My skis remembered what to do.  I did not.  Ten yards out of the parking lot, I caught an edge in an ice rut and toppled in a heap.  Looking around, I saw no one watching.  I got up, dusted the ice crystals off, adjusted my ski pants, and again prepared to glide gracefully down the track of the slight hill.

It had been a year since I had laced up the cross country ski boots and clipped into the bindings.  Today the sky was bright blue with a few puffy white clouds over Iron Mountain in Jackson New Hampshire.  The snow had a faint tint of blue from the reflected sky.  A slight breeze and warm sun made the day quite comfortable.  I pushed off with my poles and let the slope take me down.

Gliding, wind in my face, the “shwoosh” of the skis over the granular snow; it felt good to be on the snow again.  The trail crosses the golf course and leaves Jackson Village by way of the red covered bridge over the Ellis River.  Along the trail side there were a dozen sets of small poles and jackets.  It looked like there was a group lesson for elementary school kids.

Ski Lesson by Jack Holmes

Up ahead, on the little hill that led to the covered bridge, I could see a dozen or so people.  There were two handfuls of kids, without poles, learning how to cross country ski.  An instructor, a few parents and some adult skiers were watching the second graders.  The kids skied up the incline and turned into the downhill tracks.  They crouched and slid down the incline.  The track kept their skis pointing straight.  Some were holding their bodies tight with apprehension while others were loose and really enjoying themselves.  The apprehensive ones used a wide wedge step to climb the hill.  Some other kids had figured how to “run” straight up the hill on tiptoes.

We skied through the bridge and headed towards the beautiful Ellis River Trail.  It was mid-week and there were not many skiers on the trail.  The snow was well groomed loose granular and packed powder.  Sweet!  The snow was fast and the glide was good.  It became cooler in the woods and I took off the sunglasses.  We skied along the trail that we have skied for three decades.  There are a number of loops and turn-a-rounds but it can be as long as 15 kilometers one way.  There were few parts of the trail where you could get some interesting hills but not many.  For experienced skiers, it is a good training run for distance and speed.  Ski skaters love to run this trail.

In the October of 2010, a slight earthquake on very wet land caused the hill side to slump into the river.  A 1000 foot piece of the riverbank trail was destroyed.  A quick make-do repair was accomplished for the winter season.  In fall of 2011, a new and more difficult trail was constructed.  It is not a gentle trail for beginners.  It rises steeply to view points of Mt Washington that had not been visible before.  Down hills are challenging when the snow is fast and hard packed.  Today, there were boot tracks on the side of the trail.  Some skiers had chosen not to ski the new trail.  Skiing required competent edge work to climb and descend.

As we climbed, it became just a bit cooler and the wind had risen a little.  It sang “rrrrr” in the high branches, occasionally dropping down and sweeping along the trail.  A beech leaf, dried tan and rolled like a cone, had fallen onto the snow.

Rolled Beech by Jack Holmes

The wind rolled it along, then off the track and into the forest.  At the viewpoint near height of land we stopped. My under-layer shirt, damp from the exertion of the climb, felt chilly.  I pulled the jacket zipper higher and my cap lower.   Snow covered Mt Washington rose majestically into the blue.  The white outlines of the weather station on top were clearly visible against the sky.  We had never seen this view from the trail before.

Rested, we turned and headed back towards Jackson down the hard, fast snow of the new trail.  Snaking turns, interesting dips.  The wind whistled by.  “SHwuoosh” as the skis glided over the snow.  “Sccrrape” as the edges bit in on the turns. No straight track running here.  ”rrrrrr” in the high branches.  Around the last turn and onto the long slight downhill, I double poled once for a short glide on the straight run-out.  Then, I slowed and stopped to see that Meg had made the challenging turns and was following.

I remembered our two kids skiing with us two decades ago on a hill like this.  David was about 10.  He would tuck and crouch low.  Hands together out front of his body and with his poles tucked back under his arms, he let the hill take him down.  A grin spread wide across his face and the light of excitement in his eye.  Amanda was 14.  She would double pole for the initial speed and then stand flexed slightly forward, skis in a slight snowplow.  She glided with her arms out and her poles a bit back, hair flying behind in the wind and a smile wide across her face.

Meg had made the turn under control, loosened up, and confidently skied into the straight track.  I turned and double poled over a slight rise and down the inclined trail.  “SHwuoosh”.   My eyes had tears…from the cold wind.

“travel light and wear a smile.”  Jack Holmes

HeyBoysAndGirls,

We are home and doing the catch up home stuff that was undone for 25 days.  Leaving Buenas Aires was a trip!  The flight to BA from Iguassu Falls was not a problem especially since the welcoming weather was 85 with a stiff breeze off the river.  That was great after the high humidity and high 90s of the days in Brazil.  Saturday morning, we repacked the three bags for the return to the USA.  One “cold” bag was to be checked and the other two carry-ones were set.  Saturday was spent walking around some accessible parts of the city that we had not been to; Puerto Madiero, San Telmo, and other previously visited venues.

Skateboarder by Jack Holmes

San Telmo by Jack Holmes

Our taxi to the airport was set for 8PM for our midnight flight.  Easy time for the short 20 km drive.  HOlycRAP the lines of people waiting to check in!!!  Was everyone in the city heading out of the country at midnight??!  End of the holidays?  After about 30 minutes in one unmoving line, a “helpful” employee suggested that we might try the automatic check in kiosk, even though we had a bag to check.  OK.  Done!  Then we joined another longslowline to “drop bags”.  Some groups/families had TONS of BAGS, and a few had the family dog in a large crate!!  Finally, we leave our one bag and head off with our two backpacks…..to the amazing set of passport control lines.  People are late for planes and are panicking.  Some folks let them cut the line.  How about airport security lines?  The same pluggedtrafficjam!  It wasn’t that anyone was incompetent but the place was not just designed for the volume of traffic that was exiting BA late on that Saturday evening.  It took 2 hours just to get to the departure gate.  I tried to change Argentinian pesos back to US$ and got nowhere.  To do it they wanted an original ATM receipt for the money?? AreYouShittingMe?  (Argentinian reciprocity for American requirements on South Americans after 9/11.  Do this make you feel safer?)  Oh yeah and then to board the US bound plane, you had to go through another security screening!!  These guys and gals had blue latex gloves on?!  Exhausted, I passed up the dinner that was served at 1AM and slept.  I’d wait for breakfast over Cuba.

Miami before sunrise.  You must collect your bags and then go through passport control and customs again.  At least they separated the US residents and citizens from the others.  Still if you are a resident but not a citizen you must do a whole series of electronic finger prints of all ten fingers.  Nice touch, they didn’t require kids to do it.  You could see the kids wanted to do the fingerprint thing but tough cookies there is a long line behind you.  No problems for me in Miami passport control any longer.  (I used to get major questioning 2007 and 2008; my name is ?close to/same as? a ?drug dealer/offender? from Illinois?  In 2008, my newly elected Congresswoman, Niki Tsongas, helped straighten out the confusion with TSA.)

SkyTrain and long corridors later we settled in for a 5 hour layover.  CNN on the TV screen; the first USA news I had seen in three weeks.  Nothing changes, same political gamesmanship.  We bought some sandwiches for the flight home (no food on domestic flights.)  We settled in at our gate to wait for boarding but notice that there is no plane an hour before we were to takeoff.  Crap!  A gate change to another terminal.  Another SkyTrain and long corridor later.   We settled in for a short wait to board.  The flight is oversold by 6 people.  They wanted volunteers to wait 4 more hours in exchange for $300 each.  We are tired and just want to go home.  [Tip: with carry-ons you need get to the front of the boarding line as the boarding group before yours is called. This gives you a chance to find an overhead near you seat to hold the backpack.]  Travel days can be tedious.

A Boston afternoon on the Sunday horizon!  Not freezing and NO SNOW; good deal.  An easy shuttle ride to our Park and Ride 1/3 mile down the street from the house. Then just a short walk home before sunset.

HomeAgainJigidityJig.

Empty Chair by Jack Holmes

“Travel light and wear a smile.”  Jack Holmes

HeyHotDays,

Travel days are sometimes tiring and frustrating.  That is not to say the return across the Drake was frustrating.  It was the usual pitching and rolling but this time not as bad as the previous passage.  Only a few times were people thrown from their dinner table chairs.  Much laughter and no one injured.  You have to remember to keep your feet OUTSIDE of the chair legs.  And always hold the table with a free hand.  A roll of 15 degrees was not unheard of, but it was the unpredictable timing of the rolling that was the problem.

Ushuaia Harbor by Jack Holmes

We disembarked the ship in Ushuaia after breakfast on Tuesday, Jan 3rd.  Transfer to the tiny airport for 5 hour wait.  Free WiFi but SLOW and intermittent so any posting was not happening.  We landed Buenas Aires late afternoon and had a good supper at local San Telmo neighborhood establishment.  Now we selectively repacked for a short 3 day visit to the “tropics”.  Two bags left behind.   It was to be in the mid-90s and humid in Iguassu Falls, Brazil and Argentina.

Five of us on the Antarctica trip had booked the extension trip to Iguassu Falls.  It was much cheaper as an extension than doing it on your own.  Border crossing should be easier as well.  Todd from Toronto, Canada did not have the $140 visa for Brazil so he would have to hotel 2 nights and tour only on the Argentina side of the park.  A Melbourne couple, Walter and Veronica, and Meg and I would hotel two nights in Brazil and visit both sides.  The airport is in Argentina and is close to both side of the park and the towns near it.  The tour was to be handled by a subcontractor.  Apparently, this is not an uncommon occurrence in the industry.

The border crossing(s) was something to experience.  The driver colleced the passports of the passengers and did the navigation of the paper work.  That WAS A GOOD THING.  But the line of trucks, buses, cars, and tourist vans was amazing.  Miles on the road.  Special lanes and windows for each type of vehicle/situation.  It took 45 minutes to exit Argentina.  Across the river border and into the Brazilian passport control.  Not to be out done by the Argentinians, more of the same from the Brazilians.   8 miles from airport to hotel took 2 hours! with for the border crossing on Wednesday afternoon.  Oh yeah Brazil clocks were 1 hour different from Argentina; 4 PM Argentina = 5 PM Brazil.

We were deposited by the driver at the hotel in the small city, Foz de Iguaco with no written info and only a “Pickup is at 8 AM in the lobby”.  For people who like solid information about what is to happen and who to contact, this was far from satisfactory.  Grumbles from the two couples but in the 95 degree evening, we went out for Brazilian BBQ.  Tasty and not expensive.

After returning from dinner and having a cool-warm, refreshing shower, our guide phoned with some details.  Still no written info.  Next morning, we were joined by three more couples from around the world to visit the Argentinian side of the Park.  Pre or Post trip extension tours can be “throw-togethers”.  Two of the “new” couples had done Brazilian park the day before with the guide.  The three new couples and our guy in Argentina (to be picked up after the border crossings!!?) would do Argentinian side today and then Brazil side the next day.  Confused?  We were as well.  The Thursday morning border crossing only took one hour.

Miles of cars to get into the Argentinian side of the park.  Since we the guide had our tickets already, we went into a in faster lane than those in the long line that did not have the tickets.  “12,000 visitors a day on this side.”  He knew the short cuts inside the park to avoid the big lines.  But nothing can prepare you for the crowds on the walkways to the Falls.  Bumpertobumper and wait for a space at the rail to shoot.

The Drop by Jack Holmes

DownStream by Jack Holmes

But the Falls ARE AMAZING, Niagara Falls times 5 or 6.  Multi leveled falls, spray everywhere, dozens of rainbows in the spray.  The temperature above 95^o F (36 ^o C) and very humid.

Meg and I opted not to take the boat into the spray on the river…”You will get drenched.  Have a change of clothes ready.”  We were looking for the scenics and there were countless versions of multilayered, rainbowed thousand foot drop waterfalls.  This place is deserving of the Wonders of the World UNESCO designation.

Rainbow by Jack Holmes

Friday three couples, and a new one, visited the Brazilian side.   Entry at 9 AM gave us somewhat smaller crowds and temperatures in the mid-80s.  It was a bit anti-climactic after the views and spray of the day before on the Argentina side.  Our views were mainly distance views of the AMAZING miles and miles of falls on the Argentinian side.  There were a few intimate shots of the Brazil side that might make good wall art.  Still an amazing sight with tremendous rainbows.  And an easy set of border crossings that evening.

“Travel light and wear a smile.”  Jack Holmes

New Year's Eve Day by Jack Holmes

Happy New Year,

In the afternoon of New Years Day, we are pitching and ROLLING (15^o) through the Drake Passage.  The ten wet landings and three long zodiac cruises have been accomplished; two of the landings ON the Continent.  South of the Circle but the landing was iced out., but we got to see hunting Orcas instead  Temperatures have been consistently in the 30s.  Sometimes we are out in a light wind driven snow.

Meg at Brown Station Antarctica by Jack Holmes

The parkas are quite warm.  The waterproof pants and waterproof boots are required to protect from the 29^o water on wet landings.

We have covered over 1700 nautical miles so far.  We have seen five kinds of penguins; Gentoo, Chinstrap, and Adelie in their range, and Macaroni and King “off course”.  Orcas, minke, humpback whales; Crabeater, Weddell, Leopard, and Elephant seals as well as many local birds.  We are hoping to see albatross in the Passage.  Coming south we saw a couple of black-browed albatross but not the wandering and the royal albatross.

We had left King George Island area of the South Shetlands after New Year’s Eve dinner, slowly sailing westward toward Nelson Island.  New Year’s Eve party needed to be in quiet waters.  Jan 1st Sunday at 12:20 AM the boat turned north 90 ^o from the sheltered westerly course and headed north towards the Drake.  Weather maps showed a system that said the passage would not be the Lake but a typical rolling pitching one.

Recrossing the Drake by Jack Holmes

It has not yet been as bad as our southerly run with the rolls consistently over 20^o.  Then the dining room was closed and sandwiches were brought to your cabin.  Still today, when sitting in a chair, you had to place your feet wider than the chair legs for stability.  The chair has an anchor chain attached to the floor.  At breakfast someone was thrown sideways out of their chair and the chain pulled out of the chair bottom.  She crashed the guy beside her and knocked him out of his chair.  Plates were airborne.  The anchor chain screws were pulled out of the chair when a big roll shifted her weight to the side.  No injuries.  Much laughter as we all made sure we had our feet placed wide and the anchor secured to the floor.

Tuesday we will return to Ushuaia harbor and disembark ship on Wednesday morning.  Then we fly back to Buenas Aires and then Thursday on to Iguassu Falls on the Argentina-Brazil border.

“Travel light and wear a smile.”  Jack Holmes

Greetings from the South,

CircleToast by Jack Holmes

We made a long run for the Circle on Tuesday the 27th.  We hoped for a landing below the Circle but the pack ice prevented it.  So we toasted the crossing of 66^o33′ with champagne at 2:30 PM.

Then, since there was no landing possible in the vicinity, we turned around and headed back north.  For speed we cruised in open water.  Swells were there but not as bad as Drake.  Meg got a little under the weather as she did not have a seasick patch on.  The seasick wrist bracelet, I think, is more placebo then effective.

Sunrise in the Lemaire Channel by Jack Holmes

Wednesday morning, we entered the Lemaire Channel from the south.  With no breeze, the deep water was a black mirror.  Black rock cliffs with white snow and ice, and floating blue shaded bergybits of ice reflected in the mirror.  Growlers hollow-banged against the hull of the ship.  The Channel, really like a fjord, is very narrow and deep.  It sits between high sheer cliffs of rock and ice.  Clouds shawled the peaks and draped the shoulders of the mountains.  High, through a thinning cloud cover, the sun sent shadows.  These were the first shadows seen in a week.  Patches of blue sky began to appear.

A lot of brash ice floating like chunky slush in a lake.  Bergybits and pack ice clogged the Channel near Pleneau Island.

Panorama by Jack Holmes

As the ship moved forward, the ice banged against the hull and echoed through the ship.  But there was no way through.  Not safe to lower zodiacs either.  So they lowered the anchor and we sat for an hour in the calm, under a blue sky and with 50^o F air.  Hot cocoa with whipped cream and Kahlua was served.  [Later we found out that the ship stopped had to do an oil filter change on one of the engines.  “I need both engines in this place.” The Captain told the engine room.]

We cruised back out the way we came in.  Ice flows with solitary Leopard seals, another flow had two Crabeater seals (they do not eat crabs!!  Improper name that stuck.).  Penguins swimming.  Absolutely breathe taking scenery.  At the southerly end of the Channel, we turned out into the Gerlache Strait, and headed northeast for Neko Harbor and a second continental landing.

Calm and was almost hot [40^oF] in the early afternoon.  The call, “Orcas ahead of the ship.” came in mid-afternoon.  There were dozens of Orcas all around.

Orca

The young were being trained to hunt penguins.  A minke or two was also about but staying beside the ship to avoid the hunting orcas.  A hand full of orcas would chase a penguin.  The penguin would streak and dart to get away.  It might get air-born a bit in the process.  BUT the orcas closed in.  One tossed the hapless penguin into the air, caught it in his mouth, and disappeared below the surface.  (Yes.  I have the sequence in the camera.)

Orca and Penguin by Jack Holmes

With so much action, we did not get to Neko in time to do a long zodiac landing.  The 20 sea kayakers went out again for paddle.  The second continental landing happened, late and shorter than planned but…  Dinner was moved back an hour.  Camping groups got out later onto islands nearby.  We did never got off the waiting list for camping.

A long and memorable day.

“Travel light an wear a smile.”  Jack Holmes

Good Boxing Day,

This is the procedure to go ashore.  Your group is called to the “mudroom” on the second deck where boots, zodiac life jackets are stored.  You are “dressed for the worst but hoping for the best”.  Five upper body clothes layers; inner wicking layer, second thin layer, fleece layer, parka with down layer and a Gore-Tex layer. Two or three leg layers – (insulated wicking if very cold or windy), warm XC ski pants, and waterproof pants.  Three foot layers – wicking liner, thick warm sock, waterproof boots.  Fleece hat, waterproof gloves for zodiac and then thinner working gloves for land/camera work.  Orange lifejacket on top.  Your camera/pack, perhaps in dry bags, is extra.

Now dressed, get into the line.  The Checker sees that you are properly dressed.  Hand your identity swipe card to the Cardman at the computer, step into the disinfectant tube to clean your boots and bottom of your waterproof pants.  Out the ship’s door and down the external gangway to the zodiac.  Sailor’s grip to transfer to the zodiac, sit on the inflated wall, and get ready to go.  Zodiacs carry 8 or 10 passengers plus driver depending on conditions.  With waves and wind, you will get sprayed.  The return is basically the same procedure.  There is one additional step.  Boots and pant legs are washed down to remove salt water.  The salt destroys Gore-Tex and other gear.

Mudroom Return by Jack Holmes

Monday the 26^th is Boxing Day, we went to Port Lockroy on Weinke Island,.  This former WWII secret British listening post had been abandoned after the war.  It is now being restored and staffed by the British Heritage Trust.  There are a handful of young people doing the work of restoration, penguin research, and greeting the “on average, one ship a day” visitors.  They have a gift $hop and the southern most public mail box in the world.  Mail is picked up by a supply vessel, sometime, and taken to the Falklands, then flown to Britain, and then sent to the addressee.  How long??! to get there?

Port Lockroy by Jack Holmes

At 3PM with snow in the air, we sailed into an icy Paradise Harbor on the Palmer Peninsula of the Antarctica Continent.  Icebergs, and burgy bits, and growlers galore in the calm gray mirror water.  Blue-turquoise holes and patches in the white and gray ice.  The blue light is not absorbed by the airless, facet less ice and compacted snow.  In the foggy and snowy air, we could see a set of red buildings of the Argentinian Brown Station.

Half of the passengers landed at Brown.  Our half rode zodiac beneath the cliffs in the icy bay.  Two surprising sounds; the sudden crack-boom of snow/ice avalanches off the cliffs or calving of icebergs off glaciers, and the constant hollow “bump” by the growlers against the zodiac.  Other sounds that broke the quiet were chatters and calls of nesting birds echoed off walls of ice and rock; Cape petrels, Antarctic terns, and others. Then in a quiet time with the zodiac engine throttled, the sound of a “blow”; an Antarctic Minke whale swimming the calm bay off to our left.

At 4:15 PM, our zodiac landed.  Meg and I stepped on the Continent for the first time and climbed the snowy hill behind the unmanned station.  Brown Station is mostly red with some Argentinian blue.

Brown Station by Jack Holmes

The rest of the scene is black and white with the members of our party dressed in black.  A few Gentoo penguins in black and white were watching us.

Tonight we are heading out into the open water of the Bismarck Strait for a run at the Antarctic Circle and a landing below the Circle.  If all is well that landing would be in mid-afternoon of the 27th.

“travel light and wear a smile.”  Jack Holmes

Greetings from the South,

Internet connection is really problematic here.  “Don’t even try when there are mountains around.  Even in the Straits, it is iffy for satellites.”  Internet co$$t is by the MB not the minute.  They publish a trip log at http://www.gadventures.com/marine/triplog-login/ Username = 111221, Password = expedition.  Check it out for details that certainly are more factual than mine.

ShipMap by Jack Holmes

Two days and four zodiac landings so far.  Sunday Christmas Day, we landed twice on Deception Island of the South Shetlands.  In the morning, it was a difficult one at Baily Head.  Zodiacs had to beach stern first!! so that they could go seaward again.  Deception Island is a collapsed caldera with a calm interior “bay” and a narrow bellows gap to the ocean.

Landing Stern First by Jack Holmes

Bailey Head has a chinstrap penguin colony of 120,000 breeding pairs.  Nests with eggs or chicks are all over.  So is penguin guano…piquant aroma for sure; fishychickenshit.  These birds have right of way.  They can approach you but not the other way around.  We are to keep a 5 meter space unless penguins decrease it; 25 meters from nests.  Do not walk on their well-trodden “penguin highway” paths in the snow.  One massive Weddell seal lounged on the beach.  At 30⁰ F, it was very warm for the birds even with the 20 knot wind.  We were comfortable in our goose down parkas.

Weddell Seal and Chinstrap Penguins by Jack Holmes

After lunch we entered the inner bay thru Neptune’s Bellows and into Telefon Bay.  Here was the most recent eruption spot from 1967 that destroyed the Chilean and British bases.  These small calderas were empty of water or snow.  The landscape reminded me of the Sandur of Iceland below Vatanjokul made of black volcanic basalt sand and tuff.  In some places there was shallow quicksand.  Here you might sink to above your ankles.  We always wear waterproof boots.  Here about 60 brave souls went for Polar Swim in 30⁰ water and 35⁰ air.  I photographed.  The idea of the cold pain, and putting a wet body back into clothes did not appeal to me; special Certificate Award be damned.

Poar Swim by Jack Holmes

Polar Swimmer by Jack Holmes

Spectator by Jack Holmes

“travel light and wear a smile.” Jack Holmes

Felices Fiestas,

Saturday morning “dawned” on a much calmer sea.  The rocking was slight but you still need to keep a hand on the ship.  It is much less wind today so the swells are OK.  We received our Canada Goose Expedition Parka this morning after breakfast.  It is a down under parka and a goretex over layer with a hood.  It is black and very stylish/functional.  When fully dressed we will look like the Michelin man in black.

Fan Tail byJack Holmes

With the jackets and calmer seas, we had opportunity to venture out on deck.  Cameras ready to “shoot” an albatross and petrels.  I could see that my cross country ski gloves would not deal with wetness at all.  I needed them for finger sensitivity on the controls but only in dry conditions.

Beginning in the morning there were a number of mandatory group sessions for the 129 passengers.  These are to prepare you for the continent and the zodiacs.  A visit to the mud room gave us our boots for the trip and a fitting session for life jackets over our parkas.   We all have a narrow section of bench to get dressed on.  We both also needed to see that our waterproof goretex trousers would fit over the boots.

It is snowing and Cape Petrels are flocking about the ship.  In a little bit we will head up to the Captains Welcome and then to Christmas Dinner. I have dress for the occasion.  I have put on shoes instead of sneakers and now my formal underware as well as my best shirt and old pants.  Oh yeah, Meg is much better dressed than me.   Rumor has it that a special visitor will be in the bar after dinner.  Tomorrow we hope to have two landings on South Shetland Islands.

Starter byJack Holmes

“travel light and wear a smile.”  Jack Holmes

Drake Passage;

We entered the Passage about 1 AM Friday.  As I woke up, I was aware of the rolling of the ship.  And I was aware of the rolling of my still digesting dinner in my stomach.  I purposely ate and drank light at dinner in preparation for the entrance into the turbulent seas of The Drake Passage.

There are about 130 passengers from all over the world of ages from early twenty to eighty on board.  For dinner we sat at a table for eight.  We were joined by four Australians and two Americans all middle age or retired.  Dee and Ray were originally from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania.  They now lived in Atlanta area.  She now taught 5th grade and he was a former Fedex manager and now a flight instructor.  Australian Mike was a Math teacher and his wife Julie had been a teacher before they had children.  Australians, Bob and Rob were retired from mining.  All seemed to have done some interesting travel.  Everyone shared stories of flights, connections, lost bags and other experiences.

M/S Expedition by Jack Holmes

Dinner was four courses that had good food well presented.  The amount was not so much that you would leave things on your plate.  We bought a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc to drink over two evening meals.  Tonight we had a starter of prosciutto and pear (J) or green salad (M), a soup of creamed spinach.  The entrée choices were an vegetarian spring roll and noodles (J), or tiger prawns (M), or pork chop.   Dessert choices included fresh fruit (J), crème brulee (M), or ice cream, or cheeses.  Our table was the last to leave the dining room at 10 PM.

Map by Jack Holmes

At 1 AM, after one 1 1/2 hour sleep cycle, I became aware of the rolling.  The Expedition Leader John had indicated that we would enter the Passage after midnight.  He hoped for the Drake Lake but would not be surprised if “King Neptune stuck his trident up our butt”, in fact he fully expected it.  The ship doctor recommended sea sickness meds be started before going to bed.  Meg had done that upon boarding at 4 PM.  I opted not.

I awoke again about 2:30.  Lying down was not a good idea.  Objects on the desk and night stand fell off and began to roll about, banging into vertical surfaces.  I could see the curtain above Meg’s bed and it seemed to swing 20⁰ out from the wall with the rolls.  When the ship rolled back the other way my feet were above my head and my stomach contents would slosh the other direction.

Out the 2′x4′ window, I could see waves and spray in the almost dark.  Everything was shades of grey.  I could make out a “horizon”.  Occasionally I thought I saw a white bird fly by the window.

Drake at 2AM by Jack Holmes

Drake at 2AM by Jack Holmes

I focused on the horizon when I could and watched the swells and spray.  Every once in a while, when we rolled really deep into a swell, the window was washed by a shot of spray and wave.  My stomach settled and I went back to a rolling sleep about 4PM.

Drake at 2AM by Jack Holmes

At 7AM, I sat up on the edge of the bed again. I was wearing soccer shorts for pajamas.  They are made of a shiny slippery material.  Too little friction between them and the sheets.  A deep roll slid me along the bed and off into the air.  I tried to gain some footing as the roll shot me to the door of the cabin.  Bang, I went into the door and fell to the floor.  I stood up, and the roll went back the other way.  I went flying back across the cabin and crashing into the bed and night stand.  I got a rug burn on one knee but damn good thing my crashes did not really injure anything.  Some surprise to be shot about the cabin like that.  I took off the soccer shorts; no more slid/fly with these on while in the Passage.  Crawling on all fours was the safe way to get about the cabin.

At 7:30, Leader John announced that the dining room was closed and staff would be delivering some breakfast to the cabins.  “We have plan A, but conditions determine if that is the plan that we follow.  It is prudent to stay in cabin.  Swells are 7-8 meters (22-27 feet), winds are steady 50 knots with gusts to 60.”

Drake at 7AM by Jack Holmes

Drake at 7AM by Jack Holmes

My stomach allowed me some yogurt and water from the breakfast offering.  Meg ate hers and a breakfast sandwich as well.  Sleepy, I crawled across the floor and got back under the covers and slept for 3 hours.  She did also.

Lunch was delivered at noon.  Sandwiches and water or soda.  John announced that the conditions were the same and walking about was not recommended.  We had changed course slightly to quarter into the wind to ease the rolling in the 7 meter swells.

Out the window we watch our entertainment.  Sky is shades of gray with no discernible cloud shapes.  The constant and irregular swells are blue-green-gray with white waves and splumes of spray.  Sea birds dart about.  There are at least three different types of petrels flying by.  Meg thought she saw an albatross.  I photographed one through the salty window.  It looks like a painting that was not well executed.

The rolling and pitching is making typing at the desk chore.  My feet are placed well outside the legs of the chair.  I am fairly stable but the small computer wants to slide across the desk.  The mouse went flying twice already.  The ship rolls but the keyboard does not. It is making my stomach roll.  I’d better go back to the bed. lean against the wall,  and watch the horizon.

Felices Fiestas y Solstice,

From the plane window I could see only blue water of the South Atlantic below the wing and a curve of cloud way out on the eastern horizon.  It was a 3 1/2 hour trip for the 3000 km from BA to Ushuaia.  Then into a bumpy cloud bank we flew.  It was a bit bouncy for a few minutes and then we began to see thinnings in the clouds.  All of a sudden jagged rock peaks, streaks of snow and ice in valleys and depressions appeared.  Valleys of rock and gray rivers twisted between the mountains in the range.  Then the gray Beagle Channel that separated two long ragged ranges appeared.

The city of Ushuaia spread out along the shores and up the slopes toward the mountains.  It was surprisingly spread out.  It is the capital of the province of Terra Del Fuego.  We banked into a turn to line up with the single runway that ran the center of an island in the Channel.  Smooth and on the line we landed.  Some folks applauded the Captain.  Still a bit exciting knowing that a few hundred yards to either side and we’d be in the cold water.

In the baggage area they checked for contraband fruit and vegetables.  Folks lined up at the only baggage claim conveyor.  An Official stood on the conveyor and announced in Spanish that unfortunately not all the baggage had been loaded back in Buenas Aires.  It would be delivered to your address after the next flight (tomorrow).  It is good that we had checked in early and found our “winter” bag on the conveyor.

Ushuaia; fin del mundo by Jack Holmes

A taxi ride took us the 8 km to our hostel in town.  Ushuaia has the look and feel of an Alaskan  coastal city.  It has Spanish as it’s language but you hear a lot of different ones here.  Businesses and shops are very busy.  It is a bustling town.  The main street through the business district, Avenida San Martin, is crowded with locals and travelers.

Avenida San Martin

High jagged peaks rise above the town.  A cold breeze blows grey clouds over the snowy peaks.  The rain began cold and in big drops as we walked away from the harbor.  Then “ouch” as small hail balls began to hit.   We ducked into a doorway to wait it out.  The day before Summer and it is a 45F hail shower with thunder.  With wet pants and soaked hat, we returned uphill to the hostel jumping torrents that ran down the street toward the harbor.

After 9PM we headed back down the street to a nearby restaurant “Kalma” that Meg had read many favorable reviews about in Trip Adviser.  Small with crisp modern decor, it had ten tables for four.  We were greeted by the chef/owner who had worked at El Bulli in Spain, and his two servers.  Jorge Monopoli had only a handful of Starters and a handful of Entrees.  I choose a starter of Beagle Channel octopus in a boiled potato mold and an entree of local black hake with spinach dumplings.  Meg chose two starters; a salad with local greens, and local King Spider Crab.  Jorge suggested a 2007 pinot noir from Patagonia might be the best red wine choice.

Dinner at Kalma in Ushuaia by Jack Holmes

His golf ball sized bread rolls with a chive cream cheese spread with marigold petal “ears” arrived.  The Pinot was nice and would certainly open more and get better as it sat for dinner.  My pulpo de Beagle arrived intermixed with boiled broken potatoes.  The mold had a curved tentacle emerging and chive stem with it’s blossom.  Rounds of pulpo tentacle were slightly firm and but not chewy.  Bits of orange and red chili oil dressed the plate around the mold.

The black hake was artfully presented and tasted amazing. Two one inch thick pieces of white flesh were stacked and had a faint golden crust on them.  They were surrounded by five small spinach dumplings.  The hake crust was thin and yielding on the outside but the interior was moist and flavorful, almost buttery.  This was the best fish that I have ever tasted.

Meals have been interesting and quite good when we choose a place for it’s quality not price.  Beef in Buenas Aires was very good.  BUT here in Ushuaia, it is not beef that commands my attention.   If you are ever in town DO NOT miss seeing Jorge for his art.

“Travel light and wear a smile.”  Jack Holmes