12 April 2009 Bering Sea, 134 miles East of Cape Navarin, Russia

Longitude: 59 54.41N Latitude: 178 54.77WPeep, peep, peep went my pager on Easter morning at 2 am. We weren't looking for Easter eggs on the bottom of the ocean at the middle of the night but it was time to send the Multi-corer down! Sometimes, sleep follows science. We had arrived at the edge of the continental shelf- where the ocean gets real which meant it was time to do some sampling. Over the next 24 hours, we sent the Multi-corer down five times. At it's deepest point we waited for the sediment samples to travel nearly 2 miles to the surface. Each trip took over an hour up and down. Cutting slices on the lab deck, we found animals that looked like toothpicks sticking out from the gooey mud. We noticed pink worms that looked like corkscrews, tunneling to the depths. This mud was gritty but fluffy and we set to work collecting samples until 2 am the next night. Samples collected closer to shore are sandier, which those collected in deep water are muddier. We were a long way from shore with this stuff.

Gulls circled around the back of the ship as the corer traveled down to the depths and back again. Despite the freezing temperatures, we basked in the sunshine as we waited for the ship to be in just the right position.

We did find time to sneak in a bit of Easter fun as we traveled from one sampling station to the next! While Washington, DC was being visited by the Easter Bunny, the Healy had a break from the ice, as we entered some open ocean. It felt a bit like we were inside one of the eggs rolling across the White House lawn but that didn't keep the crew from cooking up down-home pig-pickin'. Using the helicopter hanger as picnic grounds and stretching mats as lawn, everyone dug in to pulled pork from a whole roasted pig that had been filling the air with smoky smells for 24 hours.

Other signs of Easter were found around ship. Take a look at where a little chick turned up in the science lab.

Here's an Easter mystery for you... I decorated this Styrofoam cup with a bunny and some eggs. It started out normal size. Look what happened to it. Where and how did this happen? (Hint: It got wet in the process!) Answer, next journal. Stay tuned!