Journal

Here we are back in Chile and one continent closer to home. It was a beautiful day so we went for a walk. It was great to stretch our legs after being on the boat coming across the Drake PassageStrait, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans between Tierra del Fuego and the South Shetland Islands. Located about 100 mi (160 km) north of the Antarctic Peninsula, it is 600 mi (1,000 km) wide.. Punta Arenas is a nice place to wander around. The cemetery is amazing and the hills give you a beautiful view of the area.

Punta Arenas, Chile
Lisa, Irina, and Kristin look out over Punta Arenas pondering the last couple of months. We had a fantastic time.

Paula in Punta Arenas
As you can see from the smile on my face, this was a great trip. While I'm sorry it's over, I am ready to get back home.

While we were at port, the R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer docked behind us. You can see from this picture how much bigger it is than the Laurence M. Gould. If you want to see a more in depth look at it, check out Juan Botella's journals. He was on it for over two months!!

R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer
This picture of the R/V Palmer behind the Gould gives you a sense of how much bigger it is. I went on the Palmer and took a look around. It was huge. It has a helicopter landing deck/pad.

Bridge on the R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer
Just the size of the bridge on the Palmer in comparison to the Gould's should give you a sense of how large this ship is. This is a true icebreaker and is built to cut through serious ice down in the Southern Ocean.

On our plane ride up to Santiago, we got a bird's eye view of the smoldering Puyehue volcano that recently erupted in Chile. Here are a couple shots I took from the plane.

Puyehue Volcano
Puyehue Volcano as seen from the plane. Look at that plume of smoke.

Puyehue Volcano
Puyehue Volcano as seen from the plane. This picture gives you a better sense of the force involved. And this is just the aftermath of the volcano, not the full force of it.

Next stop...Chicago!

Details
Author
Paula Dell
Date
Expedition
Biology of Antarctic Fishes
Weather Summary
Sunny
Temperature
52

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