Antarctica-For the Love of Icebergs

I would not have predicted this but I fell in LOVE 🥰 with the icebergs. 

Icebergs were far easier to capture with my phone/camera than birds 🦅 or whales 🐋🙄🤣

An iceberg is fresh water and a minimum of 15 feet long that has broken off of a glacier. Chunks smaller than 35 feet are called , “growlers “  or  “bergy bits.”

The craziest of facts is that 90% of the iceberg is below the water and we saw some ENORMOUS icebergs. 

Icebergs are full of tiny air bubbles. Over time, the air bubbles are squeezed out. The light absorbs all the colors but blue. This is why some icebergs appear blue. 

Shout-out to Emma- There were many icebergs once we left the Drake Passage. When we were kayaking we were told to stay away three times the height from icebergs. There is always the risk of an iceberg flipping. 

Shout-out to Tegan- In many places in the Southern Ocean there is new ice forming on the water. The new ice is soft and mushy. As the ice solidifies, it makes it much harder to access the shore. 

Shout-out to Chris, Ryder, Hunter, Caroline, Angel, and Lahee- Weather in this part of the world is interesting 🧐 It’s summer and yet it snowed ❄️ almost every day. The temperature wasn’t that cold 🥶 (30-33 degrees) but the windchill was brutal. I used hand warmers on some days but I used my skiing mittens every day. It could be calm one moment and then next thing you know, the wind 💨 is whipping around your body. 

Shout-out to David- We saw all kinds of wildlife as you have seen in my pictures. Over and over again the naturalists on board the ship 🛳️ emphasized that the waters are rich with life. Krill being the most important piece of the food chain. Yet, if you look closely there are many other critters to discover…

Antarctica 🇦🇶-Grilling, Ushuaia and Home 💕

Crossing the Drake Passage for a second time was rough for many. Again, nearly 1/2 the guests were hit hard with motion sickness 🤢as were many of the crew and staff. Fortunately, I was fine. 

Tea time turned into a grilling party 

Recap in the lounge and a farewell by the captain. 

A delicious 😋 dinner to celebrate the end of our expedition. 

And back on land at Ushuaia, Argentina 🇦🇷 

And three flights later…. Home 💕

Our expedition route. 

A BIG thank you to National Geographic Society and Lindblad Expeditions for this life changing opportunity. I am so proud to be a Grosvenor Teacher Fellow. 

I can’t begin to say enough about my cabin mate, Brittany Berry. She is a talented educator and an ideal travel partner. She made my birthday 🎂 memorable and special. 

The many guests and naturalists filled my world of Antarctica 🇦🇶 with knowledge and laughter. 

The ship’s crew covered every detail and kept me energized with lattes on demand. 

Wow 🤩 So generous of my family to cheer me on during this holiday season as I explored two new continents 🤗🥰😘🥰

Lastly, thank you 🙏🏽 to my students who helped me prepare for the adventure of a lifetime and turn me into an Antarctica 🇦🇶 explorer by doing research 🧐, asking questions and completing last minute tasks (flag creation and origami penguins 🐧). Mr.  Michael Bernt and his students made pens to help me say thank you to the special people I met along the way. And to my Team A teachers, Ms. Ouelette and administration… Thank you ☺️ for your continued support thus allowing me to bring the outside world 🌍 into our school and my classroom 💕💕

Shout-out to London L - The penguins 🐧 were so incredibly curious 🧐 of us but none of them came very close. All of my photography was done with my phone and you can see how close they were to me. 

Shout-out to Liam, Jameson, Aayana, Lucas, and Nevaeh- It’s really hard to say what my favorite part of this expedition was… I learned so much from the many naturalists and I shared many laughs with the guests. I think 🤔 I liked crossing the 60 degree south latitude line into the Southern Ocean and seeing the many icebergs the very best. The penguins 🐧 are definitely a close second 😂