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The Tip of Antarctica
On our penultimate day at sea, Captain Cardestig skillfully navigated the Viking Octantis around the peninsula’s northeastern tip for an early morning view of Joinville Island’s glacial headlands and ice-capped peaks.
We anchored outside a dense track of pack ice that can make it challenging to approach landfall at Tay Head.
Those fortunate enough to be scheduled for daily excursions…
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Penguins Aplenty
Leah and I departed Admiralty Bay with an uncertain itinerary. Although our Antarctic journey was dedicated to scientific pursuits, we marveled at extraordinary ice structures and watched chinstrap penguins on Astrolabe Island...
Leah and I bid adieu to Admiralty Bay, with “John and George” (our yellow submarines) safely stowed in the ship’s hangar. We also wished a speedy recovery to our medevacked shipmate.
Our journey continued past a leopard seal lounging on an ice floe designed for one, but our heading was uncertain.
Viking Octantis was now operating in uncharted, metaphorical waters. With our predetermined…
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#Adelie penguins#Astrolabe Island#chinstrap penguin#Citizen Science#Gentoo penguins#King George Island#Oceanites
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Totality
I’m not generally nostalgic. However, t’s been 7 years since my last total eclipse, and it’s been 7 years since this blog was created. So, it’s fitting that these two anniversaries should align like heavenly bodies.
Unfortunately, I will not be in the pathway of “No Sun Day on Monday,” but I will virtually celebrate by dusting off the experience that Leah and I memorialized in Corvallis,…
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Under the Weddell Sea
An unexpected medical emergency aboard Viking Octantis dramatically changed our travel plans. Rather than repositioning overnight to Damoy Point to explore historic British and Argentine huts, Captain Cardestig rerouted the ship and raced north to King George Island in the South Shetland Islands to facilitate a medical evacuation for a sick passenger.
Consequently, all future excursions were…
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Kayaking in Antarctica
Leah and I wrestled our way into pricey polar drysuits in preparation for kayaking in Chiriguana Bay, a protected inlet on the southern end of Brabant Island in the Palmer Archipelago.
We strained to pull our heads and hands through unforgiving latex gaskets that promised to seal in our body heat while preventing icy water from infiltrating our suits, effectively turning us into human buoys in…
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Cuverville Island, Antarctica
Our journey continued beyond the early morning detour through Lemaire Channel. Viking Octantis set a course for nearby Cuverville Island, a protected rock lying between Arctowski Peninsula,
and the northern tip of Rongé Island, west of Graham Land.
Leah and I were keen to arrive at our first landing zone–originally scheduled days earlier by Pamela, Viking’s onboard program director, whose team…
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Behold, the Lemaire Channel
A familiar voice woke us from the public address speaker above our bed. I checked my watch; it was 6:45 AM:
“Good morning, everyone. This is your captain from the bridge. We are approaching a special spot along the Antarctic Peninsula known as Lemaire Channel, and after discussing with my officers, we will be cruising through this waterway because today it’s mostly free of large icebergs that…
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Fournier Bay
It was a dramatic crossing from Ushuaia to the Antarctic Peninsula, and the reward was visceral.
When seas had finally calmed, relieved passengers emerged from their cloistered cabins, looking refreshed and revitalized, with a “what’s-for-breakfast” look on their faces. There was a literal pep in their step as they attacked the buffet on Deck 6.
I attended the 10 A.M. daily briefing in the…
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Sailing the Drake Passage
While Leah and I enjoyed a gourmet buffet lunch aboard Viking Octantis, Captain Bo Joergen Cardestig and crew readied our ship for departure. The gangway was pulled while we were docked across from Celebrity Eclipse with capacity for 5700 guests,
and I was instantly grateful that we’d be cruising with 700 like-minded wanderlusters aboard a Polar Class 6 vessel that was purposely engineered to…
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Urban South America
Two of South America's great urban centers--Santiago, Chile and Buenos Aires, Argentina served as designated transfers on our journey to the bottom of the world, but time would not allow Leah and me to explore our interim surroundings to the fullest.
Two of South America’s great urban centers–Santiago, Chile and Buenos Aires, Argentina served as designated transfers on our journey to the bottom of the world, but time would not allow Leah and me to explore our interim surroundings to the fullest. Nevertheless, we hit the ground running,
utilizing the long summer days to our advantage and netting a few memorable moments and postcard pearls to…
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Atacama Postscript
Heaven forbids, I should neglect to mention that San Pedro de Atacama--given its high altitude, and being as dry and remote as it is--also has the darkest sky on the planet, making it ideal for stargazing
Heaven forbids, I should neglect to mention that San Pedro de Atacama–given its high altitude, and being as dry and remote as it is–also has the darkest sky on the planet, making it ideal for stargazing. And astronomers from across the globe are betting that ALMA’s array of 66 dishes–comprising the world’s largest ground-based telescope–can provide answers about our cosmic origins and our search…
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Atacama Colors
Despite the monochromatic omnipresence of shifting sand and salt across the Atacama Desert, there is an abundance of color to behold in other regions of Antofagasta.
Despite the monochromatic omnipresence of shifting sand and salt across the Atacama Desert (observed from previous post, “Atacama Desert”)–
aside from the occasional splash of flamingo pink–
there is an abundance of color to behold in other regions of Antofagasta. Leah and I joined our expedition colleagues…
for a 90-minute drive north through remote, rugged terrain and narrow switchbacks, to…
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Atacama Desert
Rather than go thru the details of how we got here, suffice to say that 2 days of inconvenient travel brought us to the Chilean Andes to experience the highest and driest desert on earth.
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to experience the highest and driest desert on earth (averaging 13,000 ft. elevation), where temperatures can fluctuate between 0oC and 25oC, and rainfall averages 2 mm of rain per year with a humidity factor of .02%.
The area is so vast, it spans Chile, Peru, Argentina, and Bolivia.
But despite the hostile environment, flora and fauna still manages to survive.
Our first destination was the…
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#Antofagasta#Atacama Desert#flamingos#lithium#Los Flamencos#San Pedro de Atacama#Sector Soncor#Valley of the Moon
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Trips Ahoy!
It’s a new year, and there has never been a better time for Leah and me to explore our world. We are always up for a challenge, so we’ve decided to begin 2024 with our most ambitious adventure yet.
It’s a new year, and there has never been a better time for Leah and me to explore our world. We are always up for a challenge, so we’ve decided to begin 2024 with our most ambitious adventure yet. Not satisfied with returning to some of our favorite destinations–not that there’s anything wrong with familiar places—we booked a bucket list trip over a year ago that would literally take us out of…
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#Cartegena#Panama City#Puerto Limon#Riviera Maya#San Pedro de Atacama#Santiago Chile#Tel Aviv#Victoria#Zion National Park
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Going West
Life happens and it’s been challenging at times to juggle travel with business affairs, personal affairs and blogging. And with the passage of each passing day, it’s become increasingly more difficult to return to summer events with the same vitality...
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Colorado Springs
Leah and I arrived in Colorado Springs, where we liaised with Leah's daughter, Carrie and her clan to enjoy a camping adventure together during the Independence Day holiday weekend, and it was action-packed.
Leah and I arrived in Colorado Springs, where we liaised with Leah’s daughter, Carrie and her clan to enjoy a camping adventure together during the Independence Day holiday weekend, and it was action-packed.
Hiking one mile into Guffey Gorge…
brought us to Paradise Cove, a swimming hole popular among local adolescents who come to cool off from the 100oF heat and flex their courage muscles by…
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#Colorado Springs#Garden of the Gods#Guffey Gorge#Manitou Springs#Paradise Cove#Royal Gorge#U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum
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Kansas Highs and Lows
I never considered Kansas to be particularly picturesque (no offense, Kansas), and rarely in the running for Most Beautiful State title.
I never considered Kansas to be particularly picturesque (no offense, Kansas), and rarely in the running for Most Beautiful State title.
Driving westbound on I-70, my initial impression of Kansan landscape was a blur of high plains, pastureland and fields of fodder as far as the eye could see. The drive was basically a bore and staying alert was becoming a challenge. I glanced at Leah. She was…
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