What’s so cool about visiting Antarctica?

Escaping the cold and snowy winters of Michigan Gordon and Judy Hart spend about three and a half months every year in Green Valley.

Why then would they leave the area to set sail for Antarctica where summer temperatures in the Southern Hemisphere average between 30 and 40 degrees. The main reason, they said, was to see the penguins.

Said to be the coldest place on Earth, about 98 percent of the continent is covered by a mile-thick layer of ice. The fifth largest continent after Asia, Africa, North America and South America, Antarctica is also the driest and windiest.

It has no permanent human residents, however, several governments maintain research stations with biologists, geologists, oceanographers, physicists, astrono-mers, glaciologists and meteorologists that number about 1,000 in winter and 4,000 in summer.

As the only uninhabited continent, Antarctica has no government and belongs to no country, although various countries claim areas of it.

But it does have penguins.

A 50th anniversary present

Veteran travelers, who had cruised to the Mediterranean and Australia, the Harts did their research and as an anniversary present treated themselves to a cruise to Ant-arctica.

In January they flew to Buenos Aires, Argentina, and visited the spectacular Iguazu Falls, which consist of 270 individual falls and form part of the border between Argentina and Brazil. From Buenos Aires, they flew to the southernmost town in Argentina-and in the world—Ushuaia. There they boarded the cruise ship Marco Polo for their journey to Antarctica.

Setting sail, they dealt with rough waters as the ship made the voyage south to Antarctica. “Where the Atlantic and Pacific meet, south of Cape Horn, the waters were quite rough,” Judy said. Although far from their winter home, the Harts had a “small world experience” when a third party on board introduced them to another couple also from Green Valley—Vern and Judy Harms-who live at La Posada.

Given bright red parkas as part of their cruise package, the 500 passengers visited Paradise Harbor and Deception, Cuverville and Half Moon Islands. It was on these islands that the Harts got to see what they came for—the penguins.

Judy said there were many experts onboard who gave lectures along the way. “We were told not to get too close to the penguins as they are usually busy running back and forth to the water to feed their babies. But if the penguins came up to us, that was OK.”

In addition to penguins, fur seals can survive the frigid continent along with mosses, lichens and many types of algae.

Asked what single experience of the cruise was most memorable, Judy said for her it was the penguins. “It’s mainly why we went… we could see them up close with their babies.” Gordon said for him it was a toss up between the spectacular Iguazu Falls and seeing the penguins up close.

Scenic fjords

It was while on a cruise to the Norwegian fjords in 2000 that the Harts met a couple who inspired them to visit Antarctica.

So, it was fitting that as they traveled north on the return voyage, where the waters were calm, they visited scenic fjords on the Chilean side of South America.

The Harts agreed that although scenic, they didn’t measure up to the longest, deepest, narrowest and most beautiful fjords seen in western Norway.

Ellen Sussman is a freelance writer. Valley News and Sun.