Winter’s last gasp

It’s not over until it’s over.

You and I both know that the spring equinox arrived last Monday, but the New Hampshire weather seemed not to notice. It snowed yesterday, just a bit, and drizzled this morning. But as I looked out at the morning drizzle and 33º temperatures, I just knew it would be an all-snow event a bit higher up. So I drove to the other corner of Lyme, to those ski trails-that-shall-not-be-named, and stepped out into fresh powder.

Smarts Mountain looms beyond the pristine surface of Cummins Pond, scratched only by the tracks from a pair of early-morning skiers.
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Stanley – Falkland Islands

A brief stopover on our way to South Georgia.

As noted in the prior post, we boarded the National Geographic Endurance in Ushuaia, Argentina, and sailed down the Beagle Channel and out into the South Atlantic. After two nights and a full day of sailing, we pulled into the port of Stanley in the Falkland Islands. In this post, I share a bit of what we found.

Two nights and a full day of sailing from Ushuaia to Stanley in the Falkland Islands.
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National Geographic ‘Endurance’

Aboard the newest ship in the Lindblad / National Geographic fleet.

As noted in the prior post, for our trip to the Falkland and South Georgia Islands we first flew to Buenos Aires, and then onward to Ushuaia, Argentina – the southernmost city in the world. We were fortunate to travel aboard the newest ship in the fleet operated by Lindblad Expeditions in partnership with National Geographic: the National Geographic Endurance.

First view of our ship, the “Endurance”.

This beautiful ship was purpose-built for travel in the Arctic and Antarctic – optimizing comfort, safety, and functionality, as well as energy efficiency. In this post I’ll give you a brief look at the ship, but you really must visit my photo/video gallery and Lindblad’s own website for a deeper look.

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Argentina

My first-ever visit to South America!

Our trip was focused on the Lindblad / National Geographic cruise to the Falkland Islands and South Georgia Island, but to get there one must first fly to South America. We and our tripmates first convened in Buenos Aires, Argentina. After a quick tour and an overnight rest in a hotel, we were off again to the airport for a three and half hour flight to Ushuaia, at the southern tip of Argentina in Tierra del Fuego. Here we met up with our cruise ship, the National Geographic Endurance, for the two-week round-trip cruise. Before we take off, let me share a few highlights from Buenos Aires and Ushuaia.

Casa Rosario (“Pink House”) – the president’s office – in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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Return to port

Home from the South Atlantic.

We’ve returned from a three-week trip to the South Atlantic, notably, from a National Geographic expedition out of South America’s Tierra del Fuego to the Falkland Islands and to South Georgia Island. It was a fantastic trip – great weather, wonderful people, incredible wildlife – and led to me snapping over 10,000 photos and videos. It will take me some time to digest and organize them, and write up the story, but here’s a bit of background and teaser shots.

David and Jack riding a Zodiac to shore in South Georgia.
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