Beautiful ice, part 2 – December 25, 2010

I wanted to go see Upsala Glacier by boat, along with some of the other glaciers that are part of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. Unfortunately, a large part of the glacier’s front broke off several years ago, and the channel is now blocked with icebergs. And so the boat traveled to view, not the glacier (that comes in a later post, my friends) but the icebergs. Can you say, “Titanic?”

It turns out that icebergs are just as beautiful and perhaps even more surreal than glaciers.

At first, we saw just a few icebergs here and there in the lake, like ships on their own courses.

But as we headed up the channel, we got much closer to them. And they were bigger.

And yes, in case you’re wondering. They really do look blue. Depending on the light, sometimes glistening white but at other times, in the shadows, a blue so intense it hurts to look at and yet is impossible to look away from.

Soon the glaciers filled the channel.

Each, more beautiful than the next.

The landscapes and seascapes of this excursion were particularly magnificent. Next, I’ll post some seascapes (with mountains), and then we’ll move to the views on land.

Big Ice – 12/24/2010

The thing that neither words nor images convey adequately is the sheer size of the Perito Moreno glacier. But of course I’m going to try.

First, the words. Perito Moreno’s front on Lake Argentina is three miles wide, with an average height of 240 feet. That’s about the height of a twenty-story office building. It’s also about twenty miles long, one arm of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, the third largest reserve of fresh water on the planet (after Antarctica and Greenland). And Perito Moreno is one of only a small handful (three?) of glaciers that are growing. It advances about six to ten feet a day.

Distances are large here under the Patagonian mountains and sky. So the glacier may not look like much from a distance.

But when you’re on a tour boat in front of the glacier, you feel small. Really small. The whole boat full of fifty (more or less) people feels small.

Well, actually, compared to the glacier, the boat *is* small. Here’s a photo from the shore, with the boat about halfway across the lake in front of the glacier. I circled the boat in red. I had to, because otherwise you might miss it.

This is A WHOLE LOT OF ICE.

Next post: Trekking on the ice, or fun with crampons.

Jagged Mountains – 12/24/2010

“I’ve been cut by the beauty of jagged mountains…”

“…and cut by the love that flows like a fountain from God.”

Thanks for the lyrics, Bruce Cockburn. They surely apply to the ice mountains of the Perito Moreno glacier. More in later posts.

Views near Golden Grove

I’m going to skip over the sunsets from our last weekend on the island and go right away to the moonrise. The moon was full–so full that objects cast sharp shadows in the silver light. On the night we left, the moon was rising as we waited for the ferry. It was mostly veiled by clouds, but I caught this moment at Old Harbor.

Hard as it is to believe, I will be out of the country–and probably without my computer–this time next week. If I am able to make posts, I’ll write about my trip. So for now the sunsets are on hold. More in January!

Happy holidays, everyone!

Views near Golden Grove

As we prepare for our last trip of the season (and year) to Block Island–too soon, oh, too soon!–I have been looking back over photographs from previous Novembers. This one, and those from the next few posts, are from 2006 and were not taken from our deck but from nearby.

Views near Golden Grove

I’ve been posting photos of Block Island for just about a year now, mostly sunsets, mostly taken from my home on the island, or nearby. Well. Nearby. That would pretty much encompass the entire island, wouldn’t it! But no, I mean *really* nearby. Nothing as far south as Old Harbor or as far west as New Harbor.

But in all this time, I have never posted a moonset. Today, I would like to correct this omission.