Sailin' Away in Tonga













Well..... I am long overdue for posting these pictures from our Tonga trip.

As most of you know we went sailing in March with a bunch of friends.... Ann, Bear, Pete and Toby to be exact. We had a blast snorkeling, visiting the islands and of course relaxing. For ten days the six of us sailed around the many, many islands that make up the Kingdom of Tonga. For those of you who have never heard of Tonga... it is in the South Pacific, near Fiji. As you can see from the picture above the sunsets were beautiful.

While we were there we visited two remote villages. Geoff enjoyed playing with the dogs on the islands. Which there were many of.... there were lots of dogs and pigs running around. It was also not uncommon to see children playing with machetes.... for real!!! One day while we were all taking a bike ride, Bear and I were chased by a kid with a machete.


Thanks Mr. Bear for taking these amazing pictures...

Happy Travels.............

As many of you know we just got back from sailing in Tonga and are currently wandering around New Zealand. For the next 6 weeks we will be hiking, relaxing and enjoying ourselves.

We will update the Blog when we are back in the states.

Hope everyone is doing well.

Danielle and Geoff

Cool Pictures of Antarctic Animals

So here are some awesome pictures of penguins and whales. These photos belong to a group of scientists that were here studying the whales. I did get to see penguins this year, but my pictures aren't this cool. I have never seen a whale this close while here. A few years ago. I did see some... but I was looking through a telescope.

I thought you would enjoy these photos as the animals are in their natural habitat instead of a zoo or aquarium.

It's getting closer to our departure date. We are clearing out our room and getting ready to fly. I can't wait to eat sushi and lots and lots of fresh fruit..... Yummy!!!

Miss you all!!!

McMurdo sign.....
Here is a picture of Geoff and I posing in front of the McMurdo Station sign. This is the popular spot for McMurdo folk to come and get photographed.... mostly for family, friends and proof they have been here (I guess???). Not too much to write about this post... just thought some of you would appreciate the picture.

Resupply Vessel

These are pictures of the American Tern... the resupply vessel that comes to town with the goods for the winter and following year. Most of McMurdo and South Pole stock comes to Antarctica via the "Vessel". Some goods are sent down on aircraft missions, but because of high cost of flights only high priority items are flown down. The ship is chock full of container... of frozen food, construction equipment and lots of other random things.

Vessel time equals long days and nights to get the containers of the ship and put away.... and the waste containers and stock leaving McMurdo loaded onto the ship. Bars are closed and alcohol isn't sold in the stores during thie time either. It's all about Vessel.

Hurray for Penguins!!!

Today was a great day... no an AWESOME day!!! I got to see penguins and ride in a helicopter.

Our destination for the trip was originally Cape Royds (a penguin rookery), but when we got in the air, the helicopter pilot noticed the cloudy weather over the area.... so he diverted to Cape Evans. Which is not know for penguins. All of us were just happy to have a helicopter ride and get out of town. So we toured the hut and enjoyed ourselves. After about an hour the pilots noticed the weather lifted and brought us to Cape Royds.

Yippie Skippy!!! Two trips in one.....

At Cape Royds... I saw penguins and seals... and got to hang out in Shackelton's Hut. although the weather was cloudy it was a nice calm day. A few folks were even walking around with out their big red parka's on. Of course as you see in the pictures.... I was nice and cozy in my ECW (extreme cold weather gear).

Marathon Man
As some of you know Geoff ran the marathon here last month.... here are some pics from the race. Geoff did very well finishing in a little over 4 hours..... running on snow and ice. Ann and I volunteered so that we would get to ride around the course, cheer on the races and goof off.
Hope you all enjoy the pictures. This is an awfully beautiful place, but we are ready for warm weather. One more month and we will be on our way to Tonga.

Cheers....
This weekend we were invited to have dinner at Scott Base, the New Zealand (Kiwi) base over the hill from us. It is always a treat to head over there for dinner.....compared to McMurdo, Scott Base serves gourmet fare. Here is a picture of me (I am the short one) and some friends toasting to a night of good food and time with friends.