December 8

Today was an incredible day from start to finish. This morning we went to Neko harbor to photograph penguins, ice bergs (some calfing right in front of our eyes) and the shear beauty of our surroundings. The icebergs have a turquise color around the edges. In the afternoon, we went sea kayaking, which was very peaceful, with our eyes popping out of our head from all this splendor surrounding us. This evening the captain got word that the National Geographic Explorer was going to be in the same are aas our ship and we had the opportunity to tour their ship. It is bigger and more luxurious but all in all, not any nicer than ours. Tomorrow we visit Palmer Station, one of three American research centers on the continent. We are having one wonderful experience after another

First Impressions

I knew that any ill feelings I had going through the Drake Passage would be more than offset by the photos I was going to get. After a day and a half of laying in bed to overcome the effects of sea sickness, we arrived at 4:00 PM today at the South Shetland Islands. Going through the English Strait brought much calmer seas. I photographed penguins galore and have attached two images. Remeber, they were shot in camera raw so you have to use your imagination. The topography is spectacular, with huge mountains and glaciers lining the shore.

We're off!

After a very easy transition into South America, we are already packing and filled with excitement to move much further south tomorrow. Wake up call is at 4:45 so I’ll just consider this an initial test for the blog and post more once we get to Antarctica.

The photos I am taking are taken in camera raw, which needs a great deal of editing to make them look good. Please look at the posts with some imagination…

More in a couple of days.