hot in hawaii

Flying over the International Dateline is a bit kooky. So, I had another Sunday. Ben and I decided to rent a car together. After heading through customs and immigration, we headed to the rental car office and hoped to get a vehicle slightly larger than the economy I had reserved. We got a Toyota Highlander SUV. Now some of you might be wondering what I was doing driving an SUV, but I assure you, this was the best option they could give us for all our gear for only $5 more per day! I was surprised she offered the upgrade to us, but now we can ride around with our rainbow plates, all our luggage and a pineapple in the back seat!

We accomplished quite a bit for just coming off a plane. The first stop we made was Pearl Harbor where we went on a submarine tour and then took a remarkable tour of the USS Arizona Memorial. It's a bit eerie to think of all those men still laying beneath us at the site of the boat! It is good that the awful events are remembered so people understand sacrifice and what it is to give up one's life for others. The short film, boat ride, and actual memorial visit were very well put together and informative for a free National Park tour.

After we had a bit to eat, we, each toting our cell phones that now actually work, began traveling around the island of Oahu. Our first stop was Halona Blowhole where we watched the sapphire blue waves crash the shore. The water is so powerful it pushes itself through a few spots in the rock.

We also stopped for a hike up Makapuu Point where we had a spectacular view of the sea cliffs, beaches, islands, light house, and water below. The scenery is beautiful. It's no wonders so many people come here for their holidays.

Next we stopped at a store for a few things to eat and a huge pineapple to share. I dropped Ben off at his campsite and parked our vehicle at the Waikiki Beach Hostel. I have three sweet roommates who are not noisy partiers which is a relief.

The morning stared early to pick up Ben. We got all his gear at the campsite and left quite quickly to find a beach on the North Shore. Ben took in a few views before choosing a place on the Banzai Pipeline to rent a surfboard. I ordered a bit of breakfast and enjoyed the sun while he was fitted for his gear. I think we both enjoyed that stop at the beach!

Ben had to get back to the airport to fly to Maui, so we headed down the west side of the island, making our last stop together at Pearl Harbor, again, to eat our humongous pineapple. We polished that juicy fruit off far too quickly; my tongue felt funny the rest of the day. I enjoyed eating the whole thing in Hawaii with sticky drips of juice on my arms to my elbows and my legs, too!

It was nice to have the company of a friend for a day of my travels. From the airport, and alone, I decided to brave downtown Honolulu on their state holiday, Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole Day. Traffic was not too bad and I went to the central market where some shops are set up. I purchased a couple souvenirs and my Waikiki Starbucks mug. It felt good to browse around and sped the early afternoon out and about. I drove then to the famous Diamond Head Crater where you drive into the crater and hike up the inside, up a trail, stairs, ladder, and through old military posts and lookouts. The hike was pretty nice and the view of Waikiki, Honolulu, and the Island was amazing. I'm glad I did it. I felt incredibly fit bounding up the stairs after being active for so long on the road (mostly from carrying my luggage all over the place)!

In the evening I walked down Kalakaua Avenue along the beach to the little shops. Returning towards the Backpackers I stayed at, I picked up something to eat, sat under the torches, watched people and hula dancers with live Hawaiian music, and other street performers strum and drum away on their instruments.

*favorite photos: the two surfboard pictures.

driving days

I love driving and that is a very good thing because I did a lot of it today! Waking up fairly early to a beautiful sunrise from my rest area campground, I made it on the road by 7:30am on my way to Canberra. I tried finding a little cafe to have breakfast at, but the only place I found was a tiny joint good enough for a "take away" coffee.

Canberra, the capital of Australia, greeted me with a view of the Telstra Tower and two hot air balloons on a clear morning. I proceeded to the Visitor’s Information Centre and asked for the directions to the National Museum of Australia. The architecture and information provided here was fascinating and eye-opening. The curators use a mixture of historical information, artifacts, and art to tell the story of the land and people of Australia. Strangely enough, Australia is a relatively new country like the United States where the indigenous people (Aboriginals & Native Americans) were pushed back by the Europeans.

My time spent in Canberra was short. Afterall, my new plans of extending my trip a couple thousand extra kilometers required me to be diligent about forward movement. I asked a man at the museum info booth the best way to Melbourne and he recommended the Helm Highway, even though it forced me north again. He also suggested camping for the evening on Mount Buffalo.

On my way, I stopped for gas in Yass (pretty much only so I could say just that). I pulled over for coffee in Gundagai with my book, and for a short walk and early supper at Chiltern to stretch for a bit at a rest area.

At Wangaratta, I turned off onto the Great Alpine Road and drove an hour before I appreciated what the museum man had told me: Mount Buffalo National Park takes you right up the mountainside on 30+ kilometers of winding, steep, narrow road. I opened my windows on the way up and could smell the sweet eucalyptus on my ascent. The sun was setting (6-6:30pm) and caught some of the turning autumn leaves in a warm glow. Bush fires damaged many parts of Australia due to droughts this summer and evidence is here, as well as many other areas I have driven though. I am glad they have seen some rain in the past couple weeks!

I arrived at the Lake Catani campground to find a wonderful little camp, nearly entirely deserted with bathrooms and showers. On this mountaintop they may not have lights and electricity, but they have warm water! So, I cleaned up after setting up my tent and settled in to upload my pictures and read. This is roughing it!

*favorite photo: sunrise peaking through the gum trees.

march 5

Waking up to fire in the sky was simply incredible. The sunrise was so vivid and bold this morning as it rose behind a cloud cover. The colors were extreme and then slowly pasteled out to morning's blue sky. They intensity of light on clouds had to be the most beautiful sunrise I've witnessed lately (perhaps more because I don't get up early often)!

No one (of the two cards to drive by our clandestine camp) asked us to move and we slept soundly all night. Quickly arranging the van appropriately for traveling again, we buzzed away to find a lauded breakfast spot in Garston. We arrived to find it closed on Mondays. Dismayed, we moved on towards Kingston and pulled into the Kingston Corner Cafe & Bar.

The food was a bit pricey for our backpacking wallets, but we made up for it in the time we spent journaling and writing postcards. The three of us have a pretty good trialogue, but we also do well at being quiet together. Over my delicious homemade quiche, mochaccino, and boysenberry & apple juice, I wrote a good amount and danced through the events of the past two weeks in my mind.

We continued our drive towards Queenstown. It's strange that Kingston is so small in comparison to his queen's tourism hot spot. Queenstown is located on Lake Wakatipu, and at our first glimpse of the Lake's southern shore, we stopped to take in the clear blue waters and ridge lines above it. After a couple such stops, we picked up a few groceries and checked into Pinewood Lodge. This place has to be one of the best backpackers for your buck! Their rooms are clean and offer a shared kitchen, living area, and bathrooms. They have lots of services available and are in walking distance of downtown Queenstown. The three of us got a 3-bed room for one night and tomorrow will move into a room where Kevin and Marty can join us as well.

After settling in, we took a walk downtown and searched out places to eat or sit for awhile. I indulged in a frappuccino at Starbucks and we walked along the water. We also ran into Maria, Candy, and Keegan from The Ice and spoke with them for awhile.

A delicacy this time of the year in New Zealand is the Bluff Oyster. This seasonal treat has been hard to come by after a few bad weather harvesting days, but we noticed a sign up for them at the Fishbone Bar & Grill. Four of us splurged and got three oysters each. They were quite tasty!

We had the three Ice folks over for a light supper of buns, cheese, crackers and fruit. I have found a new drink similar to ginger ale that I enjoy: Ginger Beer. I finished off a bottle and had a glass of wine before resting my weary head in a real bed!

*favorite photo: fire-like sunrise

march 4

We woke up in the van late. It is Sunday after all. We had a lose plan for the day which included heading back to Te Anua and camping somewhere our of town. After packing up our fly-ridden camp, we drove a bit over an hour back to Te Anua and found a quaint cafe and some brunch. The three of us sat and talked and watched the world go by on a Sunday mid-morning. This was the first place I came across filter coffee and they served us a bottomless cup.

J took off on another boat tour to the glow worm caves, so Genevieve and I got some groceries and postcards. We headed to the visitor's centre and walked around some. Genevieve became familiar with some of the birds in the area, we cleaned up the van, restored our water supply, and then I found a little spot by Lake Te Anua to hunker down and grind out a few postcards.

By the time J arrived back from his excursion, we felt like we'd accomplished a lot of rest. To top off the day I had kiwi frozen yogurt atop a scoop of orange chocolate chip on the bottom. Mmm.

To avoid the tourist town of Te Anua for another evening, we decided to drive towards Queenstown and find a camping spot near the road in the country. Between Garston and Kingston we found a dirt road between farms and fields and decided another night in the van was in order. That way, if we were asked to leave our parking spot we could make a quick escape.

After cooking dinner and marveling at the sunset (both sides of the sky lit up with fantastical colors) over tea, we watched the moon rise through the clouds in our window-full van. What more could we ask for: a sunset and a moonrise!

*favorite photo: moonrise.

march 3

Today, our fifth day of traveling together, Genevieve, J, and I set out early (at 6:30am) for Milford Sound. As we drove through the hills and approached the mountains and fjords, we saw fog and clouds rolling in and out of the valleys and over peaks and saddles in the mountain ranges. The morning was beautiful as the sun came up through the mist on our drive. We noted plenty of nice camp spots on our way, as well.

Arriving in Milford Sound, we instantly recognized a sandfly problem. The picture is a model sandfly. In actuality, the pests are quite small. These pesky critters are like mosquitoes in their mannerisms, and surpass the mosquito numbers in Fjordlands National Park. As long as we kept moving, we seemed to be ok. The dock for our Milford Sound breakfast cruise was a brief walk from the parking lot. On the way, there were a few signs explaining how Maori gods created the fjords and how the sandfly was created by the goddess of the underworld to remind people not to linger too long in the beautiful pristine area.

The three of us boarded our big boat and sat down for a delicious light breakfast of croissant and muesli. It did not take long to start seeing the beauty of the Sound. A magnificent waterfall fell on the starboard side of the boat. The ride was comfortable downstairs, but the real views came above on the deck. The green on the cliffs popped out of the shadows with remarkable color. With such brilliant life around us in every direction, it's amazing that this part of New Zealand is struggling through an 80 year drought. Typically waterfalls line the fjord, but today, only four falls had water dropping down them. I supposed this could be attributed to that beast called "global warming." The area usually sees rain every one in three days, but they haven't seen more than 1/2 day in the last 30-some days.

Our tour continued through the fjord along cliffs that dropped straight into the Sound. Trees, mosses, and bushes grow off the vertical rock faces.

The Real Journeys boat we were on also took an unprecedented round-about into the Tasman Sea. Usually these tours cannot venture into the Sea, so we got a fantastic little Taste of Tasman. On the return trip, we skirted the opposite side of the waterway. Fur seals were spotted on a single outcropping of rocks along the way. Genevieve, J, and I found it humorous that everyone ran to that side of the boat while we mosied on over figuring we had seen plenty of the sea creatures already. We did get to see these smaller seals pose adorably on the boulders for us!

A little further on, the tour guide on board found two crested penguins on the shore. These birds were out of place and season, so it was particularly exciting to see this rare variety of bird on our cruise!

We passes by another waterfall (where it is said if a woman passes under the mist of the falls, she will feel 10 years younger the next morning. The boat scoots in real close to these falls so we can all scurry to the front and feel the spray.

The three of us were glad to have indulged int he cruise. It was a wonderful way to experience parts of Milford Sound we wouldn't have seen otherwise! After the cruise, we walked back to the cafe and visitor's centre, sat with a cup of coffee and mulled over plans for the day. I really appreciate the casual attitude the three of us have. We have lost the rush of the east coast travel and eased our way up and around the west.

Our first stop on the way out of Milford Sound was The Chasm. A short walk brought us to a place where the water carved out softer stone to leave the harder rock behind. Holes, bridges, and tunnels dot this fascinating place. None of the pictures and postcards I have seen quite demonstrate the depth perception and quirkiness of the place. When we returned to the car, five tour buses had rolled up. We were fortunate to avoid most of that crowd.

Another feature of this Milford expedition was the Homer Tunnel. This single-lane hole through the mountain was not lit when we drove in before 8am. Driving through a dark cave is a strange feeling, but we made it safely. On our return trip, not only was the tunnel lit, but it also had stoplights on either end directing the single-lane traffic.

Our highlight of the day was stopping at The Divide and hiking part of the Routeburn Track. The three of us set out through a green forest, across a few trickling streams, and a lake. Genevieve and I wanted to head up to Key Summit, so we left J to hike up to McKenzie Hut while we turned back to take a cutoff up a hill. The view we took in astounded us. In 360 degrees we took in four mountain ranges. We stood on a marshy plateau with three valleys cutting beneath us. From here, rainfall streams down into each of those valleys in different directions. It made our climb worthwhile to see so much unimaginable creation! God certainly took his time developing this part of the earth!

I have been so impressed with how well-maintained the tracks in New Zealand are! They came complete with campsites, or cabins on many of the longer routes! The cabins are quite nice and homely with a kitchen, bunk room, and bathroom facilities. The trails are easy to find and well-maintained with bridges and culverts.

We also saw many birds while in the Milford area. One small songbird sang beautifully until it ended the tune with a squawk; every time! We also saw another kea (the alpine parrot).

By the time J arrived back at the car, we were sufficiently tired by our 12-15km of hiking, so we looked for a campsite right away. The sandflies were so horrendous that we decided to stay in the van. J and I hopped out to quick whip up some rice for dinner and pay our $5nz each for the site. Other than that, we rearranged our seats and gear to sleep.

*favorite photos: waterfall and fern shadow.

march 2

Day 4 began for me with a magnificent sunrise over the Pacific and a leisurely breakfast. The waves rolling into the bluffs, the birds singing, and the cows mooing made an unimaginably beautiful morning completely brilliant.

We started out on our way and turned off shortly after, just south of Papatowai at Cathedral Caves. We had to attack this short hike before 9:30am, or we would be denied access by the rising tide. We nearly ran down the trail and found the caves before the waves were too close. Walking inside was eerie and damp. At one point we couldn't see the ground (sand or seaweed) beneath our feet. So many of New Zealand's sights have been carved by water or ice in such a variety of ways; including these towering doorways into the rock.

Feeling pretty good about beating the tide, we trudged back up the trail and drove out of the park before the gates closed at 10:30am. The drive to Invercargill was uneventful. We have been amazed at the amount of sheep in New Zealand; particularly because no mammals are native to this island country.

Once we reached Invercargill, it took a bit for Marty, our navigator, to get his map in the right direction and put us near the city centre. We did find a wonderful little museum with WWII propaganda posters, photography, Maori artifacts, a display on The World's Fastest Indian, and eggs of the world. Our stop at the museum would not have been complete if I didn't mention Henry. Henry is a Tuatara. The peculiar thing about Henry is that he is nearly 130 years old (estimated birth in 1880). Not only that, but after many years of celibacy and removal of a tumor, Henry is now father to a new litter of these lizard-like animals. His mate was a 20 year old named Juliet.

This centre also had a tremendously helpful visitors' information with Internet. After spending a solid hour, or more, at this fine traveler-friendly establishment, Genevieve and I enjoyed Turkish wraps and coffee for lunch. Post-late lunch, we met up at the Speights Bar, pulled out a map and an actual planning session ensued! We determined our stop for the night should be Te Anua. From there, Kevin and Marty would hike out four days on the Kepler Track and hitchhike to meet Genevieve, J, and myself in Queenstown. I would have loved to do the track, but I haven't been able to shake the cold. This planning session was the first time we pulled out a South Island, detailed map to look ahead a few days and determine what we would do.

We broke up the meeting and set out fro Te Anua. Arriving there, we soon understood that we were in a tourist town. Internet was expensive, we found many tourist and outdoors shops, and "no vacancy" signs outnumbered the "vacancy." We hoped to camp, but at $15nz per person, we had no intention in indulging after our free or minimal cost sites of previous nights. We did however concede to get a $25nz bunk room for the five of us at a backpackers so we could sort ourselves out, clean up with a shower, and do our laundry. Marty and Kevin purchased some hiking supplies and we checked into our accommodation to prepare for our early morning exit.

*favorite photos: sunrise over the Tasman Sea, the silouette at Cathedral Caves, and J with the tuatara (one of a series of three).

march 1

Day 3 began with an amazing sunrise over the ocean. We pulled up camp after a leisurely breakfast and headed back out on our beautiful Coastal Road for a nice morning drive watching the countryside light up.

Our first drive, not too far down the coast was to the Moeraki Boulders. As soon as we got out of the car, Genevieve and I saw a dolphin pop up over the surf. We were laughing at the peculiarity of seeing them! The boulders on the beach here were strange and tortoise life. They were massive round stones all over the sand. We played around them in our bare feet and visited the gift shop.

We boarded the caboose again and made a bit of headway down the West Coast until we saw a sign for the Evansdale Cheese Factory. We caught the owner just before he closed for the day and he stuffed us full of about 4-5 different cheeses. My favorite was a Dutch flavor, Komene Kaas, made with cumin seed. I bought a small wedge. We have quite a large amount of cheese in our vehicle with no chilly bin (the Kiwi lingo for cooler) to put it in.

A traveling goal for the group this day was Dunedin. We rolled down the hills into the heart of the city where we stopped, nibbled on some lunch and then I split from the group. They went on the Speights Brewery Tour while I took a walk to the train station (one of the most well photographed buildings in this part of the world). The architecture was magnificent, and if I remember correctly, this building was completed in 1906. My stroll was brief through the courtyard before my eye caught the Cadbury Factory.

I toured the chocolate factory and received the lovely chocolate samples from Wama, my friendly tour guide. The chocolate at this factory goes to the South Pacific, Canada, the Middle East, Australia (and, Antarctica). They have one whole silo devoted to tourists where they release one ton of liquid chocolate through the silo in front of our eyes! The inside of the silo is covered in chocolate splashes and we were able to walk down the chocolate coated stairs with chocolate coated railings. If nothing else in the tour made a person smiles, all that flowing chocolate certainly would! I exited the factory smelling of cocoa (from Malaysia), whole milk (from Otago area cows in NZ), and sugarcane (from Australia)!

In Dunedin, I also took a picture of what has been named the steepest street in the world; although, I may have looked at the wrong one. I'm also not completely convinced that this claim is true. It seems to me that there is probably some mud and dirt road in Siberia that could legitimately claim the same thing!

I made my way back to the car and we exchanged tour information. I passed out some chocolates (a well-received gesture).

On the road again, we took a peninsular scenic road that cuts off from Dunedin for a 28km trek to see seals, penguins, and albatross. Unfortunately, we didn't see the penguins, but we did get real close to the fur seals and watched a few albatross float above u! It was pretty amazing to see such diverse wildlife in one place!

The scenic drive was a close cut road between many hills and bluffs and the clear shallow bay below. J fantasized our green machine into the drink and offered ways of escaping with our backpacks. Genevieve just hoped to see the yellow-eyed penguin. I just sat back and enjoyed the beautiful ocean, islands, bluffs, grasses, flowers, and trees on Otago peninsula!

After Dunedin, we looked for a place to camp. Our tastes are somewhat particular as a group. Eventually, we decided to find a beach to camp on and so the search commences for an appropriate place to put down our camping gear. On our search, we came across a short trail to the Papakaunui Falls. The hike was only about 10 minutes each way and I ran the trail back ot the car, but, we found later, these falls are what postcards are made of around this area.

Soon after, driving around the town of Papatowai, and even inquiring about a backpackers cottage with no vacancy, we set out to make camp at a pullout on the road. This bluff was on an amazing spot overlooking cattle and sheep fields with the surf and coastline far below. We set up camp in the dark and made our way to bed quite quickly. I still have a cold and want to get optimal sleep.

*favorite photos: the Papakaunui Falls and orange flowers on the southwest New Zealand coast.

ellusive emperor

My crowning wildlife moment came today when I was doing our Pegasus weather observer shift change. The trip out to the Pegasus White Ice Runway is about 40 minutes at a reasonable (25mph) speed. We drop one person off, and pick up one person to return to McMurdo. I spotted what I thought was a penguin in the distance as we neared the airfield, but we had to stop to see it moving. As first glance, it was so small in the distance, it appeared to be another Adelie. But, Estefan, the weather observer brought some binoculars out and confirmed that the bird was the elusive emperor.

I began driving Debra back to McMurdo and she asked if I wanted to stop and take some pictures. So, we took a short walk to where the penguin was; careful not to "disturb" it's normal habits per the Antarctic Treaty. I did get some good shots of this awkward, but still elegant big bird!

This sighting was the marciano cherry on the top of a banana split at Jersey Junction (where I worked for a summer)!

*favorite photo: the emperor.

languorous life

I took a run/walk yesterday up the Hut Ridge Trail. This trail was the only one I had not done yet. My run took me along a steep trail where I had a run-in with a Skua mother who was trying to protect her fluffy white chick. The poor little chick was right in the middle of the trail; thankfully, in this place, there is an alternate route to continue on!

At the top of this trail, I saw an iceberg that moved in towards town. There are certain sites that define "Antarctica" and icebergs are certainly one of them. I hope this one moves even closer to us!

On the way back down the trail, I ran into a woman who said she stood out on Hut Point and could see seals and penguins swimming under the water. I ran up to the edge and looked down for no more than a minute before I heard and saw a seal pop up out of the water. I soon saw three of them bobbing in and out of the sea. I also spotted a sea star under the waves which seemed out of the ordinary. I have seen the sea creatures in tanks in our Crary Lab Aquarium here, but seeing a sea star "for real" in Antarctica's water seems a bit extrodinary (I embelished the color on this photo a bit so you could have a better glimpse of what I saw under the sea)!

Of all this, I think I most enjoyed seeing some green lichen and odd organic spheres lacing the edge and bottoms of pooling water on the trail. This may look like the most disgusting green glob of sludge to you, but I was taken aback by the discovery of something so full of life on this otherwise quite desolate continent. I looked up algae and lichen in Antarctica and there are plenty of types of the stuff all over the continent. I was mesmorized by this slimy stuff for quite awhile!

To counter this gunk, there was air-filled ice covering a half of the pool! This bubbly frozen water seemed so purely captured!

Today, after over a month of temperatures over freezing, we had a cold, cold day. The windchill when I woke up was -8. Yikes! I was not ready for that and one of the women in my suite had to tell me that I'd probably want to wear Big Red to work; with the hood up! Brrr...

*favorite photo: ice bubbles.

huge honor

"I wanna hang a map of the world in my house. Then I'm gonna put pins into all the locations that I've traveled to. But first, I'm gonna have to travel to the top two corners of the map so it won't fall down." - Mitch Hedberg -

My life experience grew today when I was invited to attend the Scott Base 50th Anniversary Luncheon. My invitation was by default since I, and Shuttle Char, were the drivers from McMurdo to the Base. The speakers at this even include the Prime Minister Helen Clark, Sir Edmund Hillary, Claudia McMurray, and Dr. Arden Bement. The first photo is similar to what you will find if you Google "Sir Edmund Hillary" in the news for today.

The biggest honor, and perhaps highlight of my stay in Antarctica was shaking the hand of Sir Edmund Hillary and thanking him for the groundwork he laid in Antarctica for people, like myself, to be able to come here. He has accomplished much and still has goals and aspirations at 87 years old! He did not expect to be able to attend a 50th birthday party for the Base he founded in Antarctica, but seems pleased-as-punch to be here. The man is still quite witty and has great regard for the science and research that continues here.

The luncheon was a strange mix of lowly Raytheon employees, Kiwi people, military personnel, NSF and high ranking government official, along with Char and I, the shuttle drivers. Prime Minister Helen Clark consented to have her picture taken with me as well. This woman is quite approachable and "down-to-earth." I appreciate her enthusiasm for coming to Antarctica and visiting for the 50 year event.

I would attempt to write more of my thoughts, but this opportunity came about so quickly that I am still trying to figure out how little-ole-me ended up with sushi and fine New Zealand cheeses for lunch! And, I must head for bed to rest this sleepy head!

*favorite photo: me with Sir Ed.

super sunday

Sun-day: The weather cleared up significantly for the first time since Christmas on Saturday evening; just on time for the C-17 to land at 22:00. I worked late to transport people leaving out there, and pick up the new batch of folks arriving. The drive (one way) is over an hour to the Pegasus airfield and I had a loaded passenger Delta. The prior days' weather provided some soft snow and a bumpy ride out to the airfield. For the first time, I had to stop the Delta due to a woman who came down with carsickness. It was a relief to see the plane leave. I hoped for package mail, but we only received a small batch of letter mail. The return trip was more difficult than the one out there. However, the two front seat passengers had never been to Antarctica before, so I was able to point out various features along the way home. Some penguins treated us to a viewing along the road home, too!

Speaking of penguins...This year has been a year to behold wildlife! Saturday and Sunday were prime viewing days for 50 - 100 Adelie penguins out on our Hut Point. I'm pretty sure that everyone in McMurdo walked the 1/2 mile, or so, to the hut to sit and watch them. I equate the show they put on with the best movie in theaters now. It's easy to give them human characteristics and their lack of caution around humans is bizarre! A couple were so close I could have put my hand out to touch them (but the Antarctic Wildlife Treaty specifically says I can't alter their behavior). I watched their funny antics yesterday for quite some time and took far too many photos of them! It was the perfect way to end the day.

If you are wondering what the picture of snow is (to the left), I thought I should post a picture of the peculiar penguin tracks. They have webbed feet and a tail that drags between them. The effect is unique for a bird. Then again, they are unique in the bird family as they swim and do not fly.



On the way out to Hut Point, Jen and I stopped to take some pictures of the Oden, a Swedish Ice Breaker that plowed the primary channel to McMurdo. The US Coast Guard continues to cut a channel back and forth, but has not docked yet. It is strange to see such a large piece of machinery parked in the slushy water. Our pier is a humongous chunk of well-groomed ice. Whales have been sighted behind the boat, which most station people smile on.

The annual McMurdo (USA) v. Scott Base (New Zealand) rugby game took place on Sunday as well. The Kiwis always win. The US team never scores. Nothing changed this year. Scott Base won the game 22-0. This was the first rugby match I attended. I didn't realize the game was so brutal! There were three injuries worthy of a trip to Medical and some cuts and bruises.

Prior to the rugby game, I ran a 8k (5 mile) race. It was a tiring bit of exercise. My muscles dehydrated in the first 1/4 mile and the first half of the course was all uphill. But, I finished and I ran better than 10 minute miles, which I consider quite good considering I haven't run more than 3 miles here yet.

So, all that excitement in one day meant that plenty of people went to bed exhausted!


*favorite photos: close-ups of the adelies.