The Final Journey has begun!!
I can’t believe it!!!
It’s time to start my FINAL journey back to the ice!
Yes, I’m a little sad that this is my last trip to Antarctica, but I am so excited to see what’s in store for me this year as we continue our research with Weddell seals, the world’s southern-most dwelling mammal.
If you are participating in the ‘Get Fit’ challenge, you know that the journey from Memphis to McMurdo Station is no quick jaunt. It is 8,764 miles. Click here for linkGet Fit. That distance, however, is a direct route, or ‘as the crow flies.’ It’s a bit different travelling by plane, so it is safe to say that I will be adding ‘a few’ more miles to my actual route. While it would be nice to take a direct flight – no such luck! In fact, I will be taking 4 different flights to get to McMurdo.
When I leave Memphis, I will fly to Dallas, Texas. I am glad I don’t have to drive that leg of my trip! If I drove, it would take me over 7 hours to get there. Whew! But by plane it is much quicker – less than two hours.
Once in Dallas, I will catch my flight to Sydney, Australia. This is definitely the flight where I can catch up on my journaling and hopefully even get some sleep! This flight will be nearly 17 hours – WOW!
Sometime during this flight, the plane will cross the International Date Line – an imaginary line that separates the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. When that happens, I will actually lose a whole day! But don’t worry, it is not gone forever. I will gain it back when I am on my way home.
Once in Sydney, I’ll catch a plane to Christchurch, New Zealand, where I will meet up with the rest of the team and get my ECW (Extreme Cold Weather) gear before heading down to the ice!
Ready for the ice. Alex in her Extreme Cold Weather gear. Photo credit: Alex Eilers
Take a look at the video, titled Where in the World is Ms. Alex. It highlights all of the different places I will ‘touch down’ before making it to Antarctica. Pay close attention while you are watching the video, because I’ve added a few challenges for you!
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Here are your challenge questions.
Submit your answers in the comments below.
Question 1: How many total miles did I travel?
Question 2: How long was my actual flying time? Or, how long was I actually ‘in the air?’
Question 3: Of the four flights, which was the longest? Which was the shortest?
Question 4: How many different countries did I visit?
Question 5: How many different continents did I see?
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