Wednesday, January 7--Sunday, January 11

We departed northern Michigan in snow showers and temperatures of 7 degrees.  We had begun the first leg of a journey south that would take us halfway across the country to California and then halfway across the world to Argentina, Antarctica and Chile.  We had packed and repacked, loaded and reloaded, until we found the right combination of clothes for four climates, including technical gear for Antarctica and Patagonia.   

Murphy is along for the ride--at least as far as California--where she will stay with the boys for the almost four weeks while we are in South America.  We are hoping for an easier trip west for her, with medication prescribed by our vet.  Murphy has not always been a happy traveler.

From a first night stop in Holland, Michigan, we drove into St. Louis, where we would stop for two nights to see our friends, the Smiths.  We had a delightful dinner at their home, a visit to The Louisiana Purchase exhibit at the Missouri History Museum and a musical evening at a private home.  We greatly enjoyed all.  As we departed for Oklahoma City, we drove through Webster Groves and recalled many happy memories of the years when the boys were growing up surrounded by other young families and friends.

Having left the hardwood forests of the north, we now entered the great plains where native grasses and native Americans once dominated the land. From Oklahoma City, we drove to Amarillo where temperatures were in the 40's and the landscape spoke of the wadis and prairies characteristic of the Llano Estacado.   Soon we would climb into the foothills and the elevations of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Monday, January 12--Monday, January 19

From Amarillo, we drove into New Mexico, on route to Santa Fe.  John's first visit was with his family when he was about five.  He recalled lunch at the La Fonda fondly, so we made a reservation to stay for two nights.  We had a corner fireplace, which we lit, while we watched the national college football championship game.  We were also able to visit the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum and the Art Museum of New Mexico, as well as, enjoy two meals at a Spanish tapas restaurant.  It snowed a good bit, which made touring somewhat challenging, but doable.  

We found that the 7000 foot altitude was also a bit of a challenge and were pleased to arrive at the La Posada in Winslow, AZ, for an overnight stay at a much lower altitude.  The La Posada was one of the Fred Harvey hotels on the railroad line that once brought New York tourists to the wild west.  On route, we visited the Pertified Forest.

From Winslow, we drove north and west to Zion National Park, where we were met by our friends, Susan Baker and Michael Brenner.

We spent three lovely days in Springdale, Utah.  We visited galleries and participated in a Saturday "Gallery Day," where Michael and John walked the main drag while Susan and I popped from gallery to gallery in the car.  I was able to purchase a lovely pair of earrings. from our favorite gallery, for Renee's upcoming birthday.  We also hiked several trails in Zion NP including the Riverside Walk, where we constructed hoodoo's.  We also hiked to the three Emerald Pools.  We all made it to Pool Two but only Michael made it all the way up to Pool Three.  It was a surprisingly warm day and we all discarded garb as we moved up the trail.  Our meals were fabulous, most prepared by Michael, but John and Susan each participated.  We stayed in "Villa Two," the two bedroom version of "Villa One," where we have stayed on several past visits to Zion, including Christmas 2012 with the kids and grandkids.  Despite the broken tv and cranky internet, we enjoyed it and were only briefly wistful for Villa One.

After departing Springdale on Martin Luther King Day, we stopped at the western edge of the park and hiked the muddiest trail we were ever on.  It did end with a lovely vista overlooking a spectacular valley.  

The Brenners were returning home by the eastern route which allowed them to visit Bryce Canyon.  That night we stayed at a very lovely Westin resort just outside of Las Vegas--no gambling and no smoking.  The resort was on a small lake with lovely views.  After a restful night, we began the final day of our journey to California.

Tuesday, January 20--Saturday, January 25

We made our way from Nevada into California to Johnny and Beverly's home in Torrance, where we would stay until departing for South America.  While there, we were able to participate in numerous events for the boys.  We attended an art class for Derek's class where Beverly was the docent.  We attended piano lessons for both boys, as well as, Derek's basketball practice and Jack's basketball game.  It was such fun to see the boys in these various roles.

 Both boys were a joy, full of energy, full of stories and a pleasure to be with.  Johnny had just returned from the Hong Kong Toy Fair and was shortly due to depart for a similar event in Nuremberg, Germany.  Before we returned from South America, he would also attend the New York Toy Fair.  January and February are busy months in the toy business and Johnny was introducing a new toy called Sick Bricks and was teasing the industry with the semi-introduction of a Yoda robot due to hit toy stores, in late Spring, before the Fall release of the next Star Wars movie.  His family was very happy to have him at home even for a short while and even with Nana and Papa in attendance.

Beverly's Mother, Gina, took us to a lovely dinner, under the stars, at Terranea Resort, before her departure to Tawain.  She wanted to be there to be handy to June, who was due to deliver her first child, a little girl, in early April.  Johnny and Beverly also held a joint birthday celebration for me and Renee, attended by Chris, Vic, Maddy, Jacki, Fed and Eva allowing us to see the entire family before we left for a month.

Sunday, January 26--Thursday, January 29

We departed LAX on Lan Chile flight 601, bound for Buenos Aires, after a ground stop in Lima, Peru, and a change of planes in Santiago, Chile.  We had never flown LAN before and were quite impressed with the quality of aircraft, a brand new 787 Dreamliner, as well as, the quality of the crew and the cabin service.  It was long flight:  eight hours to Lima, a ground stop of two hours, another four hours to Santiago, a connection of three hours and another two hours to Buenos Aires.  Needless to say, we were tired when we arrived, mid-day Monday in Buenos Aires.

We were staying at the Plaza Hotel, the designated hotel for Gohagen Travel, the coordinator of our trip to Antarctica, with Washington University Alumni Travel.  The Plaza Hotel, still an architectural vision, was once a proud and stately building.  Much like the rest of Buenos Aires, suffering from 41% inflation, 7% unemployment and very poor government, the Plaza's glory had faded.  That afternoon we rested, but got up for dinner and a walk around the area of the hotel.  We were directed to La Nazarene, a traditional BA steakhouse, where we had a mixed grill and a disappointing bottle of Argentinian wine.  We made our way back to the hotel, along the Calle Florida, where numerous folks offered to trade money for us and where the sidewalk was missing large chunks of pavers.  

On Monday, we walked to the Museo Nacional de Belle Arts where we viewed two special exhibits:  one of El Greco paintings and one on "The Art of Seduction."  The collection was impressive but, unfortunately, despite the 90 degree day, not air-conditioned.  The government was making hard choices about expenses.  

That afternoon, we took a cab to the only gluten-free bakery, that we could find, in BA.  We stocked up for the journey south.  That evening, there was a welcome party, where we met a number of our fellow Antarctica travelers and discovered that gluten-free meant "no dairy" to the hotel staff.

Our tour of the city, the following very rainy morning, Tuesday, took us to the Cathedral where Pope Francis was once Archbishop.  Known for his simple ways and active work with the poor, he is clearly a beloved figure. 

We also toured Palermo, La Boca, a revival area near the waterfront and the City Centre with its many government buildings, museums and monuments.  

Our tour ended at the grave of Eva Perone, the Duarte family grave.  

We met a lovely woman on our bus, who summered at Crystal Lake during her youth.  As it happened she was married to the just retired Supreme Commander of NATO, who was now a Dean at Tufts and one of the lecturers on our Antarctic journey.  

On Wednesday, we repacked into our duffles since we were allowed only one bag each on the airline we were to fly to Ushuaia, where we would disembark for Antarctica.  Our other bags would stay at the Plaza until our return.

On Thursday, we bused to the domestic airport, in the downtown BA area, where we took our four hour flight to Ushuaia.   We traveled on the middle of three flights that would take our 220 travelers south.  We met an Ohio surgeon and his wife, the Aeders, he a graduate of Wash U Medical School, and our host couple, Dr. Barbara Schaal and her husband, Dr. Joe Leverich, he from St. Louis University.  Both were biologists; Dr. Schaal, apart from being the Dean of Arts and Sciences for Wash U, serves on President Obama's Council of Scientific Advisors.

We landed in Ushuaia with time for lunch, local crab, and in time for post card shopping and exploring odd shops before boarding La Boreal in early evening.  

Our first task aboard was a mandatory lifeboat drill, followed by dinner and cocktails on the aft deck.  Our first night's sleep followed as we began the trek across the Drake Passage leaving South America in the backgound.

Friday, January 30--Saturday, January 31

Along with 220 other passengers (ages from 9 to 91), from 18 different university travel groups, a dozen Naturalists and a crew of 135, we spent two full days crossing the Drake Passage, during which time we had numerous opportunities to listen to lectures, view movies and watch the water from both inside and outside La Boreal, a French ship, 466 feet long and 69 feet wide.  We were on Deck 6 of seven decks which we shared with two other suites, and the owner's cabin.  Just forward was a lovely lounge with a baby grand piano and computer library, where internet worked some of the time.  At the rear of Deck 6 was one of the two shipboard restaurants--the informal, buffet restaurant.

Our cabin, 603, came complete--much to our surprise--with a butler, who we shared with the other suites.  Largely, we did not know what to do with him, but it was nice to be greeted, upon our return from a shore excursion, by someone who took your boots, helped remove your heavy parka and life vest and properly stored it all.  Jo was also a great help when I spent a day, sick, in bed by delivering yogurt, coca-cola and other medicinals.

The captain of La Boreal, Erwann Le Rouzic, was a graduate of the French Merchant Marine academy and the same age as our son, Chris. The year before our cruise, he had spend 32 months circumnavigating the globe on a sailboat powered with solar.  His La Boreal crew was first rate, as was the ship and its accommodations.  We also learned that Christophe, a waiter in the formal dining room, was well equipped to assist John through the menu.  In fact, from that point on, John had a custom gluten-free menu prepared by Christophe each night.

Our Saturday morning began with a lovely breakfast followed by a mandatory IAATO briefing on proper behavior on Antarctica.  We learned that we needed to disinfect any clothing we expected to wear ashore (this consisted of intense vacuuming), as well as active disinfection of our boots and lower pants every time we left/returned to the ship (this consisted of walking through an anti-bacterial bath and upon return, brushing our boot bottoms and walking through a similar bath.)

We also attended a presentation on Ernest Shakleton by Ret. Adm. Jim Stavridis, the immediate past Supreme Commander of NATO, who did an excellent job.  After lunch, we heard about global warming and the Southern Ocean.  After the lecture, we visited the pilot house.That evening was the Captain's Welcome Reception and Dinner, where we sat with other couples from Wash U extending those we knew on board.  Our travel across the Drake Passage was quite calm.  

On Saturday, we heard an excellent presentation on the Argentinian economy from Tufts professor of International Economics, Daniel Drezner.  We learned that in 1907, Argentina was the seventh strongest economy in the world, topping France and Germany.  Buenos Aires was known as the Paris of the South where European architects built many wonderful Belle Arts buildings and the standard of living was quite high.  Much has changed in the last one hundred and eight years.  Argentina is now a "developing" econoimy:  47 among world economies.  The week before we arrived, a political scandal erupted, involving the death of Alberto Nisman, a federal prosecutor who was killed after identifying the Argentinian President as a person of interest in the bombing of a Jewish Community Center.  The implication was that she shielded the Iranians who the prosecutor had identified as the responsible party.  The country was embroiled in this scandal during and after our stay.  The Supreme Court, subsequently, ruled that Nisman's evidence was not substantial enough to implicate the President.  

That evening, we approached the English Passage, an opening between two barrier islands just off Antarctica.  On route, we passed a Chilean research vessel as well as several private boats, some no larger than the sailboat we owned for many years. Our shore excursions would begin the next day.

Sunday, February 1--Wednesday, February 4

Sunday morning found us just off the continent, cruising Charlotte Bay, Wilhelmina Bay and the Neumayer Channel, often called Kodak Alley, because of its many photogenic ice bergs and landscapes of the fantastical world of Antarctica.  It was truly like nothing we had ever seen.  Clouds hung so low that they appeared to sit upon the Antarctica mountains.  

We and our fellow travelers were divided into three groups with each group scheduled throughout the day for its shore excursion.  We disembarked for Port Lockroy, with much fanfare,  mid-morning.  We walked through the disinfecting bath, walked down to the aft of the ship, and boarded our zodiac with eight other red parka clad passengers.  Riding the zodiac was as familiar and easy as I expected it would be.

Port Lockroy is a Gentoo Penguin research station, where young scientists compare the breeding habits of two groups of penguins:  those exposed to humans and those not so exposed.  Everything we had been told about the penguin smell turned out to be true.  Disinfection took on new meaning!

At Port Lockroy, we mailed our post cards, only to learn that it would take six to eight weeks for them to arrive...well after we had returned home.  Ashore, I quickly divested myself of my "mid-layer," learning that I was quite warm with it and quite comfortable without.  Luckily, John carried a backpack for such exigencies.  The penguins enjoyed my dilemma.

On Monday, we entered the Lemaire Channel, where we were delighted by 22 humpback whales breaching around the ship.  The Naturalists reported that this was quite a rarity and were as enthralled as all the passengers.

That morning, John attended the excursion to Petermann Island where a rookery of Adelie Penguins could be found.  He reported that it was an enchanting place.  I sought out the doctor who provided me with several medications for my cold.

That afternoon, we participated in a zodiac cruise near Pleneau Island where more whales and seals could be seen.  The naturalist, along for the ride, was a gentleman from Mexico who worked Antarctic cruises every "summer" but was a researcher the balance of the year.  The cruise ended with a stop at a stationary zodiac for a glass of champagne.

Tuesday morning began with a zodiac cruise of Paradise Bay where we saw a range of ice sculptures; numerous humpback whales and leopard seals were cavorting.  We also saw another of several  40 to 50 foot sailboats making their way through Antarctic ice fields.  Following dinner, the ship made its way south.

That afternoon, we made a continental landing at Neko Harbour, where we took a group photo of the Washington University Alumni travelers.  We then hiked most of the way up a hill, removing layers as we went.  On our way back to the ship, we were faced with the need to walk quite close to a fur seal, known to be aggressive. Fortunate for us, both the Captain and Ship's Doctor were nearby and assisted in distracting the seal.  We arrived at the shore unharmed where we found ourselves in the middle of another Gentoo rookery.  

On Wednesday morning, we visited Deception Island, once the site of a large whaling center, complete with oil extraction facilities.  Unfortunately, Deception Island is also the caldera of an active volcano, which last erupted 40 years ago, destroying everything in its path.  The inhabitants of the whaling station barely escaped.  We hiked around the island, from the deserted airfield to the deserted whaling boats.  

That afternoon, we ended our shore excursions with an icy, snowy visit to Half Moon Island, site of a Chinstrap Penguin rookery and the Argentina Summer Research Station.  The first group departed in high winds but no precipitation.  The second group, ours, departed in a rain/snow mix and high winds and, by the time the final group departed, it was so clouded over, you could not see the shore from the ship.  It was the first excursion where I remained fully clothed in all three layers and was glad for it,

We were all sad to know that following dinner, we would once again make our way into the Drake Passage, this time headed north.