Winter vacations usually take the form of travel to warmer climates, basking on sunny beaches, drinking pina coladas and flaunting the good weather to folks back home.
Not so with Bonnie and Mike Vance, of Mt. Pleasant.
They had visited most continents, but not Antarctica or Asia. So, this year, along with some traveling friends from Wisconsin, it was off to Antarctica. FYI, winter in the Midwest is summer in Antarctica, but don’t plan on working on your tan. Highs are in the neighborhood of 45 degrees. But you can take your golf shoes if you like — the spikes might work as good ice grippers.
Bonnie and Mike drove to St. Louis, hopped a flight to Miami, met up with their Wisconsin friends, then flew to Buenos Aires.
They loved Buenos Aires, except for one thing. Bonnie had her purse stolen, losing credit cards, drivers license, cellphone, etc. Fortunately, her passport was back in the hotel safe. Mike, who is a lawyer and magistrate judge, found out first hand what it is like being on the other side of a police department, not speaking the language and dealing with a lot of misunderstandings. To top it off, one of Mike’s credit cards had been compromised.
But everything was worked out, and they were on a cruise ship to Montevideo, Uruguay, then the Falkland Islands. After a two-hour jeep ride through terrible rocky terrain, they saw their first penguins. Rock hopper penguins are really cute. The parents hop up and down this 100 foot cliff to the water and back to bring food to their chicks. On the jeep ride back, one of the jeeps got stuck in a peat bog and had to be pulled out.
Then it was back on the cruise ship and off to Antarctica. There is this Beaufort scale wind chart that goes from 0 to 12. They were at a nine, with 30 foot waves and 50 knot (57 mph) winds, making drunken sailors out of them all. Spray was hitting the observation-deck windows, ten stories up. Passengers were told to stay in their cabins. Mike got a little sea sick, but ginger in hot water straightened him right out.
And then they saw their first iceberg. It was 1.7 miles long and 100 feet high. It’s what you don’t see under water that can be perilous.
Bonnie and Mike took their first Zodiac (large rubber raft) ride, from ship to shore. The Zodiacs are built in sections, so that if ice is hit and a section is punctured, the Zodiac will stay afloat. The Zodiac Bonnie and Mike were in hit some ice, and the right front quarter blew out. Everyone had to move to the rear for stabilization. Then all the passengers had to change Zodiacs. Mike was first. The crew and passengers held the two Zodiacs together. Mike was instructed to sling his feet over the sides and jump. Someone in the other Zodiac would catch him, hopefully. All passengers were moved safely. Whew!
Some people in another Zodiac had a penguin jump into their boat. It was being chased by a seal. All was captured on film.
Bonnie and Mike landed at a big penguin rookery. There were thousands of penguins. The skuas (large Antarctic birds) fly in and try to steal eggs and chicks. Skuas are known to attack people’s heads. Mike had a skua land right beside him, which scared the bejeebies out of him. The skua strutted through the nesting penguins, looking for a meal, like it was a smorgasbord. The penguins have sharp beaks and fiercely protect their chicks and eggs. It was quite a sight.
It takes seven penguins to decide what they are going to do. They stand at the water’s edge and can’t make up their mind. One jumps in, and the others follow. Although rather awkward on land, the penguins shoot through the water like missiles.
Some days were beautiful and sunny, with crystal blue sky and plenty of fresh air. At Waterboat Point there was a cormorant rookery, and an old whaling shipwreck. At Wilhelmina Bay, Bonnie and Mike saw a pod of orcas (killer whales), and a humpback whale blowing bubbles under water. Another humpback would come up through the bubbles and grab a mouth full of krill. Life is tough in Antarctica. Krill is a main food supply for many creatures and is in danger of extinction from global warming.
Would Bonnie and Mike go back to Antarctica and would they recommend the trip to others? Absolutely. But first, they have to visit Asia. Asia is a big continent. From Turkey to China, there is Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, India, Israel, and Saudi Arabia to visit.
Asia might take a couple of trips.
• Call or text Curt Swarm in Mt. Pleasant at 319-217-0526 or email him at curtswarm@yahoo.com