Day 10, 6-18-12

6-24-12: Ok, if you have stuck with me this far, then you are about to read the last official entry of the Arctic cruise. Stay tuned..... :-)

Hey Everybody,

The trip is nearly over. I have to pack, but not until the Captain's Dinner and the social evening is behind me. Our last excursion this trip was to Alkhornet this morning. Alkhornet is part of a National Park. We had close encounters with several reindeer, saw more arctic foxes, and listened to the "laughter" of more birds nesting in the cliff. Oh yeah....and it was polar plunge day. I have the certificate to prove I went in this morning. What the certificate does not mention is that I was the only one who went all the way in the water twice! There is also a video of my first trip on somebody's camera....I did not get a copy, but it might show up in my email.

Was it cold? Yes, it was. But that wasn't the hard part.... Being barefoot on the rock/pebble beach in cold weather hurt & made the walk on shore (and in the water in spots) the REAL challenge. As for why I went in again....well, once we did it and got out we felt warm on the beach (you know, after the initial shock!). My legs were a tingly shade of frozen red, but returned to their normal brown after a couple hours.

Since lunch we've been cruising Fordlandsundet, which is about 50 miles long. One of the cool extras on the ship today was a ship tour. This ship belongs to Russia's Oceanographic Institute (or Scientific Institute). It was built for the best of the best scientists - back when there was money for such things. It can spin 360* on a dime! Now the tourist trips pay for the scientific work that tends to be completed during ship repositioning.

So, remember the mud room from the other day? In the center of that room is a microphone that records the sounds of life in the ocean. No wonder this ship has been so quiet. And it was once used to find submarines, which is why it is not allowed in US ports. In the engine room, however, it is impossible to have a conversation.

Back to the last excursion, here are some pictures from today.

The "cracks" you see in the land are caused by expanding ice.

While the arctic foxes played, I was distracted by the little avalanche WAY up!