What I Learned While Cruising With Dad: Father’s Day Edition
My father looking at an Antarctica photography book while waiting to depart from Ushuaia, Argentina. (Photo: Sherry Ott)
By Sherry Ott
“What percentage of the world’s population do you think gets to see this?” Dad asks while standing on deck surrounded by Antarctica and its snow-covered peaks and icebergs.
“I don’t know, Dad. A very small percentage, I guess,” I reply.
After a slight pause, he says, “They should all see it.”
It was one of many epic moments on my three-week cruise to Antarctica on the MS Expedition with my 76-year-old father. I could tell we were on the same wavelength: The jaw-dropping beauty that surrounded us, the complete quiet, the pristine mirror-like waters, and the shades of blue were just too much for our brains and hearts to take in and process. And each of these feelings was intensified by the sheer fact that I was here in this pristine part of the world … with my dad.
Dad keeping a close watch out for land. (Photo: Sherry Ott)
I really am not fond of getting older, but there is one benefit about aging: My relationship with my family gets stronger. I don’t think I ever really related to my dad when I was younger. He was just someone I had to mind, my authority figure. And never ever did I want to disappoint him; that’d be playing with fire. But now, 24 years after I moved out of my family’s house, our relationship has evolved and changed. Having the opportunity to show my father, who is an explorer at heart, different parts of the world is a true gift.
A birthday celebration when I was almost three years old. (Photo: Sherry Ott)
We started the trip in Buenos Aires, where we familiarized ourself with the city by walking around neighborhoods, attending tango shows, visiting some outdoor markets, eating steak dinners, and walking through the cemetery in the blazing heat. I was happy to be traveling with a 76 year old. They don’t mind just sitting around and enjoying down time, which is much more in alignment with my own travel style these days.
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Eating a big steak in Buenos Aires. (Photo: Sherry Ott)
One of my favorite things about traveling with my father is that his otherwise introverted demeanor that he has at home in South Dakota seems to disappear when on the road. I listened as he told stories of trips to Europe, work trips to South America, and his days in the army in Germany, which I only seem to hear when I’m traveling with him. It’s as if a flip is switched in his mind when we travel that makes him think about his past travels.
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People seemed surprised that we were traveling together. In fact, I had a few people come up to me at times and say how cool it was that I was traveling with my dad. “You must really get along well. I could never do that with my dad,” they would comment. Spending three weeks with my dad never really seemed daunting to me. I knew that we’d be fine, not least because travel has taught me that family really is the most important thing in life.
After a few days, our fellow passengers and the crew got used to us as the father-daughter duo, and they started referring to my father as simply “Dad.” I would walk into the lounge and the waiter or bartender would ask, “Where’s Dad?” I would tell them that he was out on deck and coming to join me shortly. My dad seemed to be happiest outside, so we spent a good deal of time out there enjoying the landscape, the birds, and the crazy weather.
Dad and I on the front of the boat. A Titanic moment? (Photo: Sherry Ott)
We were both so excited when we finally set foot on Antarctica. We spent our first morning there exploring the land, marveling at the Gentoo penguin colonies. We also went to the top deck to watch the land pass by, and we were both completely in awe as we passed some of the most spectacular landscapes either of us had ever seen in our lives.
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We could barely find words for what we were seeing. We talked about how these views were different than Nepal. This was even more remote; there were no villages or locals. The mountains were at sea level, and stood out with their charcoal-colored jagged peaks dusted in snow. And the icebergs were something that neither one of us had ever seen before. There was so much to take in and see that neither one of us wanted to go inside.
Dad acknowledging a penguin. (Photo: Sherry Ott)
Dad and I settled into a nice rhythm on the ship. We’d go to lectures, do the landings, my dad would read, and I would edit photos. We’d go down to the Polar Bear Lounge in the evenings to have beer, play cards, socialize, listen to music, and watch the sun slip beneath the horizon but never really leave us. And even though we really didn’t get much sleep on the cruise, thanks to all of the excitement of being there, we always woke up happy and excited for the next day.
I realize that having healthy parents that you get along with is a true gift that I’ve been given, and I want to take advantage of that for as long as I can. I remember when I was much younger, my parents would take my grandparents on train trips and vacations, so perhaps I grew up just assuming that giving experiences back to their parents is something all kids should do.
But what I love most about my dad is his continued desire to take on the new and exotic. I come up with crazy ideas, and he’s willing to do them with me. I can only hope that he continues to say yes to me and my adventures well into his 80’s.
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