Mo' foto

What ya'll have been waiting for, right? Good up close penguin pics. Yes they are cute, no I don't get to see them all the time. I have had three penguin sightings in the time I have been here, and two of those were on the some day with the same animals. Ya want National Geographic Antarctica, go to Palmer Station on the other side of the continent. They have penguins and seals and orcas coming out of their ears. Round here we have ice and rock and skua's.



This is a skua. Does the pictue make it look gigantic? Good, because it is! A wingspan of about 5 feet or so feels like 12 when it is bearing down on you, intent on investigating if you have anything edible on your person. A huge hooked beak, and overall fierce attidue make them one of the hazards of Antarctic life and the subject of many safety meetings.



Mistletoe, naturally. One of many decorations at the holiday party we had in the heavy equipment barn. No, it didn't work...



Me nearing the top, yes I did beat the guy behind me, by all of 7 seconds. Notice the ice forming on the beard; it was cold, well below zero windchill. As for the beard, I entered a beard growing contest and judging is New Years Eve. Yes there will be photos of that.



A view from near the top of Observation Hill as the race began.