Sammi In The North Pole

Finally, a man I adore popped the question!

That's right, one Sunday afternoon while sipping champagne, and sitting poolside at Brian's home, he asked the question that would forever change my life.

In his deep voice, accompanied with an inquisitive look in his eye, he asked, "What are you doing from July 18th to August 4th?" I thought about it ... went through my mental calendar, and then quickly said, "Nothing ... just turning 40 on August 1st ... why?" And then he simply asked, "Do you want to go to the North Pole with me?"

The NORTH POLE? Santa's home? A kid's dream come true? Alaska?! I'll finally get to touch MENDENHALL GLACIER? No.

See, like many kids, I was under the impression that the North Pole was actually near Alaska. It’s icy, cold, and that’s where one may see a prancing reindeer—or at least a prancing moose. But now, it’s pretty safe to assume that’s Santy's vacation home because the actual North Pole is off the coast of Russia ... at the top of planet Earth ... where SPF 70 is probably required by law. So, in reality, the reason why Mr. Claus’ face is red isn’t because he’s jolly-- it’s because he’s under the depleted ozone and he has gin blossoms (or in this case vodka blossoms). Mystery solved.

Now, what mystery truly needed to be solved is how we're getting to the North Pole and what in the hell we'll be doing when we get there?! But, because Brian has the mind of a genius, the generosity of that Santa guy, and triple the adventure streak of yours truly, everything was already full steam ahead ... literally.

We will fly into Helsinki, and then head to Marmansk, Russia, where we will board 50 Years of Victory (which I don’t understand because this is only their 3rd voyage), a nuclear powered, ice breaking, Russian tanker, manned by an attractive Russian crew.



For the following 14 nights and 17 days (which I’m still trying to figure out), we will experience Artic life from a birds-eye-view and capture these images on all 4 of Brian’s high-powered cameras … which, by the way, shouldn’t be difficult because it will be daylight for 19 hours a day.

From helicopter drops on icebergs (or probably ice cubes by now),
to hopeful polar bear sightings and whale watching, our eyes will see the effects of global warming up close and personal.



Then, on August 1st, we will stand amongst 120 other passengers, at the top of the world, and view totality – the 2008 solar eclipse --- on my 40th birthday.

Absolutely crazy. Absolutely amazing. Absolutely hoping I still have my eyesight after peering into the eclipse.

Bon Voyage! Annus Mirabilis!