Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 12/13/2006 - 17:32
Forums
Oden Antarctic Expedition 06

UndecidedSurprisedFoot in mouthCoolDear mr. miller,

Hollow  mr.miller. How are you?

Tongue out 1. where are you?

Money mouth2.Are any penguans  scared of  you?

Sealed3.Are there any cool animals?

Foot in mouth4.Are you haveing fun?

Surprised5. Is it super cold?

Undecided6.  Is any one  with you?

Wink7.Have you seen any seals or sea lion? 

Yell8.Are there any water.

Smile9. how many miles  have you walk?

 Laughing10. have you seen any mountans?

Cry your number 1# friend

luis vela

 1#                                                     

Fri, 12/15/2006 - 11:09

Allan Miller

Here are the responses to your questions. 1. where are you?
Right now our exact position is 58 degrees 50 minutes south, and 72 degrees 10 minutes west - as I look out the window I see absolutely nothing except for water in every direction. We are approaching a special area of the southern Pacific called the convergence zone - this is where the cold waters from the Antarctic meet the warmer waters from the Pacific, once we cross this things should get colder and we should see alot more wildlife because this area is rich in plankton to support the food chain.
2.Are any penguans scared of you?
We've only seen the Magallenes penguins at their rookery up by Punta Arenas in Chile, but they had absolutely no fear of us. A couple of our scientists on board have been to Antarctica previously studying penguins and other animals - and they said that they'll actually come up to you since they are not afraid and very curious.
3.Are there any cool animals?
So far we're mostly seeing birds - but the albatross is really cool to watch fly. It has a huge wingspan - bigger than an eagle - and soars gracefully just inches above the waves for hour after hour. It reminds me a a soarplane - or glider with its long thin wings and ability to seemingly float forever in the air currents. The biologists promise lots of cool things once we entire the Antarctic waters this evening.
4.Are you haveing fun?
The most fun so far is just getting to know everyone on board and learn about them - seems that everyone, from the cooks, to the engine room men, to the scientists, has done some incredible things with their lives so it is fun to listen to their stories.
5. Is it super cold?
It's about 37 degrees fahrenheit right now - but with a strong wind it feels a lot colder. It should get even colder, right down to freezing once we enter Antarctic water this evening.
6. Is any one with you?
We have a total of about 40 people on board - but it' such a huge ship it doesn't seem crowded at all. The only time we see everyone together is when we eat meals in the dining room.
7.Have you seen any seals or sea lion?
not a one - but I think we will definitely see seals just as soon as we get near the ice pack and into the iceflows / icebergs
8.Are there any water.
There is water everywhere - the last time we could see land what yesterday at 4 PM when we caught our last view of Cape Horn through the clouds. Today we can see about 40 miles in every direction and it is nothing but water, no land, no ships, etc.
9. how many miles have you walk?
It may seem funny but I've done alot of walking since i got on the boat. There are four main places where I need to be throughout the day - the dining room which is on the first floor, the Captain's bridge which is on the 6th floor, my cabin which is on the 4th floor, and the observation points (where Mrs. Chippy and I take animal pictures) are located in the front and the back of the boat, about 100 yards apart. So I'm doing a ton of walking on the ship. Hopefully I'll also be able to do some walking on solid ground when we get to McMurdo next week.
10. have you seen any mountans?
Flying down we flew over the Andes Mountains - the border between Chile and Argentina and they were beautiful - tall and steep with the tips still coated with snow. Yesterday as we were rounding Cape Horn, we could see some huge mountains on Terra Del Fuego too - it's very rugged country and we'll also see lots of mountains once we reach Antarctica. Our final destination, McMurdo - is located on Ross Island which has the only active volcano on Antarctica - Mt. Erebus.