Some video from the trip!

Got back to Maine early monday morning and have been in a fog ever since. Unfortunately no magic fairy came and unpacked either my house or my office while I was away, nor furnish my house, so it's all been a bit ass to come back to. But i'm getting through it, boxes are being unpacked slowly, dishes being washed and piles being made. Today my bed is supposed to arrive, unfortunately the mattress doesn't arrive until next week, but hey, at least it's a start. Other furniture is going to have to wait for some travel reimbursements to happen, but I did set up the TV on boxes last night so I have a little background going while unpacking. It'll get there, it would just be nice to get at least one of my spaces unpacked and not looking like a garbage heap.

Here is some of the dive video from the cruise I just went on. Most is still embargoed by National Geographic and they have to release it back to me (which i'm sure they will), so I can't post photos until they've gone through them. Hopefully it'll be soon, we got some great photos! This video will give you a good flavor of why this cruise was probably the most special underwater experiences i've had in my career. Submersible diving is fun, but I have to say, this beats almost every sub dive i've ever done, hands down.

Photos from Juneau

We're on weather watch here, it's been high winds in the channels so we've been delayed, hopefully by not more than a few hours (we're hoping to leave monday midday), but we're still all on tenterhooks. My technician Christian arrived out this morning, and this afternoon we're going to take all the gear down to the docks, so that as soon as the boat arrives (it's been stuck 150 miles south of us) we'll be ready to go. 

In the meantime, aside from lots of packing, organizing and catching up on work, I have had some fun in Juneau, I really like it here, such a beautiful place. Yesterday we did my check out dive (required to work with the folks here) which was awesome - so much to see, I really should have taken my camera!), then Bob and Michelle took me cross country skiing on the Mendenhall Glacier Lake. It was hard work (no trail and icy), but to get that close to a glacier an icebergs was pretty amazing! 

Here are some photos!

View from the office i've been using here at the Auke Bay Laboratory. 

Bob took me on a tour of downtown - got to be careful of snow falling from bridges around here! 

The Governors house - where Sarah Palin used to live. Looked hard, but really couldn't see russia from here....

Avalanche on Mt Juneau! These happen everyday in the winter, pretty spectacular! 

Some of the awesome icebergs frozen into the Mendenhall Lake. 

More icebergs - this one with a hole through the middle. 

Which of course I decided to slide through! 

Bob and Michelle! 

The Mendenhall Glacier. Pretty different from when I was here in September! 

I couldn't get enough of the frozen icebergs! 

The frozen waterfall. This is where we hiked to in September, looked pretty different back then! 

A great day!

Three little coral polyps, all the way from Alaska...:0)

Today was one of those days that makes me love what I do. There are so many low sides to science, it's great to have a day that just makes me excited in science. The Alaska samples have been exciting from day 1, but today I got to put them into the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and take a closer look. Initially I was kind of bummed, because the preservation wasn't great, they've all cracked up and didn't dry as well as I would like them. But after looking at several samples I found a bunch of new things - eggs, larvae and even a specialized structure to house those larvae, something that hasn't been described before. I love a puzzle and these corals are certainly that, some exciting things are going to come out of this project!

On top of that I also had a paper accepted for publication, swopped my half of a -80C freezer for a microscope and some supplies (instead of losing it totally to an ass in the department trying to screw me out of it), got two new pieces of equipment delivered and actually got into my own lab for an hour this morning.

Probably sad I know, but this definitely counts as a great day!

Calm, collected and.....oh crap...

Can I have a re-do on monday? Preferably one that involves going back to Alaska? This morning I woke and discovered the sweet smell of gone off milk and yogurt, my fridge had died in the night (turns out the thermostat had died rather than the fridge, which is a good thing), alongside a day full of meetings and students and lab work, from 6am I knew Monday was going to be a Moanday. My landlady was none-too pleased and though got it fixed today which was awesome, was somewhat rude and hard to pin down to what exactly went on (isn't fixing things like that part of what I pay (a small fortune) in rent for?), yeah it probably didn't make her monday either, but still, it's not like I broke it, on purpose, on a monday morning just to piss her off. I'm pretty sensitive to people's feelings, and when someone is wound up and pissy, it makes me stressed, so that has pretty much been my day, that stressed out feeling.

So, in an effort to try and ward of the Moandays, here are my 5 things that made me happy last week (this one is not easy, since the wind down from Alaska has been tough) -

1. Making the video from the Tracy Arm cruise. Probably pathetic, but I find myself watching it and smiling.
2. To catch up with Jenny, Doug and Hannah, little H is as cute as ever, and though my name is now "Mary" (she has an aunty mary), she is still adorable!
3. Alaska samples - processed a few and found some really funky things, this particular project is probably my favorite of the last few years.
4. Having a colleague stick her head into my office and say "don't go" on a regular basis. Though it makes me sad at leaving, it also makes me feel warm and fuzzy that i'm appreciated.
5. Looking over all the photos from Alaska. Like the above, there were some very memorable moments. Thanks again to Stian for lending me his camera for the Juneau trip.

Be sure to check out the short public radio link below, I usually hate radio interviews, but I think this woman did a good job with all 4 of us.

Off

Off on the boat tomorrow morning, so all will be silent for a while again. Today we loaded the boat and were done by midday, so I took myself off on a hike up Mount Roberts, as it was such a beautiful day! 

I didn't go all the way up Mount Roberts, as I wouldn't have had time to get up there and back (and I didn't want to pay for the tramway). This is from just about "Father Browns Cross", beautiful views of Juneau, Auke Bay, and even into the mountains by Glacier Bay if you look way in the background. 

The Gastineau Channel, we'll be headed out in this direction early tomorrow (7am) to the Tracy Arm fjord to work. 

Juneau, Auke Bay (far back) and beyond. 

Juneau

Arrived in Juneau yesterday after a 4 hr delay in Gustavus for weather and went straight to work. Stian has been super nice and leant me his camera for this Juneau portion, so I can still continue to blog and get photos of this awesome experience. The downside to Juneau for me is that it looks like I won't be diving, NOAA changed their rules on us, and to things I don't have, so i'll no longer be diving with the group. I'm pretty bummed about this. But at least I still get to go to Tracy Arm, several people have told it is one of the most beautiful spots in Alaska. After the beauty of Glacier Bay, i'm not really sure that is possible, but we'll see! 

Yesterday as soon as I got off the plane I went to work with Bob Stone in the lab, getting the chemicals ready, getting boxes packed, looking over lists. This morning we did some more packing and took the first of the crates down to the pier, ready to load on the boat on Monday evening. Bob and Michelle then took me on an awesome ~2hr hike at the Mendenhall Glacier, just outside of Juneau. The sun didn't quite shine, but it didn't rain either, and the trail was awesome, some great views. Back from the hike we then went and moved another load of boxes down to the pier, and now i'm officially pooped! 

Photos from the last two days - 

Officially the smallest plane i've ever been on! It was mostly great, was a little bumpy in places though as the weather was still so so. In a normal large plane turbulence doesn't bug me at all, in one with only 4 seats it was a little disconcerting! 

I even got to sit in the front seat! The view coming into Juneau. 

Downtown Juneau. It's been odd coming from a town of 300 to a city of over 40,000. Juneau is a nice city though, somewhat touristy, but there are a lot of different cultures here. 

Float plane landing in Juneau.

A "fresh" piece of the Mendenhall glacier.

Bob and I at the high point of the hike, overlooking the glacier. 

The Mendenhall Glacier

Bob and Michelle looking up at the waterfall. 

Me and the glacier - it was mostly warm today, though really cooled off by the evening. 

Looking back at bergs on the lake created by the glacier. 

Glacier Bay National Park

Back from the wilds of the backcountry in Glacier Bay National Park, a wonderful 7 days of kayaking where we saw, no one else for an entire week (unless you count two sets of kayaks seen from a distance), it was bliss. We saw humpbacks, (maybe) orcas, sealions, seals, otters and more birds than you can shake a stick at. No bears or moose, which is a little sad, I was hoping, but nothing but bear and moose poop to show for it.

Each campsite was amazing in it's own right, the first on an unnamed island in the Beardsleys left us with humpacks feeding at night and playing in the morning, alongside seals and otters playing in the kelp. The second and third night were out at Leland Island, beautiful views of the beartrack mountains and a crazy creature roaring into the night, the forth night was on Sturgess Island, stunning little bay with a perfect beach fire and campsite tucked into the trees. The fifth night was in Beartrack cove where we were met with bear and wolf tracks and scat, and the sixth and final night was on Kidney Island, where we saw the first signs of moose, but none of the elusive creatures up close.

Unfortunately upon returning to civilization, I had my camera stolen from the lodge. I should clarify, not my camera, the departments fancy SLR camera I had been loaned to run the work blogs with. Ug. I stupidly left it under the table at dinner, didn't realise until after the $15 cab back home, but assured it had been handed in decided we'd just go and pick it up in the AM when going down there anyway, by which time it had "disappeared". Many convoluted and changing stories from the lodge staff (the final one being that the guy behind the desk gave it to someone who said it was theirs), the nicest park service police, and yet no camera returned. I feel stupid for leaving it, but angry that it seems like someone from the lodge has pocketed it, even more so that it sounds like this isn't the first time things have disappeared from that lodge and that it happens rather regularly. I'm also responsible for it, so that's going to be a big chunk of change I don't have.

Most of all, i'm sad because I lost all my photos from that week. I had some great ones too, I took one of each campsite we had, some beautiful bird, otter and seal shots, and some of the great vistas of Glacier Bay National Park I was going to use here and on the work blog. Stian luckily had a camera too, but as I was snapping away, he didn't take so many. Humanity just makes me sad a lot of the time, maybe before I leave someone will do the right thing and the camera might reappear. Then again I could also grow another head between now and then too.

Here are some of Stian's photos - thanks Stian for letting me use them!

You couldn't go far without a little nose sticking up to watch you - this is a sealion, but seals and otters did this too. They were our little friends throughout the kayak trip.

Humpack fluking as we pack the kayak from our first nights campsite. 

The preferred mode of transport, certainly in my world.

Three little oystercatchers sitting on a wall...

We counted over a dozen bald eagles one day, it was fabulous! 

The perfect view in my opinion, looking up the bay towards the West Arm. I loved the views in the rain and the shine, and we saw both! We couldn't have asked for better weather in reality, we're in the wet month and only got rained out on one day, and got sun burned on two! 

I'm off!

It's 11pm and i'm up at 4am to get on a plane - yay! Everything is packed away and even in the car, as it's way too early in the AM to be lugging two giant bags down the stairs. I should do that more often, stops me last minute re-arranging....:0)

So i'm off to do two of my favorite things - camping and science - and even combine those two for a few days. I'm really excited, relieved, and happy the time has finally got here. Glacier Bay National Park here I come! Don't forget to tune into my science blog (link on the right), that's where i'll be posting photos (look under Glacier Bay National Park Corals link), i'll try and check in here sometimes too, internet is going to be pretty sporadic, so no promises until I get back!

Packing

Well, I didn't get my run in today, but I did do a whole bunch of unpacking, tidying and repacking. So despite there being a period in the day when my little Grodnick did look tidy, it now looks like a storage locker, again. Ah well. 

Packing for 3 trips is proving hard (don't panic Stian, not all of this is coming with us in the kayak!), especially as there is a really tight weight limit on the planes. As far as Juneau i'm okay (2 bags, 50lbs each - i'll have a bag ~45lbs and a box ~40lbs to leave in Juneau). From Juneau to Glacier Bay National Park i'm going to end up paying extra (50lbs total limit - and i'm picking up equipment in Juneau to take over), which I knew anyway, but I was hoping I might be able to pare it down to a little less. The plane is a small 6 person passenger plane, so there are strict weight limits - and I think when my computer and hand luggage is taken into account i'm going to be at that 50lbs, and then have to pay extra for the equipment i'm picking up, which will probably be another 40lbs, and might not come on the same plane.

Packing for this kind of trip is hard, you don't want to carry too much, but you don't want to take too little. It could be pretty wet and cold (today it's 53F and raining), so having dry and warmer clothes is going to make the difference between happy and miserable. It could also be super warm (in the week it was 74F and sunny), so you also want shorts and sleeveless. I also have paddling clothes that are comfortable, so i'd always rather take those rather than risk renting something not as comfortable. And it's also my vacation, and the first ten days off i've had in over a year and a half (since I visited the UK when Lucy was born). So I want those couple of bottles of wine (we'll get those there), and the chocolate, and my travel pillow.  

And a sad realization. This might be my last trip for my Keens, they are really showing their wear and tear (treads are flat, the webbing has rough spots). I don't know if i'm just having an emotional day or what, but this has me really quite sad. It could be because they're not cheap to replace, but it could also be that these Keens have taken me places. They are 6 years old, have done too many hikes around New Hampshire and Maine to count, Yellowstone, Isle Royale, Yosemite, the Alta Via 1 in Italy, New Zealand, the 19 mile hike around the giant with Carney, Kim and kids in packs, all over Hawaii (the red mud there is from the SEA cruise, hiking through the lava fields) and thats not even counting the daily wear they had in MA and occasionally here.

So they've certainly been worth the $90 (as with most things I doodled over getting them for a good few months because of the cost, and they were not that common then either), they've certainly put in the miles to be worth replacing. Or maybe they'll last one more trip after this.......

Updating Online Expeditions

I've been updating my lab blogs - they're finally going live! Getting ready for the two projects i'm heading out on in 10 days! Yikes that came around quickly....

Glacier Bay National Park - 28th Aug - 2nd Sept - Stian and I head to Glacier Bay National Park to use a drop camera and CTD (Conductivity (for salinity of the water), Temperature & Depth sensor) to investigate a few areas for cold water corals. This expedition is really a taster, checking out the park, meeting the Park Service people and working out logistics for hopefully more expeditions to come in the future.

Alaskan Fjord Coral Reproduction - 3rd Sept - 11th Sept -  I head out with folks from NOAA Juneau on a expedition to tag 30 Red Tree Corals by SCUBA to look at their reproduction throughout the year. This is the first of 5 cruises, and likely the only one that I will actually go on.

And of course, before any of that, a hopefully glorious and much needed break, kayaking around Glacier Bay National Park, camping on the shores of the Beardslee Islands, watching the whales and bears and sea otters go by. Who knows, maybe i'll even get to read a book.

I'll try and update here as much as possible, once back from kayaking the lab blog will be my priority, as those go to program officers to look at and hopefully give me money to keep doing what i'm doing....:0) So this is just a heads up, it'll be a bit sporadic from here, but hopefully some spectacular pictures to come. I leave next week. Better keep writing the proposal i'm doodling over.......