Photos of Antarctica by My Friend, Ruth Oratz, M.D.
It's always so much fun to see photos taken by friends of the places we've visited together.
Over the weekend, I shared images from Albert Knapp, M.D., who along with his wife, Ruth Oratz, M.D., traveled with me to Antarctica last month for a special photography expedition. Dr. Oratz captured many stunning photos from Antarctica's Greenwich Island, Lemaire Channel and Pleneau Bay's Iceberg Graveyard. She also took snapshots from our brief visit to Patagonia and the famous Municipal Cemetery in Punta Arenas, Chile.
Here are more photos from our trip - enjoy.
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- During our brief visit to Patagonia, we stopped at my friend’s ranch. Dr. Oratz took this photo of one of the fields filled with round hay bales. In the last 40-years or so, large round bales have become much more common. These “ton bales,” as they are often known, can weigh anywhere from 800 to more than 1500 pounds each.
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- Here is a photo of my friend’s ranch, where thoroughbred horses are raised.
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- Dr. Oratz took this beautiful photo of some of the many bridles hanging in the stable.
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- One of the Chilean stable hands stopped to pose for this photo with one of the prized horses. Everyone was so friendly.
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- These are hand carved wooden stirrups. Each stirrup is made from a single piece of wood and then suspended from a steel band inlaid with silver geometric patterns.
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- Here is another photo of one of the horses in its stall. These thoroughbred horses loved all the attention we gave them during our visit.
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- It is hard to resist taking photos of cute kittens – this one was resting on a burlap feed bag in the stable.
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- This is the entrance of the home of one of the stable hands – the boots ready for the next day’s work.
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- Dr. Oratz took this photo of me and my friend’s two sons. Look at all the winning ribbons their horses have earned.
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- This is the public cemetery of the city of Punta Arenas, Chile. We all found it quite elegant. In fact, It was designated a National Monument of Chile in 2012.
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- Here is a photo capturing some of the many headstones at the cemetery. The Punta Arenas cemetery was inaugurated in 1894 – it has become one of the most beautiful places to visit in the area.
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- The cemetery is meticulously maintained. We saw a number of immaculately trimmed giant European cypress trees, Cupressus sempervirens, such as these. They lined the entrance and aisles of the graveyard.
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- We were amazed with the design and construction details of the tombs. Many told stories of those who rest there – this one of a woman spinning yarn.
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- And here is a shepherd with his flock of sheep.
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- This carving shows a handsome horse. If you ever visit Punta Arenas, take a stroll through this municipal cemetery – it is so fascinating.
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- Dr. Oratz also captured this view of Punta Arenas. Punta Arenas is a city near the tip of Chile’s southernmost Patagonia region. It is located on the Strait of Magellan, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and is often used as a base for expeditions to Antarctica.
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- And here is a photo of our plane after landing on King George Island in Antarctica.
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- Here are more of the stunning snow-capped and glacial mountains in Pleneau Bay – so dramatic against the ominous sky above.
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- Here is another photo from Pleneau Bay’s Iceberg Graveyard – the biggest collection of icebergs in this region. Many of them are more than 300-feet tall.
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- Here is another view of the icebergs taken by Dr. Oratz, with a little sun peeking through the cloud cover.
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- This is Lemaire Channel, a strait off Antarctica, between Kiev Peninsula in the mainland’s Graham Land and Booth Island. Nicknamed “Kodak Gap” by some, it is one of the top tourist destinations in Antarctica, with its steep cliffs and icebergs.
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- Lemaire Channel’s protected waters are usually as still as a lake – so serene.
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- These “dancing icebergs” are in Crystal Sound in the central Antarctic Peninsula.
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- Here is a photo taken of the ice floating out to sea from Hanusse Bay.
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- Dr. Oratz took this photo of a map showing Hanusse Bay. The bay was discovered and first charted by the French Antarctic Expedition from 1908 to 1910 under Jean-Baptiste Charcot, and named by him for the director of the Hydrographic Service of the French Navy.
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- Because it is very difficult for cruise ships to dock in the area, inflatable Zodiac boats are used. Here is a Zodiac boat leaving the ship for Detaille Island.
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- Dr. Oratz took this photo of a single feather she spotted on Detaille Island – I wonder what kind of sea bird dropped it.
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- From 1956 to 1959 this group of shacks was home to “Base W” of the British Antarctic operation known as the British Antarctic Survey. It closed after the end of the International Geophysical Year and is now a makeshift museum for visitors.
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- Inside, many items still remain intact – here are bunk beds lining one side of a wall.
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- A small bar is located along another wall.
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- And clothing remains on a line above the unused wood burning stove.
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- At the desk – old headphones and activity logs.
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- The Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey established a base on Antarctica’s Winter Island in 1947. The main hut was named “Wordie House” after Sir James Wordie, a member of Shackleton’s Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition who visited during its construction.
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- Here, Dr. Oratz took a photo of Dr. Knapp taking a photo of an ice formation on Hanusse Bay.
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- And this is Greenwich Island, an island lying between Robert Island and Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica.
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- As early as 1820, Yankee Harbor on the southwest side of Greenwich Island, was a valuable and common anchorage stop – so majestic with its snow topped mountains that can be seen for miles.
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