VoM: Set To Sail

I’m back in Philadelphia, which means the detours are behind me and I’m back on the Voyage. It also means that I am in position to board the freighter which will carry me across the Atlantic.

I spoke to the ship’s port agent this morning. He confirmed that the ship is due into port here sometime tomorrow afternoon, and added that I will probably be able to board later in the day. I am to call him in the morning to get final instructions.

So, everything is “normal” so far… I have a general idea of what’s going on but nothing definite. For those of you who are new to the Voyages of Macgellan, this is indeed completely “normal.”

What I do know is that the ship will be the Rickmers Shanghai, a Superflex Heavy MPC (Multi-Purpose Container) carrier. The ship is about 600 feet long, 90 feet wide and weighs 30,000 tons at maximum load, with a top speed is 19.5 knots.

What I don’t know is exactly where we’re going, how long it will take, who else will be on board, or any other details. I am scheduled to disembark in Antwerp in about 12 days, but since I’m pretty sure it doesn’t take that long to “cross the pond” I’m figuring we’ll be making a port call or two somewhere en route. Depending where that is, I may disembark early. Like I said, everything is normal… Stay tuned!

VoM2: Second Valid Passport

For my upcoming travels in Russia this summer, I will need to submit my passport for processing of visas, etc., and I have been told to expect the process to take several weeks overall. The problem, of course, is that I cannot travel without a passport for several weeks while it is being processed!

How to solve this conundrum? Well, it turns out that in circumstances like this, the State Department will issue you a second valid passport!

It’s only valid for two years and it has a special endorsement (for which I’ve provided annotation from the US Code) but it’s all good!

There’s a pretty good pile of paperwork and some fees involved. I used PassportVisasExpress.com to help with the process and I can recommend them.

So, there you have it… One more piece of preparation taken care of for The Voyage 2.0!

VoM2: Detour Hiatus

No, I haven’t disappeared… No, The Voyage hasn’t gone astray… I’ve just been on a hiatus to make a couple of detours. Here’s a very quick recap:

After crossing Canada, I spent a few days in New York then took a train to Atlanta where I spent a couple of weeks with friends. Just before the new year I took the train back north through Philly, then west to central Pennsylvania where I have been visiting with family and friends.

My only Voyage-related activities during the hiatus have been to work out some logistics and take care of some necessary paperwork going forward. I have received confirmation that I will be sailing from Philly on or about Feb 1st, and I will post updates soon. Stay tuned!

VoM2: Canada Catch Up

I’ve been without internet the whole way across Canada, so here’s a quick catch-up…

A no-brainer ride from Seattle put me in Vancouver late Saturday night. Had a nice day wandering around there on Sunday, then boarded VIA Rail Train #2 in the evening. For the next four nights (and three days, obviously) we made steady progress across the vast northern landscape, with only a few brief stops along the way.

The VIA train was good, but not as great as I thought it might be based on things I’d heard. The ride, room, meals, service, etc., were certainly all quite satisfactory, but not any better than what I’ve experienced on Amtrak. So there’s my opinion on that competitive issue.

The western portion of the ride from Vancouver to Toronto is quite picturesque, as you can see in this photo taken from the viewing car. The eastern portion is more of an endless prairie and woodland combo, but still fun to watch roll by!

I arrived in Toronto early this morning and proceeded straight to the Holiday Inn Express — my customary home away from home (wherever that is!) — and was allowed a very, very early check-in… They LOVE me here!

Spent the afternoon wandering around Toronto, with highlights being four floors of the Bata shoe museum (everything you could possibly want to know about shoes!) and the city market (which is an indoor version of pretty much every city market around the world). It’s chilly here, but the weather has been fine so far.

I’m going to make it an early night — simply because sleeping on a train isn’t the most restful — and catch my Toronto-NY train in the morning.

So far it’s been a good start to The Voyage 2.0 and I’ve covered a surprising amount of the earth’s surface already… Stay tuned!

VoM2: Gear All Packed!

My Voyage gear is all packed. I’m estimating it’s only about 60% of what I carried on the last Voyage… The bags are smaller, which is great, yet I’ve still got room to spare! I’m sure I’ll mess around with my gear a few more times before Saturday, but I feel like I’m pretty much good to go! Stay tuned!

VoM2: First Leg Taking Shape

I just booked the first major leg of The Voyage 2.0!

Canadian Rail from Vancouver to Toronto… Sunday, Dec. 5 - Thursday, Dec. 9… So, I’ll probably make the Seattle-Vancouver hop on Saturday the 4th…

The Voyage 2.0 is taking shape!

VoM2: Macgellan Is Planning A Second Voyage!

Macgellan is planning a second expedition to circumnavigate the surface of the earth. It will be called "The Voyage of Macgellan 2.0"

Here's a quick map of the preliminary plan... Stay tuned!

Back In Seattle... Again

I'm back in Seattle after flying from Petropavlovsk through Anchorage. With that, my Alaskan Summer travels are officially concluded.

I'm going to hang out in the area for a while, to catch up with myself and my life as usual. I'll also be working on "what's next" for me, so stay tuned!

Petropavlovsk, Kamchatka, Russia

We wrapped up our Aleutians expedition with a quick stop in Petropavlovsk on the Kamchatka Peninsula of far northeast Russia. Although not part of the Aleutian Islands, of course, the area is certainly geographically, geologically and historically similar.

We spent the morning doing a typical tourist city-tour, mostly churches and statues followed by a "local" lunch. It was interesting and informative, but it was so far from my usual style of exploration that I often found myself wanting to jump off the bus and just mingle with the locals for a while.

In the afternoon, we went to a cultural heritage center where we were treated to an excellent traditional dance performance, though I admit to spending most of my time with the local sled dogs who were in residence there. I reprise my global assessment: Dogs are dogs everywhere, and I love them all!

It's been an excellent Aleutian expedition and we fly out tomorrow.

Aleutian Islands: Grizzly Bears

A real highlight of the expedition was zodiac cruising around Geographic Harbor in Katmai Park and seeing grizzly bears everywhere... It was fantastic!

I've always heard about grizzly bears' size, power and aggressiveness, but I don't think I've ever heard or seen anything about their grace, delicacy and perseverance. I hope this video does a little to balance the scales.

(Note: I'm sorry about all the ambient noise -- camera shutters clicking, etc. -- but I couldn't turn down the undesirable audio without losing the "bear sounds" too.)