Milford Sound

Got up yesterday morning and got ready for church.  I'm all gussied up and have a few minutes to spare before Mrs Juvat is ready, so I grab the tennis racket and ball and head outside with Cooper to play some catch.  (Hitting a tennis ball is much easier on the body than trying to throw one, and Coop likes to run so further is better.)  

Just keeping your chair warm, Dad!  Why are you groaning and standing funny?

She retrieves the ball and drops it at my feet.  I lean over to pick it up and severe pain knifes up my back.  I can't stand back up.  Using the racket as a crutch (which tells you how bent over I am), I make it back into the house and am able to lay down straight on the bed.   After a while, I'm finally able to move a bit, but the back is not happy. Couple that with a mild case of the flu, requiring close proximity to a restroom, today is just not going to be pretty. 

That's the reason, which is not an excuse, for today's picture heavy post.

I was flying around the globe recently via google Earth and decided to revisit Milford Sound. 

 I'm pretty sure that if Heaven were located on Earth, this is where it would be.

According to the source of all verified knowledge, the High and Low temperatures over the last 80 years has ranged from 82 F to 21 F.  A very tolerable range to an expatriated Texan.  Rainfall would take some getting used to, averaging 183 rainy days per year for an average of 253 inches a year.  One of the wettest spots on earth.  But it makes for some excellent waterfalls.

That's about a half mile away.

We'd had a sea day as we sailed across the Tasman Sea from Hobart, Tasmania to Milford Sound.  We woke up just after entering the sound and stepped out onto the balcony.  

We're sailing in a fjord, a very deep fjord.  So deep, I almost lose my balance trying to lean backwards to see the top.

That's the top deck of the ship, 5 Decks above us

The sound is also not very wide.  The Celebrity Solstice is a pretty big ship, and the Captain was taking his sweet time getting into the sound.

Later in the vacation, we visited the Auckland War Memorial and there was a photograph there of a US Aircraft Carrier (I think it was USS Hornet) and a portion of her battle group anchored in the sound during WWII.  I searched Google, but couldn't find a copy, nor did I think to take a picture of it.  I did find this, however

 The ship is the HMAS Melbourne.  The aircraft appear to be de Havilland Sea Venoms.   Tuna will be happy to know that the S-2 was operated from Melbourne also.
Source

As you can see, that's a fairly large ship in a fairly confined space.  That having been said, apparently there's a contingent of Kiwis who believe that Milford Sound is a hiding spot for US nuclear ballistic missile subs.  I'm not a submariner (sub-mariner?), nor have I played one on TV, my sole expertise in the field being the reading of "The Hunt for Red October" several times.  As such, I'm pretty sure a sub driver wouldn't be interested in sailing his boat into a thin channel of water surrounded by rocks with only one way in and out.  I could be wrong.

Did I mention Rain?

The eastern most point of Milford Sound.  at the base of the V in the center closest to the waterfall is the boat dock, to the right of the low hill is a hotel and the landing strip is further to the right.  We're a couple of miles away just for some dimensions.

Now that we're all the way in, we've got to get back out.  It takes us about a half hour just to get turned around.  Time for breakfast.

One of the few times finding a table was not an issue

The view is one of the perks of being a bartender on board.

After breakfast nap with a view.

Back out to the Tasman Sea and the Roaring 40's

Milford Sound, as well as the rest of New Zealand, was stunningly beautiful.  I strongly recommend a visit.

As Suldog says "Soon, with more better stuff."  Or, at least I hope so, right now, I think I'd have to feel better to die.

I'll leave you with a well done youtube video.