Norma's PHOTO PAD 2

When we hear the names of Scott, Amundsen, Shackleton, and Byrd, explorers all, we think of the "White Continent", "The Bottom of the World", the South Pole and PENGUINS. A place, not so long ago, that was one of the last places on earth to be explored. It still is a mysterious and forbiding place. A place of awesome pristine beauty! A place even today, most people would not think of visiting. Today, it is easier to get to Antarctica than one can imagine. Of course, not the scientific bases of the US and many other countries, but the Antarctic Peninsula that hooks up toward Cape Horn and the tip of South America. The place of the explorers of today; the cruise ships and their passengers.

Knowing a few facts about the "White Continent" will make your experience more enjoyable: About 200 million years ago it was part of a super continent called Gondwanaland or Pangaea ("all lands"). Then 10 million years later, it began breaking up and drifting to the present recognizable pieces of South America, Africa, India, New Zealand, and Australia. Finally Antarctica settled into it's present position, and began to cool. Great thinkers of ancient times believed the earth was round, and perhaps there could be a continent to the south; but fear of fire and monsters kept would-be explorers at bay. A Phoenician fleet did sail to the tip of South Africa and beyond to where the seas were frozen. It was not until late in the 15th century did any one attempt such a voyage again. Antarctica is larger than the United States, and 99.6 % is covered, on average, by an ice sheet up to 3 miles deep. It's drier than the Sahara; yet it holds 70% of the world's fresh water. Captain James Cook crossed the Antarctic Circle in 1773, and by 1819 more sealers and whalers were making voyages there than explorers! The first real expedition and "wintering-over"did not occur until as recent as 1899. (The huts still are standing today.) All the great explorers came later when the Norwegian, Roald Amundsen reached the South Pole on Dec. 14, 1911, and basically ended with Richard Byrd's "Operation Highjump" in 1946/47 with 4700 men, 33 aircraft, and 13 ships. It so happens, that my husband, Bill served on the USS Brownson which spent 6 months in Antarctica. You can read about it at OPERATION HIGHJUMP Today, more than 12 countries have more than 40 year-round stations in Antarctica which operate under the Antarctic Treaty; and yet, there are no permanent residents. The US Base (Amundsen-Scott) at the South Pole has it's own web site.