lighthouses

Magdalena Island

Published January 13, 2019

North Pole polar bears, South Pole penguins.

Early breakfast, lobby FULL with runners. Marathon Day? Nope, PENGUINS. Easy half-mile walk to the Pier, tickets presented, boarded a ferry. Open water excursion, short hour away. Isla Magdalena. No cancellation, no refund, no need – I kissed the BRASS 😊

Nervous excited boat chatter. Seas rolling but not rough. Couple sprays from a distant whale pod. Just a distraction. Island approach – close, close, closer, PENGUINS.

Disembark instructions: stay on trail, keep moving & don’t chase the natives.

🐧 Magellanic Penguin 🐧

South American penguin, breeding in coastal Argentina, Chile and the Falkland Islands, with some migrating to Brazil where they are occasionally seen as far north as Rio de Janeiro…most numerous of the Spheniscus penguins.

Mass: 8.8 lbs Conservation status: Near Threatened (Population decreasing)

Day’s excursion did NOT disappoint. Literally HUNDREDS of PENGUINS.

Adults matched in size by the dull fluffy adolescent chicks they still supported, preened & fed. Seemingly nesting EVERYWHERE. HIGHLY recommended MUST-DO TRIP.

Sooooo much bigger than the wee blue ones seen in Oamaru (NZ/Mar 2017). Just WOW!

Rock-rock-rocky, return ride home. Took short breaks outside. Let the cold Tierra del Fuego air numb the quease. Whole lotta retching. Yikes! Who knew my lithe fit Asian brothers stomach’d so much bile? Just as well today was not Antarctica Day. Folks gonna need an extra day or two to repopulate calories. Ick. Just the sheer Sound, the Smell. Sad souls.

Post-boat dinner? Heck yeah, I’m not one to miss a meal 🍴 Italian dinner. Long table of 8. Julian (France). Brad (Quebec). Kentucky Dave. Circle continues to grow.

Pre-Flight Briefing tomorrow. ZERO impact (group poop 💩) discussion.

: PENGUIN Day!

: Los Pingüinos

: 🐧🐧

: penguin CROSSING

: adolescent fluff

: peep preening

: SEA GULL chicks

: Chilean lighthouse

: seasonal pair ❤️

: circle of FRIENDS

Isla Magdalena

Posted in Americas | Tagged lighthouses, watercraft, wildlife | Leave a comment

Green Gables Anne

Published October 15, 2018

3 flights of stairs, post-marathon shower, quick one-hour nap. Attic B&B kinda loses its charm after running 26 miles. Just saying. LOL>

Historic homes, old churches, seaside path ‘round Government House (home to PEI’s Lieutenant Governor). From there walked inland, downtown Charlottetown. City Hall, University Park, St. Dunstan’s Basilica. HUGE fan of cathedral architecture. Gothic block buildings, high overreaching arches, stained glass artistry. Oft adapts character of the city you’re visiting. Ornate ship anchor molding in this provincial capital’s church home. Quiet/peaceful/hushed/stunning. Great place to reflect & give thanks.

Dinner reservations at 5; theatre tickets 7 o’clock show.

But first, homage paid to everything Anne – at the Anne of Green Gables Store. Dolls, DVDs, postcards, magnets, candy, entire book series (of course) – all centered on the red-headed orphan from PEI. When on Prince Edward, gotta/hafta/must.

Sunday-nite FOOD FEAST @ 23 Queen St: half-dozen Oysters, Cioppino entrée. FIVE LOCAL varieties of Oyster. Tomato herb broth, crusty bread. Mussels, haddock, clams & shrimp – Cioppino, what’s not to LOVE? GET in my BELLY! WOW meal.

LOVE LOVED ‘Anne & Gilbert’ at the Guild. Perfect Avonlea finish to crazy FULL day. Highly recommended!

Goodbye PEI. Lighthouse sunrise, hot B&B breakfast, noon flight off the Island. I HEART the Land of Anne ❤️

: Beaconsfield House

: St. James Presbyterian

: Government House

: St. Dunstan’s Basilica

: architectural reverence

: homage to red-headed Anne

: LOCAL oysters & Cioppino

: Marathon Day end at Charlottetown’s Guild

: LIGHTHOUSE goodbye 🌞

Posted in Canada | Tagged kyrkan, lighthouses, theatre | Leave a comment

Prince Edward Island Marathon

Published October 14, 2018

Bienvenue à l’Île du Prince Édouard. Birthplace of Canada.

Saturday 2am. Crazy early start. Woke six miles short of my Week 2 stretch goal (done/finished: 76.6 miles complete), late last-minute panic packing for O’ Canada, 6am flight to Detroit. Denver-Detroit, Detroit-Toronto, Toronto-Charlottetown. First try at WestJet. No frills, on-time experience (like our Southwest). Whatta find! How did I not know there were anti-Air Canada options? YAHOO!

6:15 touchdown in PEI. 20 minute taxi-ride downtown. 7pm Expo end. Tight timing.

5 block walk to my B&B sleeps. Oceanside digs, attic all mine. Marathon Sunday morn. Alarm set, predawn bus ride (7am prompt). Don’t be late mate. Land of Anne – Green Gables Anne, Anne with an E.

Coast-to-coast course: Brackley Beach-PEI National Park to Confederation Centre-downtown Charlottetown. Cold, breezy weather. Already LOVING my chances 😊 Shadowed 3 local runners & hunkered inside a beachside shower hut. Nippy gusts o’ ocean this morning. Brrr. PEI, Canada’s vacationland. LOL> Emerged 10 minutes before Start burrito-wrapped in last weekend’s Twin Cities mylar throwaway.

Canadian Anthem, 8am Start & SUNSHINE. Shed layers early, soaked in the coastline. Breezy cold & BEAUTIFUL. Brightly-coloured out buildings. Photo-stopped @ Covehead Lighthouse. WOW!

Sand dunes & shoreline gave way to rolling farmland. Push, push, push. Stanhope, Tracadie, Corran Ban, Millcove. All Sunday quiet. Started to slow after 12 miles. Then TRAIL. 12.5 kilometers (over 7 miles) of TRAIL. Crushed gravel & autumn COLOR, leaf-turn still happening on Prince Edward. BIG grin.

Warned one big climb late in the race. Large incline/near mile 21, but NOT Newfoundland HILLY. Head down, arms pumping, aggressively pushed to the top. 9:26/min pace. Fastest mile of 2^nd Half.

Last mile/mile-half did not disappoint, city scenic. Historic buildings, parks, statues.

Never saw a pace bunny (Canada-popular), never checked my watch. B-I-G run today. Fastest of 2018, new Canadian PR. FINALLY! Tens & tens of training miles, FINALLY! FINISH SUCCESS 🍁