So this is it – the last landing on the continent. The adventure is beginning to come to an
end. But before we start ending the trip
before its actual close, there is one last Zodiac landing to experience – and
it’s a good one. First it was Port
Lockroy. Port Lockroy was a research and
exploration station set up by British explorers in the earlier part of the 20th
century. The main building is comprised
of what is now a gift shop, with the rest of the bulding: the washroom,
kitchen, sleeping area (pictured below) and a
radio communication room, set up as a museum as they were when the explorers
were here up to the 1950’s. In the early
days explorers lived here and explored the surrounding area and studied the
wildlife. Now the 4 staff that live here
from November to February mainly handle the tourists that come through. There are only 3 buildings - the gift shop and museum, a storage
facility, and the staff quarters. They
have no internet or running water – so when the ships dock here to bring
tourists, the staff gets to go on the ship to have a hot shower and take some
fresh supplies. That happens about every
10 days. And we thought it was the penguins that smelled.
Port Lockroy - museum
So Port Lockroy is an interesting piece of history to
observe. It made me think – when you
visit other parts of the world that have been explored, discovered, surveyed by
early explorers, it’s sometimes hard to imagine what it was like for these
early explorers because the areas have become so developed since they were
here. Antarctica is not like that. Not only do the remnants of early exploration
life still remain, like the buildings at Deception Island and here at Port
Lockroy, but the landscape is pretty much as it was when those early explorers
first discovered it. It really is a wild
yet pristine landscape.
Port Lockroy
So yes, we have seen a lot of penguins – and yes, after a
while they did become commonplace – but talk about saving the best for
last. Nothing compares to a wild and
untamed creature expressing its natural animal curiosity by coming right up to
you and poking at your pants or boots with as much as to say, “I haven’t seen
you here before.” And that’s exactly what happened to both Sue and I (Push was
unfortunately still recovering back on the ship). A gentoo penguin chick came right up to us
and did exactly that. So the rule again
is, don’t approach them, but if they approach you, you’re ok. And he (she?) was quite the little social
butterfly, waddling from Sue to me to a few others who were nearby. Sue is pictured below with her new friend. It was definitely a special experience. And then there were the whale bones that
someone had reassembled on the beach to make it look like a full size
whale. Apparently they were bones from a
number of different whales, but it looked quite real nonetheless. We spent some time just silently observing
the long, horizontal grey clouds as they drifted across the mountains and
glaciers and cast a bleak, lonely but beautiful pall over everything.
A new friend
Then it was back to the ship where it was lunch and then a
good long nap. Sue went out in the
Zodiac to whale watch where they saw a couple Humbacks, but we later learned at
the recap talk that these whales were pretty much just traveling and didn’t
give any playful demonstrations. During
the recap we voted on a name for a group of seals (as in a “pod” of whales)
because there is no collective noun for seals – and we ended up voting for a
“squadron” of seals. Add that one to the
dictionary. Then it was off to
dinner. Now we are beginning to re-enter
the dreaded Drake Passage again – so our dinner group was already down by
one. By the end of the soup course, we
lost another. By the entree,
another. Needless the say no one stayed
to linger over coffee. So here we are,
getting back on the roller coaster – and here’s where I sign off, pop another
Gravol, and.....sweet dreams. Tomorrow,
more Drake – uggh!
Until then....
