Cornerbrook

The lights went on at 11PM - We had gone to sleep after a wonderful "Chartroom" dinner on the ship with two of our favorite naturalists, Eric and Rich. We were expecting to dock early the next morning in our final destination, Cornerbrook, Newfoundland. Little did I know that we would be docking at 11PM and all lights from the dock would be shining in our room! Needless to say, after we closed the curtains and got some final rest on the ship, we woke to our last breakfast on the National Geographic Explorer.

We disembarked the ship at 9:15 and made our way through the city and to the airport. After lunch, we boarded our plane to Halifax and said good bye's to some of the friends we made along the way.

Gros Morne National Park

On Thursday we attempted to visit parts of Gros Mourne. It was pouring rain and a few of us left the ship and braved the cold to visit the "tablelands" which was another UNESCO world heritage site due to the unique plate tectonics. This is one of the best exposures in the world of ocean mantle pushed on top of the earth's crust by colliding plates 400,000,000 years ago. We also viewed carved fjords. The park also has the highest density of moose in the world - home to 7000 to 8000 moose. We walked about 2 miles in the pouring rain along a path until we came to a waterfall and gorge where we viewed travertine and serpentine. Denise wanted me to note that our "waterproof" gloves we bought at REI failed - both of our hands were wet and cold.

L'Anse aux Meadows and Red Bay

On Wednesday we visited L'Anse aux Meadows and Red Bay. In the 1960, the remains of a Norse village was discovered at the Meadows by a Norwegian explorer and archaeologist. It remains the only Norse site in North America and represents the farthest known extent of European exploration and settlement of the new world before the voyages of Christopher Columbus 500 years later. L'Anse aux Meadows was names a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1978. While taking a tour of a Norse site in the meadow, Denise and I walked thru an authentic village and met people dressed in traditional norse wear. We spoke to several of the people and one of them, a young girl told us about how metal was "mined" - out of the tundra bogs which contained a substance to make metal tools. It was sunny and warm!

Battle Harbour and Man-O-War Cove Labrador

On Tuesday we visited this small quaint harbor which was first occupied by Palaeo-Eskimo people from Groswater 3,000 years ago and Middle Dorset 1500 years ago. First, in the morning we visited Charlotte's Bay and Man-O-War Island where we hiked approximately 4 miles up and down the granite and through the first trees we have seen so far. We found Brown Bear "scat" so we knew they were close by. Denise collected some shell, quartz and seeds. In the afternoon, we moved to Battle Harbour, a UNESCO site, where we toured the restored town and walked the old cemetery where we saw a Harrier flying high above the cliffs. We learned about the town from some locals, through song. These people were busy restoring the buildings to the same as when they grew up some years earlier.

It's Wet Today

On Monday we visited Cape Harrison and Indian Harbor in Labrador. It was pouring rain and windy all day - so we hiked in the rain. Only a few of us decided to make it to shore and we dressed in all of our wet weather gear. The zodiac ride from the ship was extremely wet and wild which added to the amount of water that would soon fill my boots. Denise brought the Olympus waterproof camera because any other camera would have been doa. The "village" consisted of some old buildings that had served as a refuge for fisherman going up and down the coast. It also served as a mission to aboriginal and settlers along the coasts of Labrador and the eastern side of the great northern peninsula of northern Newfoundland.

The Experiment

I was asked by one of my brothers to undertake an "experiment" while in the arctic. My task was to urinate on the tundra and find out how long it took for the ice to melt while spelling both my name and his. In the presence of three climatologists and while docked in Greenland, I proceeded with the experiment. My results can be clearly seen above. The results clearly startled all of us. While the melt rates were the same, the writing while urinating came out much clearer while spelling my name than my brother Gary. One scientist even remarked that the spelling of Ira appeared to be in veranda font....

We will be seeking to explain the reasons for this in further writings.

Hebron and Mugford Tickle

Sunday we visited Hebron, Labrador, which was founded as a Monrovian mission in 1831. The Monrovians began establishing missions in Labrador in 1771 and sought to evangelize the Inuit people in Labrador. We spent the morning on a photo walk of the ruins with Ralph and Ira, both National Geographic photographers. There were several old buildings which created a great backdrop for photos.
Denise spent most of the time inspecting many samples of very old rock. She found a great sample of stretched gniss that is 2 to 3 billion years old (How does Sara Palin explain this?) In the afternoon, we spent cruised the tickle and spotted a tundra black bear and a minke whale. After a very exhausting day, we all moved to the stern and munched on hot dogs and beer.

Killiniq and the Button Islands

On Saturday we learned more than we ever wanted to know about scat - or as my brother Gary would say, caca. We examined do-do from polar bears, caribou and lemmings. This was our first day on Labrador. Because of the misty windy weather, we had to travel by zodiac four miles through choppy seas to reach the shore. This was the first test for my plastic pants ad instead of wearing them, I kept them in my backpack and got soaking wet. The ride on the zodiac was further enhanced by our crazy Scottish driver, Kelvin. In the afternoon, we tried to make a zodiac landing on one of the Button Islands, but we spotted polar bears so we could not. Instead, we stayed aboard the ship and listened to lectures on Arctic botany and bear behavior.

Akpatok Island

On Friday we visited Akpatok Island after crossing the Hudson Strait linking the Atlantic Ocean to Hudson Bay. The strait separates Baffin Island from the northern coast of Quebec and Labrador. The weather was sunny and cold (about 34 degrees) and the wind was blowing so it was even colder with the wind chill. We were not able to land on the island due to Polar Bears being sited. The island had massive cliffs - much like the cliffs of Dover. Instead, we launched the zodiacs and cruised along the island. While cruising, we spotted a male polar bear being chased by another male bear. The bear being chased ran up on a mother bear with her cubs and the mother stood ready to protect her family because other male bears have been know to eat cubs. This played out like a soap opera and we witnessed some very unique rare polar bear behavior - very cool. In the afternoon, we moved the ship to Harps cove and Denise hiked - Denise found some very cool fossils which were pre-cambrian. Instead of hiking - I slept after a very rough day of watching the bears.

Polar Bears and Walrus and Whales

On Thursday, it was mammal day. We saw Polar Bears and a large number of Walrus and Whales. We started the day early in the morning as we visited the bridge. There was a spotting of Bowhead whales (a very rare siting) in the distance, so we turned the ship and headed for the blows. By the time we reached the area, the whales were nowhere in site, so we continued a short distance to Butterfly Bay, on Baffin Island. As we approached our proposed landing site, we spotted three polar bears. One was feeding on a whale carcass on the very beach we were supposed to land the zodiacs. We slowed the ship and watched for about an hour. The ship then headed out of the bay and anchored and we launched the zodiacs for a closed look at the bears.

In the afternoon, we made our way to Monumental Island, a barren rock off of Baffin Island. Again, we spotted a polar bear and we launched the zodiacs in search of walrus - which we found in large numbers. The smell from these beasts was unforgettable! In the evening we attended a great dinner with a small gathering of guests and guides, including Kelvin from Scotland (a master diver) and Jenn from Maine (a master maritime pilot) in the chart room.

Pangnirtung & Kekerten Island

On Wednesday, we visited "Pang" and Kekerten. We toured the town with the help of local guides and walked the village and the outskirts. We saw where a bridge had recently been washed out by heavy glacial melt. We also saw a weaving guild that had been started 30 years ago and now boasts some of the finest in the world.

In the afternoon, we launched the zodiacs and visited Kekerten Island. Kekerten was a heavily used whaling station during the 1850's and 60's. We walked the boardwalks and saw artifacts including the foundation of three storehouses and large cast-iron pots used for rendering whale oil.

At Sea in the Davis Strait

Yesterday we left Greenland and made our way across the sea crossing the Davis Strait, which links Baffin Bay to the North Atlantic Ocean. The Baffin Bay is more than 9,000 feet deep and have Icebergs all along the way. We were able to spot chunks of ice, as well as icebergs along the way. Because of the deep waters, there are species of whales only found in these waters. In the morning, we spotted a pod of Sperm whales and then soon after, a pod of Northen Bottlenose Whales. After the Bottlenose were spotted, we stopped the ship and launched one of our Zodiacs with an underwater camera and two whale experts. During the day there were several lectures given including an introduction to glaciology and ice, digital photography basics and taking home better photographs which was taught by National Geographic photographer, Ira Block.
We were able to observe the whales for more than an hour - very cool. Contrary to what we were expecting, the straight was very calm and the ship rode like glass. We should be docking in Baffin Island in the morning - back to Canada.

It's Cold in the Arctic Icefields

Sisimuit, Greenland

Yesterday we visited the town of Sisimiut, Greenland. This town lies just north of the Arctic circle and is the northernmost town in Greenland where the port remains ice free in the winter and at the same time the southernmost town in Greenland where it is possible to drive a dogsled in winter and spring.
We were able to try out on winter layering for the first time when we hiked about 3.75 miles to view Thule archaeological ruins. We had temperatures of approx 40 degrees with some rain and wind to chill the air even more. The Thules lived in this area around 1250. They are the ancestors of modern Greenland. We also saw ruins of the Dorset people who were here 500 BC and hunted with spears and harpoons, which suggested they hunted sea mammals. We saw many Greenlandic sled dogs along the way.
We got to bed very late because of a loud noise coming from below our cabin every few minutes. After summoning help from the bridge, the crew was unable to find the source and we look forward to some peace and quiet tonight as we set sail to the north and the town of Ilulissat.

4 Flights, One Limo, 2 Buses and a Zodiac

We arrived late this afternoon in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland (a town that boasts it has 1/3rd of all the roads in Greenland and home to an ex-US military base) where we boarded our home away from home, the National Geographic Explorer. Along the way we were only delayed once when our flight from Ottawa to Kangerlussuaq was delayed about 90 minutes because of "windshield issues". Last night we stayed in Ottawa and had to be up at 4:00am this morning for our flight. Tonight, its cold and wet, but we are nice and warm in our cabin and settling in. We just shared dinner with one of the National Geographic photographers, Ralph Lee Hopkins, from Santa Fe, New Mexico and another couple we met, Eleanor Musick and Abe Ordover, a photography gallery owner from Solana Beach, CA. Most of the people on the ship seem to be from the US with a smattering of Brits. Because this ship has an elevator, there seems to be a higher percentage of "older folk". Tonight we set sail at 11pm up the 90 mile long fjord (3rd longest in Greenland) to the open sea where we will dock at Sisimiut, Greenland tomorrow afternoon.

Where We Will Be

The Night Before

My clothes are packed, the electronics are charged, my memory cards are static-free and the bags of snacks for the plane are ready to go. I'll be picking up a prescription tonight from Dr. Jim for some sea-sickness patches "just in case". The weather reports are a cool 20-40 with wind-chill taking it down further. I keep forgetting in my blogs to mention that we are sponsored by Tecero Wines (Larry - so nice of you to underwrite the trip). You can pick up the latest Tecero wine at http://www.tercerowines.com/ "If you want something to keep you toasty warm at night, pour a big old glass of Tercero Red and hunker down".

My other brother, Gary, who lives in France has asked me to do an experiment he feels the French government would find beneficial. He has asked me to find a spot in the Arctic and spell his name while urinating on the permafrost. He is extremely interested to see at what temperature the urine, while spelling his name, would freeze. I am presently seeking an underwriter for this experiment, so if any of you are interested in this experiment, and it's findings, (besides Gary and/or the French government) please let me know. I have already turned down proposals from various pharmaceutical companies including "the going" drug for guys. I also seek to undertake my own experiment to see if, while peeing the names of my other brothers, the temperature of freezing may differ.

Denise is ready!

Denise seems to be ready to roll. She has all of our clothes out and ready to pack. The suitcases are ready, we have plenty of long underwear and waterproof pants (it's been a long time since I have worn plastic pants). We have watched several videos of the ships first voyage through Iceland and all systems seem to be functioning. It seems to be getting colder up north, so we are packing accordingly and are ready for a cold windchill.... as long as I have my powder for my chaffing issue, I'm good to go.