0X1uZNo1ggt1pyOLV1M1mD7BvJw__3D4U32Rl8tGW9Sw/s320/IMG_0889.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226288050822814834" /></a><br />From Coldfoot, it's 240 miles to the nearest services of any kind at Deadhorse. This is the longest stretch of road without gas in the US. Pressing on the Ocean means crossing the Brooks Range and leaving all trees behind. From here it's all tundra, and you can see for miles and miles and miles. The absense of trees gives the mountains a forbidding, harsh character. We crossed the pass and looked out for the first time on the North Slope. The land falls away in gold and green tundra interspersed with ponds and bogs. We thought we could see all the way to the coast, but it was a mirage. This landscape continues for well over a hundred miles. Many would call this a barren wasteland, but there is no place left like this on earth. The Great Plains have been civilised and farmed so that the endless grasslands are gone. The buffalo no longer roam and the antelope no longer play. There's something majestic and terrifying about the Arctic Plains. You can stand and look in all directions and see nothing all the way to the horizon. Here, you realize your own smallness your own frailty. We live in a constant state of shelter. We stay in our towns and know that the nearest hospital is only a few miles away. We see the comforting presence of our fellow human beings all around us. Out on the Arctic Plains you can be over a hundred miles in every direction from a town, a gas station, anything. You stand and look and realize that your securities are gone. Trees or hills which might divert your attention from the fact that you're on your own and tiny are absent. The concept of forever takes on a new meaning. It's like looking at the stars, but with stargazing there is relief. Look at the land around you and you'll see something, anything to bring you back to your own sense of time, place, and scale. In the Arctic, you have no relief. There is no comforting presence. There will be no darkness to hide it. It's endless day in the endless plains.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtJfUThZl2vZyHItAy_1V9AreXEHcwROcKFr6681V91zZQvUOs4v7i0qGNZFHixBeAQBNA2si7gfCBE2fHV_wklD-zANIBoiOKLEv8hbai5P1msaefCaFdTy3in2mNlobjqr-zSM2n_uRo/s1600-h/IMG_0878.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtJfUThZl2vZyHItAy_1V9AreXEHcwROcKFr6681V91zZQvUOs4v7i0qGNZFHixBeAQBNA2si7gfCBE2fHV_wklD-zANIBoiOKLEv8hbai5P1msaefCaFdTy3in2mNlobjqr-zSM2n_uRo/s320/IMG_0878.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226289765003958898" /></a><br />But eventually they do end. There is an end of the road. It's called Deadhorse. I don't know what I expected to find there, but I know I hadn't expected the reality. Deadhorse is the support town for the Prudhoe Bay oilfield. It's a world-class industrial operation. The only way to describe the architectural style is Soviet. There's more heavy eqiupment there than I have seen in my life. The sound is a constant drone of diesel engines. There are heavy and light machinery repair shops. There are six airports, over a dozen companies, and everything you could possibly need to pump and transport oil and anything you could possibly need to repair or replace that stuff. It's incredibly well concieved and organized, but I still can help but think that it's out of place. <br /><br />You have to buy a tour to go the Arctic Ocean because of oil company security regulations, but we had to go. The Arctic is calm and not very salty, but it is cold. Greg brought a bathing suit and decided to swim, but I only went wading.<br /><br />Our return trip, we saw it all a second time and even some musk oxen to finish it off. The musk ox looks like a moving brown stack of hay at first, but then you see horns and decide to convince yourself that this is a real animal. A baby musk ox looks exactly like an adult, but smaller. They're easily the strangest animal I've ever seen.<br /><br />We stopped on the northern side of the Brooks Range and watched the midnight sun. It looked like it was about 6pm at home. That much daylight really does mess with you. It's tough to know when to sleep and when to eat and when to be awake, but if you make yourself, you can believe that it's time to sleep, so that's what we did.<br /><br />There's more to come, as always.Jason Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01461099823515269993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781963656905209886.post-7668202433490387152008-07-07T12:49:00.000-07:002008-07-23T10:26:37.583-07:00The Alaska HighwayWell, I'm sorry it's been so long. Internet and cell service have once again been difficult to come by. We're now in Cooper's Landing, AK on the Kenai Peninsula. It's been over 3,000 hard miles since the last entry, so I'll try my best to catch you up. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtBTtu81jZms_phmYfn7UX6hzhDdASHLRgdniA8Y6qn8eFdlJACS6fX3y0nNZSNr9iuEl0eMPrlh9hwszM72So7Ji_jsfcs9NIShRQaAdTrg_9w78mAcdwuu3W4hQQPHlCvZ9pabGIEAvs/s1600-h/IMG_0765.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtBTtu81jZms_phmYfn7UX6hzhDdASHLRgdniA8Y6qn8eFdlJACS6fX3y0nNZSNr9iuEl0eMPrlh9hwszM72So7Ji_jsfcs9NIShRQaAdTrg_9w78mAcdwuu3W4hQQPHlCvZ9pabGIEAvs/s320/IMG_0765.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226258615682437634" /></a><br />We left Edmonton to head north to Alaska. The word, "highway" has a different meaning up here than it does in the lower 48. A highway essentailly is any paved road of any size, but even some dirt roads qualify. The Alaska Highway is mostly two lane and paved, but there are some pretty long gravel sections. After Edmonton, you travel to Dawson Creek, BC. Dawson Creek is a fairly large town and the official start of the highway. The terrain is exceptionally flat in this section, but rather than the grassy plains of the US, there is the great boreal forest. Endless conifers line the road in uniform green for literally hundreds of miles. After Dawson Creek, there is a long series of river valleys and eventually, you reach Fort Nelson. Fort Nelson is the last thing most people would call a town before Whitehorse. From here in, towns consist of a gas station, a restaurant, and a hotel. That's it. At Watson Lake, there's an interesting roadside attraction. The Watson Lake Signpost Forest contains well over 60,000 signs and license plates from all over the world. Chances are that wherever you're from there's already a sign here for you, but you are encouraged to add your own. We found a sign from Buford, GA and a Lightnin' RV license plate! <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJDrEQ_YiSfDRuLaLUq4z-QXCbi4wH20I6d_V42Xn1ZwQ50kExWBGRcYUSbTTYIpfSLCfei8UdAhMK0hj_-UyYi5AGX9gjlVcnl7T-7DkRbwYrZ6rVFPEJFSFvRJEM5Mf7YEh38lJH_ePA/s1600-h/IMG_0775.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJDrEQ_YiSfDRuLaLUq4z-QXCbi4wH20I6d_V42Xn1ZwQ50kExWBGRcYUSbTTYIpfSLCfei8UdAhMK0hj_-UyYi5AGX9gjlVcnl7T-7DkRbwYrZ6rVFPEJFSFvRJEM5Mf7YEh38lJH_ePA/s320/IMG_0775.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226260498284533810" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifhrxZRKVxJ-ypX0j1lwSHlcqrnpbba-9cz8cX7FAvZzVYVdAx5CG2_OsxpT6bk52nZgv9ePikgThtwi_YaCssnIx69RFQDZQTubaPZerxGy0307cyVeok8U6aVmdshh763W1BMIw8UuYP/s1600-h/IMG_0786.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifhrxZRKVxJ-ypX0j1lwSHlcqrnpbba-9cz8cX7FAvZzVYVdAx5CG2_OsxpT6bk52nZgv9ePikgThtwi_YaCssnIx69RFQDZQTubaPZerxGy0307cyVeok8U6aVmdshh763W1BMIw8UuYP/s320/IMG_0786.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226260500122650242" /></a><br /><br />On the road we saw some elk and buffalo as well as Stone Sheep, a close relative of the Bighorn that lives in BC and the Northen Territories, and a bunch of black bears. We one sow with two cubs and two others with one each. They were grazing on shrubs that grow on the side of the road. Greg got great photographs. The next day on the road from Watson Lake to Whitehorse we saw three grizzlies doing the same thing. They were content to watch us from the shoulder and eat wildflowers. We then pressed on to Tok, AK. We were excited to finally be in Alaska and back in the USA. Canada is nice, but Alaska feels like home in comparison. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbXJ5TI-4QsJuhrD_stR7a06zOJqOe0vHmEfrWe482Oj7mrnw_ctgSzua4oQ6U9BFcv__HwOD0RWGGl1B5xBWIYDmWYNhnu0ZUtAjLyxKZYf2zjh31TXx02zbfzmT3U1eMBegKyYxkjsNv/s1600-h/IMG_0821.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbXJ5TI-4QsJuhrD_stR7a06zOJqOe0vHmEfrWe482Oj7mrnw_ctgSzua4oQ6U9BFcv__HwOD0RWGGl1B5xBWIYDmWYNhnu0ZUtAjLyxKZYf2zjh31TXx02zbfzmT3U1eMBegKyYxkjsNv/s320/IMG_0821.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226261298977284962" /></a><br />From Tok, we drove North. Tok is at about 65 degress N latitude, and we stayed up to 10:30 looking for the sun to set, but the sun was still very high in the sky, so we decided to call it. From Tok, the road continues to Delta Junction and the official end of the Alaska Highway. It's 1444 miles from Dawson Creek to Delta Junction. There's a lot more for me to narrate, and it onlt gets better, but the fish are calling me from the river, so I'll continue catching up tomorrow.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi06wCgJm1LvF9hP2NbSDKuTNtKYFcBbiYASTKQ7clSTSKpkiS_F4uJQftajc0GXe2uO-MWRHpBeYFLGRxRz6CYEQaZD5qTv8PUEUUxBl_bCOGT-2i_EZK5zdovqTbbWcVt0Aj6LaQRH1xm/s1600-h/IMG_0822.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi06wCgJm1LvF9hP2NbSDKuTNtKYFcBbiYASTKQ7clSTSKpkiS_F4uJQftajc0GXe2uO-MWRHpBeYFLGRxRz6CYEQaZD5qTv8PUEUUxBl_bCOGT-2i_EZK5zdovqTbbWcVt0Aj6LaQRH1xm/s320/IMG_0822.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226261956091642738" /></a>Jason Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01461099823515269993noreply@blogger.com1