Hey Everybody!
Apparently I am a bit fuzzy on the lines from Wizard of Oz.
And, found a few for tidbits in Secrets of the Ice by Meduna.
The ice is 2.5 miles above sea level, but once had lush forests and dinosaurs. I love dinosaurs!
Antarctica is the coldest, windiest, driest, and highest continent on earth.
Antarctica is the world's largest desert.
An early explorer (Ross) said that seeing Antarctica baffled "all power of language."
To that I say...it's a good thing I'll have a few weeks to figure how to share it with you on the blog.
This round-trip adventure includes 11 flight segments (3 airlines) and a ship. I have completed 2 flights. I expect to board the flight #3 to continent #4 in the next few minutes.
When the plane touched down in Dallas a little while ago I texted my friend to say something like: guess I'm going to Antarctica! It doesn't feel quite real yet, but I think the 10-11 flight will give reality a chance to set in.
Best to all of you.....they just started boarding. Gotta run. Will be in touch...
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
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Friday, October 19, 2012
In Preparation for Antarctica....
Disclaimer: I thought I ALWAYS documented my sources, but I there is a possibility that this info came from the "Antarctic Reader" (provided by the expedition company) and another source. If I find a second source. I'll post it.
Hey Everybody!
I don't know how, but somehow seven months have passed and I am only a week or so away from catching a plane to begin the long trip to Ushuaia where I will then board a ship to the land of ice & penguins!
But first some random tidbits about this destination. Beginning with this philosophical history lesson:
Greek philosophers were the first ones to conceive of a place like Antarctica. Because they believed the world was round, they concluded that the bottom of the world must have a landmass to balance out the North. Their idea stayed on maps for more than two thousand years without any actual proof. How cool are philosophers!? :-)
What year did the first humans winter on Antarctica? 1889
The continent with the highest average elevation? Antarctica
Fire is a serious hazard in the dry Antarctic environment.
Pretty much everything I read points out that Antarctica is potentially dangerous (just a nice way to say deadly), unpredictable, and inhospitable. Still, I am eager to get there!
The Falkland Islands have a population of two to three thousand people, tourist shops (insane!), and average winds of 40-70mph. They have no native trees or native land mammals. Most importantly....they are home to six breeding species of penguins!!!!
Captain Cook was the first person to land at South Georgia. There are 12 mountains over 6,000ft and approximately 160 glaciers! Between 1906-65 1.5 million whales were hunted, which decimated both the whaling industry and the whale population. The human population is probably 10-20 here, but the penguin population is in the millions! Oh happy day!!!
The first child was born on Antarctica in 1978....that's just cool!
Ice on the white continent can be 13,000ft thick in some spots.
-129.3F is the lowest temperature ever recorded on earth. I'm hoping for something closer to near freezing temps. Freezing I can handle; -129F not so much!
Antarctic plants do not grow very fast & most of them are about 1-1.25 inches in height.
Sadly, on this trip I will not be exploring the interior of Antarctica but will be limited to the peninsula. The interior continent gets an average of 6-inches of water per year, which is only a little more than the Sahara Desert. The snow/ice that's present is believed to have built up over millions of years. The Antarctic Peninsula can average 35 inches per year.
Ok...hopefully that's enough quick facts to entice you to check the blog again when I return to wifi-land after the trip :-).
Happy November to all!
Hey Everybody!
I don't know how, but somehow seven months have passed and I am only a week or so away from catching a plane to begin the long trip to Ushuaia where I will then board a ship to the land of ice & penguins!
But first some random tidbits about this destination. Beginning with this philosophical history lesson:
Greek philosophers were the first ones to conceive of a place like Antarctica. Because they believed the world was round, they concluded that the bottom of the world must have a landmass to balance out the North. Their idea stayed on maps for more than two thousand years without any actual proof. How cool are philosophers!? :-)
What year did the first humans winter on Antarctica? 1889
The continent with the highest average elevation? Antarctica
Fire is a serious hazard in the dry Antarctic environment.
Pretty much everything I read points out that Antarctica is potentially dangerous (just a nice way to say deadly), unpredictable, and inhospitable. Still, I am eager to get there!
The Falkland Islands have a population of two to three thousand people, tourist shops (insane!), and average winds of 40-70mph. They have no native trees or native land mammals. Most importantly....they are home to six breeding species of penguins!!!!
Captain Cook was the first person to land at South Georgia. There are 12 mountains over 6,000ft and approximately 160 glaciers! Between 1906-65 1.5 million whales were hunted, which decimated both the whaling industry and the whale population. The human population is probably 10-20 here, but the penguin population is in the millions! Oh happy day!!!
The first child was born on Antarctica in 1978....that's just cool!
Ice on the white continent can be 13,000ft thick in some spots.
-129.3F is the lowest temperature ever recorded on earth. I'm hoping for something closer to near freezing temps. Freezing I can handle; -129F not so much!
Antarctic plants do not grow very fast & most of them are about 1-1.25 inches in height.
Sadly, on this trip I will not be exploring the interior of Antarctica but will be limited to the peninsula. The interior continent gets an average of 6-inches of water per year, which is only a little more than the Sahara Desert. The snow/ice that's present is believed to have built up over millions of years. The Antarctic Peninsula can average 35 inches per year.
Ok...hopefully that's enough quick facts to entice you to check the blog again when I return to wifi-land after the trip :-).
Happy November to all!
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
!Change of Plans!
Hey Everybody!
I know this will come as a great shock to many of you, but I have decided to stop traveling. After a trip to a music festival this weekend I realized that I have seen it all. Don't believe me? I witnessed a middle-aged, traditional country band - with a washboard - sing & dance (yes, dance) to Beyonce's "Put a Ring on it/Single Ladies." Plus....there's Twiggy, the world famous water skiing squirrel. No way to top this stuff!
It's like Nietzsche said: " Without music, life would be a mistake."
My impetus for the trip (in order of appearance):
Gary Allan - another California native - who does stunning lyrical work. I often think of him as a modern day Zarathustra
Train!
Ok, so they aren't CA natives.... But they are definitely a CA band!
These guys are just cool & it makes me happy that they exist.
But there were other good reasons to go.....including more surprises. Not only did Thompson Square put on a great show as the opening act for the artist formerly known as Hootie.....
....but also they sang Dobie Gray's "Drift Away" - one of the greatest songs of all-time. Years ago I was lucky to hear Dobie Gray (now deceased) sing that song in Nashville & it's always good to hear it live one more time. Train....if you're listening....I think you guys would do a sweet live version :-) Please!
Thompson Square
I know the blog hasn't been updated for a couple weeks. I will try to post some Antarctic tidbits before I leave because it won't be easy to blog from the white continent. Hope all is well at your end. I appreciate that you keep stopping by & I promise to start posting way too much about the Antarctica trip as soon as I am able (hopefully around Thanksgiving). And I promise to try not to reference Nietzsche twice in the next post...although that would be fun for me.....
I know this will come as a great shock to many of you, but I have decided to stop traveling. After a trip to a music festival this weekend I realized that I have seen it all. Don't believe me? I witnessed a middle-aged, traditional country band - with a washboard - sing & dance (yes, dance) to Beyonce's "Put a Ring on it/Single Ladies." Plus....there's Twiggy, the world famous water skiing squirrel. No way to top this stuff!
I am SO sorry I don't have a pic of the Beyonce number. It was a quite a surprise & I was not prepared. Had I known how close I could get to the stage this past weekend I would have brought a real camera!
Back to the festival.....I spent the weekend in Maryville, TN for their annual Foothills Fall Festival. It's ranked as one of the best festivals in the country, but that had nothing to do with my decision. After being there, I concur it's an excellent festival. It runs so smoothly and efficiently.....hard not to be impressed. Everyone is friendly. And the weather was as close to perfect as one could hope - probably the last 70* temps for me this year. Some locals said I traveled further for the music than anybody else. No idea if that's true, but it was totally worth the trip.
I meet a lot of people and always learn something in my travel adventures. One of the things I have learned is that giving up concerts for travel is NOT easy. My music addiction needs to be fed on a regular basis. More than once I seriously considered changing (ok, canceling) my plans to see a show, but I stuck to my travel goals - just kept telling myself it would be okay :-). Sure, I travel with some music but it just ain't the same. After nearly 7 months (that's a lot to me!) I jumped at the chance to take in a variety of local/regional and national bands this past weekend, along with a songwriter circle. It's like Nietzsche said: " Without music, life would be a mistake."
The songwriter circle....
&
Ok, so they aren't CA natives.... But they are definitely a CA band!
These guys are just cool & it makes me happy that they exist.
But there were other good reasons to go.....including more surprises. Not only did Thompson Square put on a great show as the opening act for the artist formerly known as Hootie.....
Darius Rucker
Thompson Square
Another surprise was a diverse band, The Farm. I didn't think I knew who they were, although it turned out I had heard their first two singles on the radio. Their performance was excellent - unique, high energy & quite flawless. Pretty sure this group is going places!
Another nice surprise was Train throwing part of The Rolling Stones song "You Can't Always Get What You Want" into the show. I have begged Mick to sing this when I've been at Stones shows - it's like he doesn't hear me! Go figure.....
One last thing....all of the above is true except for the stopping part. I can't quit now. I leave for Antarctica in about TWO weeks!!!!!!!I know the blog hasn't been updated for a couple weeks. I will try to post some Antarctic tidbits before I leave because it won't be easy to blog from the white continent. Hope all is well at your end. I appreciate that you keep stopping by & I promise to start posting way too much about the Antarctica trip as soon as I am able (hopefully around Thanksgiving). And I promise to try not to reference Nietzsche twice in the next post...although that would be fun for me.....
Monday, October 1, 2012
Fairbanks, AK
Hey Everybody!
My month in Alaska is nearly over. It's a beautiful state....I wish I were staying a bit longer. Yes, I admit Kodiak grew a little small for me. But any town where the parents charge the field to fight the away team's football coach after a loss is not for me. But I'd go there again with a new agenda. Not that I'm planning for that right now. After all, there are parts of the state I haven't seen at all....yet. Anyway, I have three days of activity to post, so I better get to it.
My first task upon arrival was getting to the North Pole....Capt. Heidi started inquiring about Santa & his reindeer last spring. I HAD to go! Plus, FlatJen got all into the Christmas spirit when she saw the Santa Claus House. Best of all....I found a friend for FlatJen! Just in time too....I cannot keep chasing her down. At North Pole I had to stop her from taking the sleigh. :-) One final note about the North Pole....this town has really committed to its fate. I cannot imagine even one other welding company in the world that looks like this.
Two weeks or so ago Fairbanks must have been a beautiful Fall town. Most of the leafy trees are part of the great toothpick forest now....
but still plenty of cool stuff to see on hikes. I chose the Angel Rock Trail because it was cold out & not 15miles long like the other trail I wanted to explore. The Angel Rocks are the small, exposed tips of huge granite that formed millions of years ago as magma cooled below the surface.
From the parking lot
Near the start of the trail looking toward my destination
A valley view fom the top & a close-up
On my last full day in AK (for now) I woke to a light dusting of snow & had to brush off the windows to drive. It's been a long time since I had to do that.... I thought a winter drive might be nice & on the Parks Hwy I found a bit more falling snow.
Last but not least....as I have been to Fairbanks before my main purpose this trip was the hope of seeing Northern Lights. It is clear that tourists are not the only late-night sky watchers around here...check out these seats. If I lived here....this would be my spot!
2013 is to be a period of high solar activity & Northern Lights. Northern Lights were visible 9/5 while I was on the first ferry....they even appeared in Kodiak! I saw that photo on 9/6. On 9/28 there was a small solar event that was predicted to spike the light's activity on the 30th (last nite). But it was extremely cloudy through the day. The amazing thing was how much clearer the sky got through the early evening. Thus I went to my viewing spot with high hopes & ignored the lingering cloud cover. In the end, I had a most fleeting opportunity that just barely counts. Good thing 2013 activity lies ahead!
Happy October.....thanks for stopping by!
PS Sourdough is often called a "minor religion" in Alaska. With this in mind, I tried sourdough pancakes this visit because I didn't get to last time. I like sourdough bread, but it turns out that I do NOT like the pancakes. Not even with syrup. Pancakes shouldn't have an aftertaste....
My month in Alaska is nearly over. It's a beautiful state....I wish I were staying a bit longer. Yes, I admit Kodiak grew a little small for me. But any town where the parents charge the field to fight the away team's football coach after a loss is not for me. But I'd go there again with a new agenda. Not that I'm planning for that right now. After all, there are parts of the state I haven't seen at all....yet. Anyway, I have three days of activity to post, so I better get to it.
My first task upon arrival was getting to the North Pole....Capt. Heidi started inquiring about Santa & his reindeer last spring. I HAD to go! Plus, FlatJen got all into the Christmas spirit when she saw the Santa Claus House. Best of all....I found a friend for FlatJen! Just in time too....I cannot keep chasing her down. At North Pole I had to stop her from taking the sleigh. :-) One final note about the North Pole....this town has really committed to its fate. I cannot imagine even one other welding company in the world that looks like this.
From the parking lot
Happy October.....thanks for stopping by!
PS Sourdough is often called a "minor religion" in Alaska. With this in mind, I tried sourdough pancakes this visit because I didn't get to last time. I like sourdough bread, but it turns out that I do NOT like the pancakes. Not even with syrup. Pancakes shouldn't have an aftertaste....
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