Continuing Adventures on the High Seas

March 27, 2018

It was a very rough night in the Drake Passage. A scientist was ejected from his bunk and suffered possible broken bones. So once again we turned out of the Drake and are headed to Ushuaia, Argentina to drop the patient off at a Ushuaia hospital.

March 28, 2018

In the early afternoon of the 27^th we arrived at the really cool city of Ushuaia, Argentina after several hours cruising through Tierra del Fuego along the beautiful Beagle Channel. The patient was then taken by ambulance to a local hospital. It was a very sad time onboard the ship to see him go. At 9:30pm we cast off the lines and headed south back to the Drake Passage for another crossing attempt.

A Tierra del Fuego, Land of Fire, sunrise.

A fine salad on-board ship.

A picture of the Gould.

The door to a shipping container with four berths.

Tierra del Fuego then south through the Drake Passage.

We turned around in high seas. 

A mess deck port hole.

Another picture of the Gould.

Palmer Station to the middle right.

Palmer Station.

The Lawrence M. Gould.

Our route around Tierra del Fuego showing where we turned around in high seas.

By Cape Horn.

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On the bridge.

Transporting Ukrainians to their station, Vernadsky,
 about 40 miles from Palmer. A fun group to talk with. 

During rough seas this wheel spins at high speed and instantly disperses water hitting the window. This improves visibility. 

One of the passengers was injured by a fall. We turned into Tierra del Fuego and transported him to Ushuaia, Argentina after picking up a pilot.

The pilot boat.

The ship's fo'c'sle.

Our route to Ushuaia.

A New Adventure - Another Antarctic Winter!

March 25, 2018

Much has happened since I left the South Pole last November. At the end of December, I had a contract in hand for my first Palmer Station winter. Palmer Station is on the Antarctic Peninsula directly south of South America whereas McMurdo and the South Pole stations are south of New Zealand. This will be my fourth winter and with this deployment I will have wintered at all three American stations. There are only about 20 people that have wintered at all three.

As I write this I on the Antarctic research ship the Lawrence M. Gould. Palmer has no runway so travel by this 230-foot ice strengthened vessel is necessary. A few days ago, I left home once again and flew to Punta Arenas, Chile after a trip of 25 hours flying and airport time.  Yesterday all the winter Palmer people (20) boarded the Gould and headed to Antarctica. We have crossed the Straights’ of Magellan, Tierra del Fuego and am now getting close to Cape Horn and the infamous Drake Passage. At the start of the Drake Passage there is a huge storm with 70+ MPH gusts and 25-foot seas. The captain was decided to slow down and let the brunt of the storm pass before we enter the Drake Passage at the tail end of this storm.

My daughter Jocelyn treated the family with a one week cruise on-board the Oasis of the Seas. 

We had a great time.

I spent a few weeks in Denver and Arizona training for Palmer Station. Here part of the crew attended firefighting training. I am fourth from the right.

On the way from Denver to Arizona we stopped for a hike at Arches National Park in Moab, Utah.

Since Palmer Station is on the coast most research is marine biology orientated.  Science research involves boating so we had a class in Ocean Search and Rescue using Zodiac boats.

Arriving in Punta Arenas, Chile where we will board a ship for travel to Palmer Station.

A sea going adventure from Punta Arenas to the Antarctic Peninsula.

A statue dedicated to Magellan and the Indians of Tierra del Fuego. 

Rubbing this foot is said to bring good luck with crossing the infamous Drake Passage.

Cathedral of Punta Arenas.

Sunrise from my hotel. 

A fine sailing day.

My home for the next several days - the Antarctic research vessel Lawrence M. Gould.

Two Antarctic cruise ships.

From this building over 100 years ago British Admiralty made plans for Ernest Shackleton's rescue from Antarctica. 

One more measure of good luck.

Inside Cathedral of Punta Arenas.

Walking to the Lawrence M. Gould.

Four of us berthed in a shipping container down in the cargo deck - a real tiny house.

Underway!

The five of us wintered at the South  Pole last season. Together again for a Palmer Station winter.

The Bridge.

Ceremonial cigars.

The mess deck.

Excellent food.

A box full of snacks.

Our New Bicycling Adventure Book is Published!

My daughter Jocelyn and I completed our around the word bicycle journey riding home to Cape Canaveral, Florida in December 2016. While stationed at the South Pole this past winter we wrote our second book about this ride, "A Father and Daughter World Cycling Journey".

I have been home for a month now and we have putting the finishing touches on this book. This new book is available through our website: 

FatherDaughterCyclingAdventures.com 

Follow this father and daughter team of Mike and Jocelyn as they return to their bicycles for an awe-inspiring world adventure after their journey across the U.S. and New Zealand as written in their first adventure book published in 2013. In pursuit of this, they begin their most challenging ride yet from Marrakesh, Morocco to Bangkok, Thailand. North Africa, Europe, Central Asia, China, and Southeast Asia are traversed as they continue to explore this amazing world along with its diversity of people and cultures.

After this enlightening ride, they continue from Washington State at the Canadian border and work their way south down the West Coast of the U.S., Mexico, Central America, and South America. Upon reaching Puerto Montt, Chile, they concede that the Southern Chile winter weather will prevent their progress further south. Next on their list is heading east across Canada to Nova Scotia, then south along the East Coast of the U.S., and then home to Cape Canaveral, Florida. They arrive home in December of 2016 from a world trip consisting of 37 countries, five continents, and over 28,000 miles.

Mike and Jocelyn envisioned this travel by bicycle not so much as a cycling exercise but rather as a means to get to out-of-the-way places, to dig deeply into a country’s cultures, and to meet locals in a way that normal tourists rarely do.