Now, bring me that horizon......

Hello! This is one of the cruise posts that I promised I would post. I know I've been neglecting my blog lately, but we don't have a computer in Cooperstown and the library has started charging for internet access. And as much as I enjoy updating my blog, I'm not willing to pay to do it when I can easily put it off for a week. Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow. So here we go, the journey to Mexico (Prepare to be dazzled):

The flight to San Diego was uneventful, except for the fact that it was the first time I had been on a flight long enough to see a movie and get 2 snacks. Since the only other time I've flown was to Alabama and back for Christmas, that's not saying much. But I was excited. We got to watch Hoodwinked, which was clever and fun, although I picked out the bad guy way too soon. In case you haven't seen it, Hoodwinked is a CGI cartoon, the story of Little Red Riding Hood from multiple perspectives. I'd say it's worth renting. Anways, we got to walk on the beach for a while and then enjoy the hot tub at the hotel. The next 2 days were spent unloading equipment onto the ship. The really heavy stuff was craned over, but the rest we had to carry ourselves, which was either accomplished by handing things over from the dock straight to the ship, or carrying boxes from the dock to the ship and down steep stairs without tripping on cables to get to the lab room. The second night in the hotel we were all very grateful for the hot tub.

June 1st, we spent the night on the ship, since we would be leaving the dock at 7:00. The night before, we got to check out the harbor, and there was this cool ship next to ours. It's called the Flip, and it's very long and skinny. Apparently, the Flip is used for oceanographic scientific teams, when they have to do research in an environment that is completely stable. To accomplish this, ballast water is shifted, and the Flip flips straight up in the water (hence the name, scientists are so creative), so it looks like a giant straw sticking out of the ocean. Apparently, everything is on hinges, since what is the ceiling one day may be a wall the next day. I'm told that there's some video where an Asian woman is interviewing people on the Flip when it starts to flip, and that she starts screaming in her native language. Maybe you can find it on the internet if you search google, my professor said it was hilarious. Our ship was just a normal RV (research vessel) named New Horizon. The name suited the ship well, since, once we left harbor, we never saw another boat on the water, all we could see was endless waters and the horizon. Of course, that made me think of the life from Pirates of the Caribbean. I don't have any pictures with me now, but one of my friends is making me a CD, so maybe I can post some pictures of the boat and stuff.

The 5 day trip down to Mexico was pretty uneventful. Basically, we organized the lab, unpacked and tied things down. I learned two knots, the Trailer's or Trucker's Hitch and something else, but I still suck at tying things down. We got pretty lazy. People would take naps every afternoon, and nights were ours to do with as we pleased. The entertainment room had tons of books and movies, and a couple of us had brought cards, so we were sufficiently entertained. There was also some exercise equipment on the ship. I worked out once, but once we started taking samples I didn't have the time or strength to work out again. The water was pretty calm, except for one night when we rounded the point, and all of us woke up at 2 AM because we felt like we were being tossed around. I felt like singing "Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat!" Especially since I was in the top bunk. I shared a room with Leanne, belowdecks in the center of the ship, so it would be the most stable. It was also the smallest. It was about the size of 1 1/2 O'Leary closets, and I am not being sarcastic. As we approached Guaymas, Mexico, where the rest of the scientific crew would join us, we started to see peaks sticking up. We were far enough away for Mexico to appear old and mysterious, like uncharted islands in the days when pirates sailed the seas. That's what originally made me think of the Pirates quote.

I see that once again I've managed to write a rather large post, so I'll sign off for now, but more cruise posts will be coming (hopefully, some with pictures!)