February 1998 (Galapagos) Expedition Final Report

Our 1998 expedition began on the afternoon of February 23, as 75% of the expeditioners convened at Miami International Airport from their home cities all over North America. The remainder of the participants, from as far away as Germany, met the expedition in Quito, Ecuador later that evening. As each party arrived, they were presented with laminated, personalized Eclipse Edge ID badges, the new Eclipse Edge T-shirt for the Galapagos expedition, a copy of our activities program, and a gift copy of Mark Carlotto’s new book, “The Martian Enigmas – A Closer Look”, which augmented part of our special astronomy program. Illness and last minute emergencies often result in a small number of no-shows, but everyone on our final list of 100 participants was there this time. 100 was the authorized limit for the Ambasador I cruise ship, the largest sailing the Galapagos waters.

All flights to or from Quito go via Guayaquil, the capital of Ecuador on the west coast of South America. Quito itself is in the Andes highlands, 9400 feet above sea level. At that altitude, the air is thin enough that planes cannot take off with a full load of fuel. So they fly to Guayaquil for refueling at sea level before heading for long-distance destinations such as Miami, or even the Galapagos Islands –1000 km out into the Pacific.

As our arrival flight approached Guayaquil, we encountered heavy rain that threatened to delay or divert our flight. But it let up long enough for us to make our scheduled landing and discharge a few non-expedition passengers. Then we flew to Quito, where buses met our group and we were wisked to our Hotel, the Alameda Real. Our arrival was shortly after midnight by Eastern Standard Time, which remained the time zone for our group throughout the trip.

Following an early breakfast the next morning, we embarked on an all-day sightseeing and shopping trip through the Quito highlands. The descent to lower altitude eased the adjustment to thinner air for many, and the opportunities for souvenirs were plentiful. One of the early stops was at the equator crossing point at Cayambe in the foothills of the imposing (19,000-ft.) Mt. Cayambe peak. This provided a photo opportunity for participants standing with one foot in each hemisphere of the Earth. Along the way we also sampled one of the exotic fruits of the region, the chirimoya.

Shopping stops included the native marketplace at Otavalo, the leatherwork city of Cotacachi, and the wood-carvings town of San Antonio de Ibarra. Lunch provided an opportunity to relax and enjoy colorful performances by native folk dancers.

On Wednesday, eclipse minus one day, we departed for the Airport and our flight to the famous islands. This was on Tame Airlines, a military carrier that at least had the virtue of having back-up aircraft in case flights had needed to be canceled. However, the unnecessary shuffling of people between planes and terminals in Guayaquil, and the patronizing excuses offered for changes and delays, tended to tax the patience of even our most seasoned travelers. At the Guayaquil airport, we met participants in a few other expeditions, including one of the Sky & Telescope groups headed by Steve O’Meara.

We landed at Baltra Island Airport where the heat immediately reminded us that we were now on the equator at sea level. Buses took us to the shore and dinghies took us to the Ambasador I, anchored off shore and awaiting our arrival. Lunch followed a safety briefing. Guides then divided us into seven groups for our on-shore island visits. The afternoon visit was to Seymour N. Island, affording our first live view of some of the unique and approachable species of the Islands. The evening program consisted of a briefing on the following day’s island visit, and a description of solar eclipse phenomena with emphasis on special edge phenomena, given by astronomer Tom Van Flandern.

Thursday morning dawned perfectly clear, blue and bright, and the skies remained that way through eclipse time at 11 a.m. The excitement level began to rise as soon as participants saw those gorgeous skies, and knew that we were likely not going to be disappointed on this special day by El Niño cloudiness. We planned the ship’s route with the captain and bridge crew to keep us traveling along at the optimal location relative to the southern edge of the eclipse path. We also made sure that any forced departure due to last-second clouds would be to the north – deeper into the path of totality – and not to the south, where we could easily stray outside the path of total eclipse. The GPS receiver on the bridge was successful in keeping us right on the optimal course throughout totality.

With excitement mounting, participants viewed the partial phases through the safe solar viewing glasses provided to participants. We saw many clever projection tricks for viewing images of the partial eclipse crescent on the ground. We also spread several white sheets on a lower sun deck for viewing shadow bands. But we quickly discovered that our plan was thwarted by smoke from the ship’s smokestack, which provided continuous “shadow bands” of its own on the sheets. Real shadow bands were seen during totality, but only by a few participants who watched for them on the ocean water’s surface, where they are not normally visible (because of low contrast) unless unusually strong.

With over 20 minutes to go before totality, someone shouted out “Venus!”, now plainly visible well west of the Sun. As the skies darkened further, Mercury and Jupiter came out quite close to the Sun, one on either side of it. Saturn and Mars in the east completed the set of naked-eye planets, all simultaneously visible – a rare happening. As totality neared, the entire landscape took on the special aura that only a deep eclipse can produce. All of nature senses it, and humans are not immune to its effects. In the west, the skies darkened as the distant shadow rushed toward us at over 1000 miles per hour, soon turning the nearby horizon clouds dark too.

As the fading crescent of sunlight thinned, the Sun’s ultra-hot atmosphere, the corona, gradually became visible as a white, glowing ring completely surrounding the Moon’s black disk. Soon the crescent narrowed to a series of beads visible in binoculars, appearing as a single last bit of direct sunlight to the unaided eye. The brilliant bead shown at the southern edge of the coronal ring, forming a perfect diamond ring that lasted 30-40 seconds from our edge perspective. As cheers and audible gasps filled the air, the Sun’s ruby red inner corona, called the chromosphere, came out and stayed visible throughout totality, adding beautiful red coloration to the eclipse near the Sun’s south limb. Then the final bead faded to a point and was gone, leaving us with the glorious spectacle of totality.

It seemed to last only an instant, yet even now I see it clearly as if the image will last forever. Near silence fell during totality, interrupted only by the clicking of shutters, the whirring of video cameras, and the occasional whisper of awe over a spectacular prominence visible in small telescopes or binoculars. As measured by those not suspended in time, the duration from last bead to first was 78 seconds at our near-southern-edge site, just two seconds short of the nominal 80 seconds planned.

As the diamond ring reappeared, the excitement level rose again to cheers, whoops and exultation. Nature had shown us its most impressive predictable phenomenon, and it fell short of no one’s expectations. Tears filled eyes, some described it as a deep spiritual experience, and all were moved by the majesty of the miracle of nature. Many of us embraced, and many applauded. The travails of Tame Airlines were banished completely from short-term memory, replaced by a new perspective of who we are in this vast cosmos, and perhaps also of our relative insignificance once we look above ourselves.

With totality over, our ship turned south, and we easily were the first to arrive at our destination for the afternoon, James Bay Island. Over the next two hours, the James Bay harbor filled with smaller ships returning from sites closer to the centerline. Those that we heard from were also successful. We then had an opportunity for snorkeling in tropically warm, beautifully clear, sparkling waters rich with multi-colored plant and animal marine life. Among our larger marine neighbors were the occasional bottom-dwelling stingray or playful, curious sea lion.

The evening briefing was supplemented by naturalist Barry Boyce of Galapagos Travel, whose book all participants had received to aid their planning for this trip. Barry showed slides of Galapagos species, with emphasis on the unique birds of the islands. Among the most popular of these are the red-footed and blue-footed boobies. We learned to distinguish many similar species, and about their eating, fighting and mating habits. And we learned about their origins in this place where species have evolved along different paths on different islands because of the diverse resources and hazards on each. Our classroom was near the very place that Darwin visited when he conceived the theory of evolution.

Early risers on the following morning were treated to spectacular views of the starry skies overhead with a perspective available only near the Earth’s equator. The brilliant morning star Venus dominated. But the Milky Way accentuated the Southern Cross, our bright southern neighbor stars Alpha and Beta Centauri and Acrux and the Large Magellanic Cloud visible only in the deep southern skies. We traced constellations and talked astronomy until dawn, then went down to breakfast before the first island landing of the day. Our Friday visits were to Isabela, the largest Galapagos island, and Fernandina, the youngest. We learned geology as well. We were taught how the islands are continually forming over geological time from new eruptions as the continental plates gradually drift over hot spots in the mantle below. All the existing islands are a few million years old or younger.

Ashore, we saw iguanas, sea lions, penguins and great varieties of bird, plant and marine species. As with all the Galapagos wild life, these birds, reptiles and mammals have developed no fear of man, and are therefore among the most approachable on Earth. Our breaks were filled with opportunities to swim, snorkel or just relax.

Just before the afternoon island excursion, the group (with the assistance of Bill Chapin) presented the Ambasador I ship’s captain Nelson Dosman with a personal GPS receiver in appreciation for his pinpoint navigation efforts. The captain had earlier remarked at the wide availability and quality of the GPS receivers carried by several in our group, seemingly superior to the one installed on the ship; and let it be known that he was interested in buying one for himself.

Following the presentation, Tom Van Flandern delivered his astronomy lecture, “New Evidence of Artifacts on Mars”. This related to the gift book participants received. Tom presented the startling new evidence that has arisen that the Cydonia region on Mars may be of artificial origin. If confirmed by the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft now in orbit around Mars, this could prove to be one of the most perspective-altering findings of our times. Shortly before this eclipse report went to press, NASA announced that the Cydonia region has been made a priority of the mission, with pictures expected sometime during April. Participants received some insight into why the change of mission priority and just what was at stake in the way of possible discovery. Additional details of the findings on which the talk was based are available at web site <www.metaresearch.org>, and were first published in the March 15, 1997 issue of the Meta Research Bulletin.

On our last full day of exploration, we visited the Darwin station in the morning, where the giant sea turtles can be viewed in various stages of development. Here we saw in action the various initiatives to preserve the unique islands for both the survival of the species and for future generations of humankind to enjoy as we had. In the afternoon, we visited the highlands where huge volcanic craters provided quite a spectacle through a torrential downpour – a common occurrence for that place at that time of year. This also illustrated how island topography can drastically affect weather and cloudiness, and why each island can be so different from its neighbors. Barry Boyce presented his second lecture, this time emphasizing Galapagos reptiles. Despite all the crash courses, participants left knowing that they had only scratched the surface of the adventure of exploring the 14 major and numerous minor islands in this cluster.

During one of the lecture periods, Eclipse Edge travel agent Paula Foggo described what we now know of plans for the next expedition to Turkey and Europe in August 1999. An announcement of that expedition should be available in the near future. Watch for details on the web site at <www.metaresearch.org>.

On Sunday we de-boarded and flew back to Quito via Guayaquil on everyone’s new “favorite” airline, Tame. Our last hours in Quito were spent shopping or sightseeing in the city, dining, and in an informal discussion of all topics Galapagos or astronomy related. We arose early Monday morning, said our final good-byes, and flew back to Miami, where the participants dispersed on flights to their respective home cities. All were exhausted by the activity pace since few wanted to miss any scheduled event. More than one participant was heard to mumble about the need for a vacation following this expedition. However, no one will be lacking for memories that will last a lifetime, and many laid plans to return for a fuller exploration of the islands at a future date.

Two additional reports from this expedition contained material of interest here. So to provide some broader perspectives, these are included below. The first is by participant Marc Zaharchuk, written to Barry Boyce at Galapagos Travel. The second is by Barry Boyce.

Marc Zaharchuk Report

It has been several weeks, and a good time to think about and discuss the trip so as to afford a valuable critique. As a 10 year volunteer at the Franklin Institute Science Museum, and a volunteer in several other activities, I think I can objectively offer a savvy, traveler, business like observation.

INBOUND FROM MIAMI: Air Saeta does try hard and mostly succeeds. They are between United and Air Tame in quality, and closer to United. I am sure you know them all, but here several points. The planes were well maintained and the food was on china. The crew was disconnected from corporate policy. In the rear of the plane, they would not budge. Though they saw passengers coming back for the toilets, they would make a last minute block of the path to retrieve something stowed elsewhere. Desert was served late, in fact I thought it was overlooked, so I headed for the rear toilets. As I waited for the cart to work past me from an exit pocket, I embarrassed the male attendant into serving me my desert. Sitting in Guayaquil without air conditioning seems to be a local custom, like water balloons on Shrough Tuesday.

HOTEL ALAMEDA: I liked the hotel. I could not find fault, and I am sure that our visit taxed the staff. You were wise to have your office near there. It helps your business to do so. The staff is well uniformed, the 24-hour coffee shop is an oasis, everyone we saw hustled. We stopped by the Hilton Casino and noted more physical space. For a non-chain hotel, the Alameda is tops.

RELATING TO THE LOCATION: The Italian restaurant is great, but unless you grew up in Nort’ Philly with Rocky Balboa or The South Bronx, an explanation of nighttime security guards is needed. We assume that if not for them the 60% unemployment would be 70%. By the way we noted the 2.2% inflation during our stay – 4400 to 4500 sucres per U.S. dollar.

TAME AIRLINE AND BUS COMPANY: I figure that after 20 or so flights, you can write a book and sell the rights to Woody Allen. It was somewhat reassuring to see the German left over from Lufthansa, the prior owner. We concluded that someone’s cousin in Guayaquil needed a job, so he/she installs and removes the life-vests from every plane. Either that or there is a shortage and they need to shuffle the only 700 vests around all of the flights.

THE ISLANDS AND M/S AMBASSADOR I: Coming from Ukrainian grandparents, I found myself defending Croatian design and explaining 40 year old marine technology to my fellow gringos. My favorite sister’s check of their website said that the Ambassador would go to overhaul in September. They could use a few more coat hooks on the wall. There were two exceptional waiters and no one I knew had them. They stood out, Hugo and the bald-headed waiter were the models all of the others should follow. I was at the forward, starboard table and kept asking for all beverages, he was pookie. Please pass along the Kudos for Hugo and the other waiter to the Captain. If they were my waiters, I would give them an Excellent.

By my measure, I gave the Housekeeping and the Panga crews the only excellent ratings. Most of the others got good to ok given the norm for the region and their usual clientele. However, the housekeepers were almost invisible, yet still did an excellent job in Espanola (a.k.a., “the bilge”) deck. Some people objected to the movement of articles left on the beds, but seasoned travelers know not to do that.

The Panga crews could have two launch and recover ops per day, of the bow and then two round trips for the tours. They were damn good. In two cases we waited for the seas to die down, they knew the timing for the landing and did not abort the mission. (In a class with Ron and Tanya). After all, this ain’t Chesapeake Bay, we are in the height of the rainy season and 600 miles into the Pacific Ocean. They could easily have shown Victory at Sea in the lounge at night. I felt sorry for the disco guy. We were not the party crowd, unless you count the young ladies and kids.

GUIDES: I was in Team Booby, which included a geologist from Univ. of Texas-Austin, and the elderly Robert Lee Moore and his cane collection. Our guide told us that every thing on the Darwin Station Island, including all fresh water, was imported. My afternoon tour was with Ron and we saw the farms and desalinization plant. On one of the tours (Friday am), our guide led us off a trail and over a marine iguana nesting area. He was chewed out by another guide; he deserved it, given the strict licensing of guides.

RON: How the hell did you luck out and find him??? I can just picture you, sitting in a bar, suddenly hearing this guy tell stories about the Islands. You whisper your group to quiet down and all of you start listening to him. Next thing, you’re buying him drinks and it is 4 a.m. Ron could definitely take over editing your book when you retire. You two are identical story tellers and have the admiration and knowledge of the Galapagos at heart. His career path should be a model for other guides.

SONYA, TANYA AND RODRIGUEZ: Again, as with Ron, you are lucking out and the business will flourish because of these people. At oh-dark-thirty a.m. I was teasing Sonya to get Rodriguez a month’s sabbatical in New York and Washington, to see how American tours are run. His postgraduate work in history and biology was appreciated by our little tour group of five. The selection of drivers, a key to your business, was also well done. Tanya – every one here is impressed with her diction, projection and presentation technique.

OVERALL AND OTHER STUFF: The Hacienda Luncheon was another high mark. The “ballet” was taped and enjoyed by all, especially guys like me who were shipped off to ethnic folk-dancing in grammar school. Their flea market was quite reasonable, & competitive to the others. I purchased four cashmere like scarves for $10. A trip to the Galapagos is no Club Med. I will tell those going that it is grueling and that Ecuador is literally and figuratively a Banana Republic. Air Travel will cost you a day internationally and a half day domestically.

Why do your really want to go there? Ecuador is another American Country. The cities started before most of ours, lack zoning and planning, and were not impacted by and Industrial Revolution. The people are cordial and friendly. The country is religious. The Yankee dollar is universally accepted, more so than in Canada for example. After this trip, I better understand why many Ecuadorians emigrate to Los Angeles, a relative heaven to them. A heck of a lot of America is better off than Ecuador but does not appreciate it. There is much to be learned by seeing the world. So my understanding of South America is expanded, as was my understanding of the Galapagos ecosystem. I would pit my seven days of learning against Darwin’s 35, but he had the advantage of time to digest it.

So that is my T+21 day residual memory. If someone’s cousin needs an idea for a business, we suggested that they hunt down the goats for cat food for affluent Columbians. The Pro-Iguana Party will support that legislation, for sure! BCNU.

Marc Zaharchuk / P.O. 181 / Washington Crossing, PA 18977-0181

Barry Boyce Report

First off, this was my first solar eclipse, and I had no idea that I would be as emotionally affected by the event. In addition to being a naturalist, I have been an amateur astronomer for many years, so I thought the eclipse would be “extremely interesting.” It was a lot more than that. The images in my mind are very vivid – the planets, Tom yelling out “it’s safe to look without a filter”, the diamond ring in my video view-finder with all the animated voices in the background, forcing myself to stop looking through the view finder and just “take in the scene,” hugging Tom right after 3rd contact. I now understand why everyone was there and why I wanted to do this again.

My emotions began to build about a half-hour before first contact, when I was told that the crew of the Ambasador was assembled in the employee lunchroom, waiting for me to explain what was going to happen. They were excited and had a lot of questions.

People kept asking me how the eclipse compares to the Galapagos. What a tough question to answer! The eclipse is a spectacular, intense, albeit brief experience. Galapagos is also spectacular, but the feeling is eternal – “Islands Lost in Time” as they are called. The Galapagos has changed my life, and I am one of many who have been thus impacted. This particular trip, the Galapagos islands were definitely a background for the eclipse, although with El Niño, the islands had their own short-term natural magic show going on as well.

I will admit that the time we spent in the islands was short – maybe too short for some to completely overcome the irritations of dealing with Tame, the check-in lines at the Alameda Real, and getting settled in on the Ambasador. But given that the focus of the trip was the eclipse, many of the passengers would not have opted for a longer cruise. The trip worked as well as it possibly could have. For those who would have desired a longer look, their taste has been wetted. I realized that by privately contracting with Ron Sjostedt, it would make the standard guides look bad to some. But again, it gave those a taste of what a hardcore natural history trip would be like. It is interesting that some in Ron’s group complained he talked too much, and all they wanted to do was sit on the beach.

So, all things considered – the eclipse orientation, the diversity and size of the group, -- the trip was incredible. Tom’s coordination with the captain to get us in the perfect position for the eclipse was just perfect. And the islands showed themselves to all, and hopefully will do so again for several in the group. I am proud to have helped you coordinate and lead the trip, Tom. Let’s do it again!!