A proud member of the 7 Continent Club.

Day 3: Friday, June 19th, 2015
Steps taken: 15,095 (At this point the timer on my 3DS is 14 hours behind.)

When everyone claps after a flight, especially a long one such as this one of fourteen hours, there is a sense of relief.  For me, it was a culmination of all the flights that I have taken to get here.  I was applauding myself for seeing so much of the world in the past seven years.  I was applauding myself for living life.  In the months between booking the trip, and getting here I thought about the instant of seeing my last continent for the first time, touching down on Australian soil, and was sure it would be a freeing, tearful occasion.  While I blunk back tears it was no less poignant.  I wonder if it was the build up or being surrounded by others, but I didn't feel the need to shout that I was the world's greatest explorer or weep with a huge smile on my face.  Regardless, I made it and I might have been the proudest person in the world at that particular moment.

With my head held high I went through customs, picked up my luggage, and got a shuttle to my hotel for the next two days: the Sydney Boulevard Hotel.  When we arrived in Sydney, the weather did not match my spirits.  It was raining, and a bit gloomy.  It was definitely cool to see the plane rushing/hydroplaning through the water on the runway.  I do not think I have ever seen that before.  I arrived at my hotel at 10am.  Thankfully I was able to check in.  Because of the weather, and long flights I was not in a hurry to explore Sydney.  While my first impression of the city's aesthetics was a positive one I vegged until noon or so.  Then fatigue set in.  I decided to set the alarm for 2pm, and rest up before going out.  The alarm clock was a bit odd, and definitely not easily programmed like the ones I was used to.  The alarm did not go off at 2, and seemed to be progressing along with the standard clock, therefore I slept an extra hour or two.  I didn't leave my hotel room until 5:30, and by then it was getting dark.

I decided to take a left out of the hotel, and that led me towards the King's Cross area of Sydney.  My first stop along the way was a convenience store where I picked up some peanut butter timtams, and some raspberry ones.  Then I found a book store, and checked that out for a few minutes.  I was weighing my dinner options.  There were a few good looking Thai restaurants along that stretch of Williams Street.  As I was crossing a street, this guy made a comment about the cracks in the road.  It was sort of strange, and I didn't know exactly how to reply, but he didn't come off as dangerous.  I thought about it as we were walking down the next street along side each other and asked him if he knew of any good places to eat in the area.  He said he wasn't from Sydney (I think he said he was from Adelaide), but we wandered looking for places.

Dave and I after finally introducing ourselves went to a pub called The Sugar Mill.  Dave had already eaten so he was only there to drink.  I ordered a cider, and a BLAT.  Since it was on the burgers menu I was confused and thought I was getting a bacon, lettuce, avocado, and tomato burger, but it was just a sandwich.  Still a good meal.  Since Dave was interested in drinking more than anything else I left after I finished eating to wander around a bit more.  It was nice to have some short lived company though.

After wandering for half an hour or so I returned to my hotel room and cracked open the PB timtams.  I turned on the telly, and the last twenty minutes (starting from when The Master fights back against the Time Lords) of the Doctor Who episode "The End of Time' was on.  Fitting to think what I have done in my travels.  As David Tennant transformed into Matt Smith I imitated the act of regeneration.  Full of time & space energy from getting to this point.  While I didn't physically become another person I would like to think that I have regenerated internally.  People regenerate every day that they live; they take everything from the previous day and become something more (or less).  I want to believe that from the time that I started my adult world tour in Egypt until I reached Australia that I have become a new Dylan.  Regenerated into the 2nd Dylan (or maybe I'm on my fifth incarnation as a being.) if you will.  I will regenerate again.  Perhaps as a Doctor of Literature or an accomplished author whose stories help others regenerate themselves or maybe even as a husband and father.  No matter what I regenerate into I am beyond proud of the Dylan I have become.

I posted on Facebook to share in my accomplishment (And shouted out to my friends who were already in the 7 Continent Club: Scott Palma, Dan Hsu, April Harrington, Dave Peck, and Melvin Mendoza.  We all have conquered the world in our own special ways.)  I also posted a quote that sums up how I feel as an adventurer from my favorite Japanese role playing game called Lunar: Silver Star Story.  After defeating the Magic Emperor Ghaleon and saving the day, the former Dragon Master Dyne/Laike tells the new Dragon Master Alex and his love Luna before they return home to Berg that "The world is boundless.  I'll never claim all of its treasures, or learn all of its secrets.  But I don't feel hopeless about it...I feel fortunate.  Fortunate that I'm alive and able to explore a world with such endless adventure".  I am indeed fortunate to have been able to do what I have done and although my initial feelings post-Antarctica was that my life had peaked, there will always be new adventures to be had, destinations to go, and mountains to climb.  My suggestion is that while no one's world is going to be constructed and lived the same way, to go find your own path to happiness.  Mine was becoming a member of the 7 Continent Club and I shall never forget this day.  Next goals: 50 states before I turn 50, and then become a member of the Century Club (100 countries).  More regenerations on the way.

Time Travel.

Day 2: Thursday, June 18th, 2015
Steps taken: 1,802

Although being in the airport alone doesn't really count I will definitely have to visit LA, and California.  I told my uncle Billy who is dying of cancer that I will take the Pacific Coast Highway trip that he wanted to go on, but wasn't able to, for him.  I think that will be my next major trip.  I would like to do that either in January or March.

I walked around the airport for about twenty minutes, and then returned to my gate.  There was still about an hour before the flight was to board so I set up my laptop, connected back with home, and played some games.

After getting back on the plane, and taking off I slept irregularly.  For our first meal I had cottage pie.  It was very good, but I could only eat half since it was so rich.  I saved my key lime cheesecake for later.  I slept through the pizza snack that they had.  I woke up and watched the rest of the Dylan Thomas flick.  I enjoyed learning more about my namesake, and would definitely watch this film again.  After a great deal of restless sleep on this 14 hour flight I was feeling like sleep was no longer an option with five hours left.  I decided to watch "Silver Linings Playbook".  I had been meaning to since it's been on HBO, but haven't.  Overall, it was very good.  Solid performances from a good cast.  The characters had good depth from their mental inhibitions or faults.  The only thing that felt off or a bit forced is a major spoiler, which I won't get into.

After a bit of playing mahjong on the touch screen, which was pretty glitchy, and having a breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage, and yogurt; we landed.  I had reached my final continent!

The shuffle to the final continent.

Australia & New Zealand Day 1: Wednesday, June 17th, 2015
Steps taken: 5,364

Thirty four years of dreaming of adventures, and seven years of constant traveling has built up to this moment.  I was heading to Australia, the site of my final continent.  While I did not truly have this goal in mind until I set foot on my third or fourth continent I believe it was something that was inevitable for the way I wished to travel.  The moment Scott suggested a trip to Antarctica, it felt real.  I have worked hard to accomplish this, and worked a questionably insane teaching schedule to make sure I could afford this while maintaining a financial cushion until the Fall semester began.  No matter what I had to do to get here, it was worth it.

After getting done the majority of tasks and little side projects that I needed to finish before I left home for a whopping month and a half I was ready.  Actually...maybe not.  The morning was a mad capped sequence of errands, and double checks.  I thought I had a universal power adapter, but it was European only, therefore I had to head to Best Buy to get one.  After that and a visit to my uncle John, I returned home to finalize my things.

At 3pm I said goodbye to my mother and my aunt Kathy (I said goodbye to my sister before she left for work), and headed to the train station.  I bought my ticket, and waited for the 3:39 train that did not show up until 3:50.  You're the best, LIRR!  While on the train I started reading the last 100 pages of Haruki Murakami's Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World.  Yes, I know.  A very appropriate novel for what I was about to do.

I got off the train at Jamaica Station, and took the air train to JFK Terminal 7.  I was sorely tempted to get some Tim Horton's donuts, but resisted somehow.  Once I arrived at T7 I went to the check-in area.  I waited on line for about 20 minutes only to find out that I was on the Icelandair line because the lines were not well marked.  They were practically merged.  As much as I would love to return to Iceland (I went there in March of 2012 to honor my father after his death because he was stationed there while in the Navy.), it was not the time for that.  I checked in my bag, and went through security, which went relatively quickly.  After going through Cancertron I headed towards the gate.

While at the gate waiting for my Qantas Air flight 18 to LAX, and then Sydney, I got some Red Mango (Sorry, Tim Horton's.) pomegranate froyo with almonds, and finished reading "Hard Boiled...".  In many ways it was the 'headiest' piece of fiction I've ever read, but I enjoyed it.  I think it's my second favorite of his works now.  I have read all of his main works and "South of the Border, West of the Sun" is still my favorite.  One thing I'm disappointed that I won't get to do while I'm away is to see the theatre adaptation of Kafka on the Shore at Lincoln Center in July.  Oh well.  A small sacrifice.

My flight was scheduled for 6:45pm, however we didn't board until 7:15, and didn't take off until 7:45.  I should be used to this crap by now.  I started reading the next book on my list The Necromancer, book 4 in the Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series by Michael Scott.  It's been a good series so far.  If you're a fan of assorted word mythologies, and action stores then I recommend it.  Nicholas Flamel was a real person thought to have successfully created the Philosopher's Stone.  I read about twenty five pages before the lights in the cabin went out.

I watched a few short animated interviews with musicians and authors such as Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin, and David Foster Wallace.  I started watching the movie "Set Fire to the Stars" about Dylan Thomas' first poetry tour of America.  Unfortunately the sound system wasn't that great, and I couldn't hear everything.  Also, I was interrupted by dinner, which was chicken and vegetables.  About halfway through the film I fell asleep.  When I woke up there was still a bit of time left so I tried watching an animated film called "Ernest and Celestine" about a bear, and a mouse that become friends though their societies are natural enemies.  Once again, the sound quality was terrible and I fell asleep halfway through.  By the time I woke up again, the flight was almost over.  Flying over the valley I saw a few brush fires.  Bad Religion's song "Los Angeles is Burning" raced through my mind.

When we landed, everyone had to leave the plane despite this being the same plane that those going to Sydney were taking.  I usually try to get direct flights, but this was understandable.  I left the plane and was in LA for the first time.

From frozen temporary home to frozen home.

Day 14: Sunday, January 12th, 2014
Steps taken: 6,540

We arrived at Miami Airport early in the morning, and had to wait another six hours.  We went through customs, said goodbye to Jessi and Lisa, and then wandered around.

We finally got on the plane, and I was looking forward to getting home, but there were a few mishaps left.  The first was that since American Airlines (I really don't like to fly with them unless I have to.) didn't seat many groups together, many people played musical chairs.  I switched seats with a pregnant woman so she could sit next to her husband.  I didn't mind moving, but a good quarter of the plane tried switching seats.  I've never seen that on such a bad level before.  I spent the rest of the flight reading.

We finally got into La Guardia after a day and a half of travel.  I really like G Adventures overall, but most of the travelers' flight plans seemed really convoluted.  We got our bags after a half an hour of the standard BS.  Is it all airlines?  Two bags came off in the initial run and then nothing for another five minutes.  Is that some kind of inside joke for baggage crews?

After we got our bags, we took a cab back to Scott's place.  Well, close to Scott's place since the cabbie had no idea where he was going.  We chilled for a bit, and then Dan and I said our goodbyes to Scott.  We went to the nearby train, and that's where Dan and I parted ways.  I took the train to Jamaica, and then home from there.  It was nice to be home after such a rewarding, and unique adventure.  To me, Antarctica is quite possibly the purest place in the world.

Written in March of 2014
Since the trip I've thought about and have been through several things.  Some good and some bad.  This semester that followed had been a roller-coaster for me in regards to stabilizing myself mentally, and financially from Antarctica.  Regardless of being the most expensive trip I've ever taken, it has been the most incredible one as well.  I was worried that my life had peaked with this excursion, but there are still many amazing things left to do, and astonishing places to see.  Antarctica is a place that not many will see first hand, but I wish everyone could.  I will leave this adventure with a quote from one of my favorite authors:
"Time weighs down on you like an old, ambiguous dream.  You keep on moving, trying to slip through it.  But even if you go to the ends of the earth, you won't be able to escape it.  Still, you have to go there-to the edge of the world.  There's something you can't do unless you get there."-Haruki Murakami from Kafka on the Shore.

Leaving the End of the World.

Day 13: Saturday, January 11th, 2014
Steps taken: 6,066

At 7 I woke up, got cleaned up, finished packing, and went to the final breakfast.  It was a pleasant yet somber meal not only because there was no omelette bar, but for the fact that everyone's paths were diverging again.

After breakfast, we left the MS Expedition and said our goodbyes to the crew, and the passengers that weren't immediately going to the airport.  We walked around town for the next two hours, and then returned to the luggage station to head to the airport.

We arrived at the airport three hours before our flight was to leave, but it felt like double.  First there was some inane problem with my ticket that I had to go to a service counter to get my tickets from Buenos Aires to home.  We waited on line behind one person.  That person in front of us who wanted to upgrade his ticket took half an hour because of computers malfunctioning and confused staff.  Then the guy who told me to wait on the line told me not to bother and just get my tickets at the next airport.  THANKS!

We wandered a bit talking to some of the snack shop owners before heading to the gates.  We hung out with our fellow Expeditioners waiting for our plane.  We kept watching for our boarding announcement at the gate we were supposed to board from, but after thirty minutes from when the plane was to take off there was nothing.  I asked someone on a line forming near gate 3, and supposedly our plane was about to take off.  Our plane was changed to gate 5 without a change on the monitors or a serious announcement being made.  If it was made in Spanish I didn't hear out flight number.  Neither did Scott or Dan.  THANKS AGAIN!

We scrambled to the gate and were told the flight was waiting on us.  That was sooooo nice of them.  Ushuaia Airport, you're officially the worst airport in the world!  Congratulations, Newark, you're no longer #1.  We got on the plane and another passenger boarded a minute or two after us and then we took off immediately.

We arrived in Buenos Aires and had to play the waiting game...for six hours.  As you can see I love waiting in airports, but again the airport shuffle was the worst part of the trip.

In the meantime, we conversed with the Expeditioners that were there, had dinner, and walked around the airport.  The flight itself was okay.  At least we knew when and where it was boarding!

Re-crossing Drake's Passage.

Day 12: Friday, January 10th, 2014
Steps taken: 2,549

Last full day at sea.  I awoke refreshed and vowed not to sleep the day away.  I cleaned up and went to the Discovery Lounge before breakfast to witness the sailing around Cape Hope, Chile.  I would have liked an excursion there afterwards, but it was still magnificent from the ship.

Breakfast was good as always, but I was hoping they brought back the omelette bar since I missed it the time or two they had it.  Maybe at the last breakfast.

Right after breakfast we spotted some Peale's dolphins around the bough of the ship.  I couldn't get any great pics or videos of them since they were too stealthy.  Also, between breakfast and lunch were two lectures: one by Scott (crew) about early Cape Hope exploration, and another by Frank about his research on penguins and introducing them into captivity gently for study.

After the final lunch on the boat were several events.  Scott talked about the differences between the Antarctic and Arctic trips.  I definitely would like to do an Arctic expedition in the next ten years.  One day I will proudly be bi-polar! (I know the other implication of that is very serious and not to be joked about.)  After that, Osi discussed the 175 year history of women in the Antarctic.

Then it was the last congregation of the Brotherhood of the Broth.  We partook while Parker put on a concert in the lounge.

The last dinner on the ship was just as amazing if not more so than previous nights.  It was difficult deciding on course options except for dessert, which the main dessert was Baked Alaska.  Everyone at our table had seconds after everyone else was served.

After dinner there was a fifteen person game of CAH because we obviously didn't get enough of being horrible in our downtime before this.  It was really enjoyable and we scared anyone curious to see what our circle of haughtiness in the Discovery Lounge was all about.

By midnight we had gone through every white card almost twice, and called it a night.  Satiated by wine, a chocolate walrus, and wicked connections I went to bed.

Grargle Flargles.

Day 11: Thursday, January 9th, 2014
Steps taken: 1,532

I woke up around 6:30 after some not necessarily evil dreams unless dreaming about work is evil.  I cleaned up and then read before breakfast.  After breakfast I went to the cabin to read.  After a chapter I zonked out.

I awoke to the lunch announcement.  I ate lunch and was trying to eat lighter because of less activity.  After lunch, more or less the same thing happened with reading and sleeping.  I woke up to beef broth and snacks.  Dinner was buffet style with Asian style dishes.  The sweet and sour pork, and the cinnamon crusted fried bananas were excellent.

After dinner I swore I was going to not pass out again, but ten minutes before the showing of BBC's Frozen Planet part 5: 'Winter' I was feeling lethargic and slept until the next morning.

Supertraveler VS the Super Volcano!

Day 10: Wednesday, January 8th, 2014
Steps taken: 11,545

This was the last morning of excursions.  The morning excursion was to Deception Island.  It is an inactive super volcano.  We hiked up the trail where there was a bowl shaped valley below.  We trekked down around the valley and along the coast back towards the zodiacs.  There were many penguins and seals along the coast.  A few of us took some icicles that hung low from the heavy snow packed above the coast, and ate them.  Best icicle I've ever had.  (That's some high quality H2O.)  We also pretended we were fighting avalanches.  After we had our fun we took a zodiac back to the ship.

After lunch we had a little time to kill before the afternoon excursion.  We relaxed until that point and then it was off to Yankee Harbor.  Scott, Dan, and I walked along the rocky shores discussing infinite parallel universes.  Were we similar in alternative universes?  Radically different? Still alive? Maybe I'm actually a wolf in another dimension.  Perhaps there is another universe where either I didn't have wanderlust or the need to travel as much as I have been doing in the past five years.  Maybe there is a universe where Lydia decided on a life with me, and we traveled the world together.  Whatever happened in other universes I am content with what I've decided and done with my life thus far in this universe.

As for Yankee Harbor itself, there were penguins as far as the eyes can see in some stretches.  Many of them had their chicks hatch fairly recently.  We had seen baby penguins before, but there were so many here. (Insert collective "Daaaaawwwwwwwwwwwww!" here.)  After an hour or so, the cold was bothering me a bit, however I toughed it out for another hour because we had to make our final landing last.

We returned to beef broth and snacks.  I showered and got into my dress clothes (sans dress shoes) in anticipation of the 'Black & White' events.  Black & White dinner was blissful & wonderful.  The appetizer was a choice between California rolls or mussels.  I chose the mussels, but it was not an easy choice.  We also had fish soup.  For the main course I had steak.  Dessert was black & white mocha cake.

After dinner there was a contest for best costume.  So many new breeds of penguins!  Frank has his work cut out for him with researching them all.  There were many festivities that followed such as a viewing of Sleepy Hollow (not really sure why they didn't show Happy Feet since Sleepy Hollow has nothing to do with Antarctica.) in the Discovery Lounge, and Parker playing in the Polar Bear Bar, however a group of us desecrated the library with a three hour Cards Against Humanity session.  Jessi, Lisa, Sabrina, Dave, Melvin, Phil, Thomas, and I became worse people together scaring off anyone who might have wanted to spend a quiet night there.  I went to bed at 1:30 hoping I wouldn't have dreams against humanity.

The Whalebone Graveyard.

Day 9: Tuesday, January 7th, 2014
Steps taken: 4,205

The night's rest was just what I needed after what seemed like two full days without sleep.  After breakfast we had a zodiac cruise around Cierva Cove.  Unlike the previous zodiac cruises especially the last one , which felt like we were hares, this one was accustomed to the speed of a tortoise.  I had no problem with this considering the amazing scenery.  The entire zodiac was hushed by the landscape and maybe even the pace of the little black boat.  There were massive glaciers and walls of snow ready to separate in large sheets on the mountains.  While this may be said about much of Antarctica, the cove felt unique.  I think that's the greatest thing about being here: not getting tired of seeing glaciers, icebergs, and mountains.

Also, I don't know if it was the day or doing five minutes of Tai Chi circulation exercises before breakfast, but I barely felt the cold on this particular zodiac cruise.

We came back for lunch and then after some respite, arrived at our next destination which was Mikkelsen Harbour.  We stopped off at Trinity Island first to see the whalebone graveyard.  Perhaps I should have done some more circulation exercises before hand because this excursion was definitely chillier.  The whalebone graveyard was a sight to behold.  Some pieces were massive and many, such as spinal columns, were still attached to each other.  Many of the bones were estimated to have been from before 1910 since there were laws about using every part of the whale around this time, and more people were extracting oil from bone.  Amidst the scattered bones were one wooden vessel.  We spent an hour on the island and then took a zodiac cruise (I'm not going to get tired of saying or writing that.) around the Harbour.

The highlights of the harbour were joking around with Brooke, our zodiac mistress, and seeing some excellent wildlife.  We saw a massive bird fight between an Antarctic Tern and some kelp gulls.  In addition to the birds, we found a leopard seal hanging out on an ice floe.  They responded to us really well.  Kept popping their head up and smiling.  We spent a good five minutes with them.  The thing that we were told was rare behavior was for them to open their mouth, which they did repeatedly.  After saying goodbye to our new friend we returned to the ship.

One thing of note that I forgot about before was the spotting of a pod of humpback whales from the ship before Trinity Island.  They swam with the ship for a good five minutes allowing us for some stupendous photo and video opportunities.  This was a great moment for us all.

For dinner was ossa bucco, and panna cotta for dessert.  Our whole table were panna cotta warriors.  After dinner, Dan and I chilled in the Discovery Lounge with a glass/mug of wine, and talked with a few other Expeditioners before calling it a night.

The World's Greatest Ice Garden

Greetings, fellow adventurers!  I know it's been a while, and I left my Antarctica daily blogs half finished (I'll try not to do anything half way anymore.), but here is the rest of my time in the Antarctic.  I'll make sure I catch up with my excursions both grand and small that have happened between Antarctica and Australia & New Zealand.  Here is where I left off.

Day 8: Monday, January 6th, 2014
Steps taken: 7,359

Initially I slept well, however after an hour or two I grew increasingly cold and uncomfortable.  After twisting and turning in my sleeping bag, I awoke at 3:30 and needed to move around.  I hastily put on my wolf cap and boots, and hurried to 'the loo with a view' behind the cabin at the campsite.

Much to my dismay, the flags were crossed indicating that someone was already using the loo.  I was ready to urinate there on the spot, but Aussie Darryl came out of the cabin and said that he forgot to uncross the flags.  I went to the portable bathroom to do my business, uncrossed the flags, and went into the cabin to spend the time until we had to leave with Darryl.  More and more people trickled their way in as it got closer to the 6 am wake up call for everyone.  It was nice talking to Darryl and the others about assorted things while we waited.

6 am arrives and most people are up and breaking down their tents to get on the zodiacs for the return to the ship.  Melvin was not up, but once I talked to Jessi and Lisa next door, he started to stir.  I was already packed up so once he got his stuff together we broke down the tent.  Of course this was easier than constructing the tent.  Ahh!  Thus is the way of most things in life.

We were on one of the last zodiacs back, but that's all right since there was some hot chocolate waiting for us when we arrived.  After getting situated again it was time for breakfast.  It was nice to be warm and full again.  Despite the lack of sleep, camping was very cool

The next activity was sightseeing from the boat on the Lemaire Channel.  I was so exhausted after breakfast that I feel asleep while reading and didn't wake up until lunch time.  I didn't really want to miss anything, but that can't be helped sometimes.

After lunch, we got ready for the afternoon excursion on Booth Island and in Pleneau Bay.  My group went to Booth Island first.  This is where we saw all three types of penguins of the area all together although Guintoo dominated.  We saw a few Dehlis and Chinstraps.  There was a rock formation with an 'F' (for Ferrara of course) carved into it that Heidi had a telescope set up for, but I was not able to spot it very well.  It was really faint and I had limited view through the telescope because of my glasses.  I wandered around for an hour or so and then headed back for a zodiac to cruise around Pleneau Bay.

Pleneau Bay was fantastic.  The best way to describe it is an ice menagerie or an ice sculpture garden.  All of the glaciers were extremely distinct.  We saw glaciers shaped like animals, places, and things from popular culture.  Of course this was all subjective.  One glacier looked like the U.S.S. Federation from one angle, the Millenium Falcon from another, and a giant manta ray from a third.  Pablo was driving the zodiac with Bismark in the nearby area, so we would race each other through the sea's ice garden.  We stopped a few times (one time for a leopard seal, and another for a colony of crabeaters), but most of the time it was a fierce and close race.  We slowed down to drive through a glacier that was cleaved down the middle, but almost symmetrical on both sides.

When we reached the other side of that glacier/non-glacier, Pablo accidentally pulled (engaged) the kill switch on the engine, and we came to a halt.  We frantically tried to get started again while Bismark sped past pointing and saying "Har-Har! Har-Har! Har-Har!" Nelson Muntz style at us.  We got our engines revving again, and the chase was on!  We managed to bridge the gap, but we were almost at the ship.  As Bismark's group was about to win, our zodiac cut on the inside into the stair tower back onto the ship.  WE WON!  BITE MY ICE!

When we all started congregating on the ship there were heavy talks of a polar bear plunge.  I was interested in doing a plunge, but on the conditions that I had a normal pair of pants to change into afterwards.  After the first excursion I had only one clean pair of pants left.  I wore white cargo pants for the first excursion for the illusion of not having legs.  Sliding down the mountain twice left me with only a pair of dress pants.  I had sent my laundry out immediately the first day, and was told I would get them back in a day or so.  I was hoping to get my clean clothes back for a polar plunge, but unfortunately I did not.  Since I have never seen a polar plunge done in person I was okay with not doing it yet.

Forty people including Dan did the polar plunge.  The rest of us watched from the top decks.  The way it was set up was that one or two people at a time were harnessed to the mudroom scaffolding and would jump.  The sounds people made were hysterical.  Some people were timid, others eager.  Most people stayed in the water for a few seconds.  One hot dog stayed in for at least twenty seconds.  After watching this I really wanted to do the local polar plunge and I swear when I go to the Arctic that I will do one there.

Dinner that night was really special and a good way to build off an event like the plunge.  They had a BBQ on the polar bear bar deck, which was phenomenal.  It was a warm enough day,  Some really good food from basic stuff such as hamburgers, and hot dogs to more advanced stuff such as ribs, chicken wings, and rice with mussels and crawfish.  There was an ice cream bar(buffet bar not singular ice cream bars) and apple cobbler for dessert.  This may have been some of the world's best BBQ!  Or at least the best BBQ I've been to on principle.

After a BBQ coma I went back to the room to read and went to bed by 10:30.  Another productive and eventful day.