The first journal entry! Although the whole team hasn't left yet, there was some action today. Jonathan Chester, the man that we had the opportunity to talk to at school, had an extremely frantic day. His morning was occupied with last minute purchases of supplies needed for the journey.
When he arrived at the Oakland airport, the fog was terrible. This led to an almost hour delay in Jonathan's flight. He then quickly caught his next flight from Los Angeles.
Yesterday, another member of the Terraquest team, Richard Bangs, air-freighted a thousand pounds of high-tech satellite communications gear from London to Ushuaia, Argentina. This little bit of movement today is just the beginning of an exciting journey.
The only thing I heard about today was Jonathan Chester's journey. He said that the majority of his day was spent in planes and airports. The ending of Jonathan's day was in Buenos Aires. He arrived there just as the sun was setting.
Today included an early start for Jonathan Chester. he arrived at the airport by 5:00 a.m. for a 6:15 a.m. flight. He was on his way to Ushuaia, the starting point of the trip through Antarctica. Jonathan was accompanied by 8 pieces of luggage, all adding up to almost 300 pounds.
Ushuaia, Argentina, is where the team meets up and sets sail on their journey. I didn't know anything about Ushuaia so I proceeded to look it up in the encyclopedia. Although there wasnÕt much information on this area, I feel like I increased my knowledge a notch. I now at least know where it is located, at the southern most point in Argentina. Ushuaia is said to be the southern most town in the world, which, by looking at a map, is obvious. It lies on the Argentina territory of the Tierra del Fuego, a group of islands at the southern tip of South America.
Kevin Baumert, a crew member not heard from yet, made his way through 6 airports in 48 hours. Yesterday, his flight from Miami to Buenos Aires was delayed 90 minutes causing him to arrive too late for his connection to Ushuaia. Today, Kevin said, he awoke at 3:45 a.m. for fear that his promised 6:45 a.m. wake up call would not come. Other than this, and a surprise change of planes in Rio Gallego, Kevin made it safely to Ushuaia. He met up with Jonathan Chester, another team member already in Ushuaia getting ready for the big day.
Before Kevin's arrival, Jonathan Chester spent the day finding last minute supplies and testing the complicated digital cameras. Today is proof that the expedition is coming together - yeah!
I learned a little more about Ushuaia today through Kevin Baumert. He said that it is an "intriguing city." A lot of the buildings look European with hints of originality in the form of bright orange and green metal roofs. Kevin seemed to be very curious about the upcoming days. He is also concerned about the Drake Passage's conditions. It is known to be terrible seas that can reach 60 feet, with crests over a half mile long.
-Entry for December 8, 1995-
-Entry for December 9, 1995-
-Entry for December 10, 1995-
-Entry for December 11, 1995-
-Entry for December 12, 1995-