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On Tuesday morning, December 29, 2008 Virginia Gunderson drove me and my Gigapan up South Mountain onto property her great grandfather homesteaded in the 1860s. The view of Santa Paula is from about the same elevation as the pano I took of South Mountain a month or so earlier. The Santa Clara River is in the center with the Santa Paula Airport next to it. |
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Prion Island is in the Bay of Isles at the north end of South Georgia. There was a boardwalk under construction when we were there in March. It was over half done, and it gave us a nice beginning to the long climb up the slippery, wet gully to the plateau that you see here.
The main attraction of the island are the Wandering Albatrosses and Southern Giant Petrels that nest on the plateau.. The boardwalk will eventually take travelers to the top without disturbing animals or vegetation and without risking sprained ankles. Trust me, walking in the gully and in the tussock grass is quite a challenge. Beyond the Bay of Isles in this panorama you see the rugged peaks and glaciers of South Georgia. |
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http://GigapanMagazine.org vol 1 issue 2
Contributors: Billy Stiner, Nathan Greenland and Rose Science is the purpose of our presence at the bottom of the world, and there are certainly a lot of scientists here, but people arrive at the South Pole with a variety of job skills that are needed for building or operating Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. The two gentlemen pictured here are finishing the A-1 roof of the new elevated station. Most of the 13 summer siding carps left the South Pole before the last plane flew away on February 16, but these two carpenters will remain for the winter. This afternoon, they are working in the fading daylight, alone in the cold on a very big roof. February 27 was a beautiful clear day at the South Pole. The temperature was -52 degrees Fahrenheit. The wind was fairly constant around 9 knots and blowing from grid northeast. The wind chill was in the -80's. My camera protested with only 120 shots today, despite an extra battery warming in an inside coat pocket between panoramas. There is a lot of emphasis on safety here. You will notice the harnesses that secure my friends to the cable that runs down the center of the roof where they are working. They are about 50 feet above the surrounding ice and snow. The walking surface can get very slippery, and it is difficult to maneuver in the layers of clothing and boots that we wear outside. Even with the canvas lean-to providing some shelter from the wind, they need to be careful to avoid frostbite and hypothermia as sunset approaches and falling temperatures bring greater risk of injury. Carpenters' tools, like my camera, work better in warmer temperatures. When the sun sets below the horizon next month, these two carpenters will come inside the station to work. Their job probably won't be as difficult, and the view won't be as spectacular, but these carpenters will still be very extraordinary people who are working in a very extraordinary place. The 34 images of this panorama were photographed with a reluctant Nikon D80 and stitched with Autopano Pro. |
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Both the new South Pole Station (the large grey building), and the old South Pole Station (the half-buried geodesic dome) can be seen in this panorama. You can see the ceremonial pole surrounded by flags and the true geographic South Pole about 100 yards away (see snapshots...)
http://www.nsf.gov/od/opp/support/southp.jsp |
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Halong Bay's spectacular limestone islands--nearly 2000 of them--stretch to every horizon from the top of Dao Titop, an island that has a staircase leading up the steep slopes to an overlook at the top. This is an unparalleled oceanscape for exploring by chartered junk and kayak. Hidden floating fishing villages in quiet bays have been occupied for hundreds of years. Small shrines can be found in small coves and beaches. Many islands have caves that open into internal lagoons. |
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http://GigapanMagazine.org vol 1 issue 2
Contributor: Cap'n Jack Sharp Even though it was discovered less than 100 years ago, there are many mysteries surrounding the South Pole. Among the recent mysteries is the location of Old Pole, which was closed in 1974 and has been off limits to would-be explorers from the new station for almost a decade. There have been three South Pole research stations: Old Pole which was built beginning in the summer of 1956-57, the Dome which was under construction from 1970-74, and dedicated in 1975, and the new elevated station, which was started in 1997 and dedicated on January 12, 2008. This image shows us checking out the area around Old Pole. This is the first official trip to the site in years. We will be removing the culvert that leads to the entrance and sealing that entrance by filling it with snow. The job is to be completed before the sun sets in 2009. Old Pole is off limits because the snow that covers it is crushing the station, threatening to bury anyone who ventures inside. The buildings beneath us are collapsing under the weight of 50 year’s of accumulated snow. Before we start this task, we are making sure that it can be safely closed off, and we are figuring out exactly what we need to get the job done. It seems to many of us who were there that the closing of the entrance to Old Pole ends an important era in Antarctic history. I believe that this is true. It was a sad event in many ways, but the work and courage of the first construction crews and of all of the crews who followed them does not pass out of memory because the buildings of Old Pole are gone from sight. The 14 images of this panorama were photographed with a Nikon D80 and stitched with Autopano Pro. |
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We're looking toward North Plaza and the Gordon rocks.
Note: there was some salt spray on the lens after this shot. It might have interfered with the clarity of some images. |
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How many geology lessons can you fit into one GigaPan? Let's see... |
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Here you see the Amundsen Scott Research Station at 8:30 am on Christmas morning. We don't have to worry about getting up in the dark for an early race. The sun rose in September and hasn't set since.
Inside the station, people are getting ready for the Race Around the World which will start at 9am. With our position at 90 degees south latitude, we can make quick work of covering all 360 degrees of longitude. This year the race was 3 laps around the world and it took less than 1/2 hour for the winners to cross the finish line. Outside, the red Twin Otter is preparing to take off for the Antarctic coast. One of the passengers, a solo endurance skier, took 39 days to get here from his startting point at Hercules Bay, which is 700 miles from the South Pole. Here at the Pole it is Christmas Day, but in a few hours the pilots, crew and passengers on this plane will arrive at Patriot Hills in time for Christmas Eve dinner. The 41 images of this panorama were captured with a Nikon D 80 and stitched with Autopano Pro. |
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From the top of the hill above Rooi Els overlooking false bay towards Simon's Town |