"I Am the Walrus"

We had seen polar bears, reindeer, birds of various kinds, even some whales. . .but we still lacked walruses. So for the last two days of the cruise we looked in the north for walruses. . .and found them.

We encountered our first walruses just before we crossed 80° N--we preferred to think that they were right on the latitude line.	Moffen Island, the furthest north we went, is home to many walruses, but it is a reserve and we could not land. The government is extremely strict about how close ships can get.
The restrictions on approaching wildlife on the ice are much less stringent and the Captain was a master at allowing the ship to drift in close without disturbing the animals.	We landed on another island where we could approach the walruses, albeit carefully and staying downwind of them. And we could TELL that we were downwind of them!
	Oh, well, time for a scratch, a rollover, and more sleep. . .and the end of the trip.

Note: The title of this page was inspired by Kim Heacox, the National Geographic photographer who traveled with us, and his rendition of the Beatles classic. You could always depend on Kim for an impromptu performance in the bar. But Kim--don't give up your day job!