After three flights, two shuttle rides, and some ample time in cars, I made it to Manzanillo, Mexico (in the state of Colima), late on Thanksgiving. It was quite a way to spend my first Thanksgiving Day away from home. The closest I got to a “traditional” meal for the holiday was turkey sandwiches on two of my flights. I guess I should have asked for cranberry juice to wash them down as a substitute for the cranberry sauce I was missing. : ) I was traveling with three other University of Delaware graduate students, who I learned a lot about during the many hours we were together. By the time the day came to a close, more than 19 hours had passed and all I could think about was sleep.

The next morning, we were on our way to start unpacking equipment and to get set up for the cruise, which took much of the morning and early afternoon. We did get a chance, however, to walk around Manzanillo for sightseeing and to buy some souvenirs. Since I am a broke graduate student, some of these souvenirs will double as my Christmas gifts. Soon we had to get back to the ship for final preparations. I spent much of that time getting my computer formatted and hooked up to the Atlantis server so that I can send information back to shore for posting on the Web site. As a nice way to end our day of work and to kick off the expedition, members of the crew and the research group went to the Colima Bay Café for a pre-cruise celebration.

Despite the late, fun-filled night, we were all up and about relatively early to prepare for and otherwise witness our departure from “Manzanillo Puerto,” which was scheduled for 9 a.m. (0900). All hands were on deck by 8 a.m. (0800) to get the Atlantis ready, and slowly but surely the scientists began to trickle out onto the deck with cameras in hand to capture the moment. Check out the pictures I took!

Once we were on our way, much of the day was one long “orientation” in so many ways. We started the morning with a safety video narrated by the director of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) — the institution in Massachusetts that operates the Atlantis. This was immediately followed by a briefing given by Captain Gary Chiljean and others, who informed us of general operations and expectations aboard. We took a lunch break before the next round of meetings were to begin, which was put into motion by the sounding of an alarm — a fire drill! Suddenly, everyone was hustling through the corridors donned in bright orange life vests and carrying evacuation suits. In addition, we were required to wear caps and closed-toe shoes. We all mustered in the main laboratory for roll call, and before we knew it, the horns were blowing to signal an evacuation drill. So we all rushed in groups to assigned places on the deck. Shortly thereafter, we got a demonstration of how to use our evacuation suits and the other safety apparatus we might need during an emergency. Lastly, we were guided through an evacuation route on the ship.

Phew! All done with the Atlantis orientation, but the day wasn’t over yet. We still had to have a scientific meeting with all the researchers, members of the Alvin group, and other related crew members. This meeting was necessary for us all to get familiar with the scientists aboard and the research they will be conducting with help from Alvin. There’s really some cool stuff going to happen doing this expedition. I can’t wait to share some of it with you all. Stay tuned!

Now, back to work for everyone. After such a long day, I couldn’t concentrate for much longer, so I decided to work out to get recharged. We have several different pieces of cardio equipment (treadmill, stationary bikes, boxing gear, and a rowing machine) aboard, along with lots of free weights. Today, I just did a short warm-up on the treadmill followed by some weight training. I finished with time to take a shower and make it to dinner, feeling refreshed. The rest of the night was spent getting the postings ready for you all to see. One day down, 22 more to go! I hope you enjoy it as much as I’m sure I will!