Alaska - A Month Long Adventure - Trip Report - Page 14 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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That hunting group was a tad scary! I'm thinking that they needed an excuse for why their client wasn't going to get a bear. Lunch and your birthday cake both look so delicious!
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Catching up again. I had to laugh at the glazed donut comment and the speech bubble. Kidnapping Marvin Martian, ha! Scary looking hunting party. Your close ups are great of the sea creatures! Who knew sea lettuce could be so pretty!
A beautiful spot to anchor. I love the photo of the mussels and barnacles, but I'd probably have gotten tired of lichen-spotting, too. Love the photo of the bridge. I'm glad you may have saved a bear from that scary-looking hunting party! Doesn't look like a fair fight to me!
Nope - it didn't look like a fair fight to me either. Supposedly, they cannot shoot a bear from a boat. So, I'm not sure how they land and then get to the bear - hopefully not very often.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rlb38
Catching up on 2 days worth of report. Love the blue hour photos! The passenger on the other boat certainly had an up close view of the fluke. The food looks delicious. I find the bear hunter episode very strange. Do you need permits to go ashore ?
Yes, Roberta - permits were required. Sometimes, they limited the number of people who could go on shore in a given day, as well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CinderAbby
Thanks for the explanation of the blue hour, Sharon. I didn't know if the pictures you showed is what it acutally looks like in person or if it was something with the camera. It sounds like it's a combination of the two.
As for today's post, it was another enjoyable one. I laughed about Marvin (where was his trusty dog though?) Sorry about the hunters, to me their behavior says they're the ones who shouldn't have been there (but that's just my interpretation). Can't wait to read and see more.
It is a combination of what you see and what the camera sees, Darlene. I guess the hunters had a right to be there, it's just not my thing. We were glad to see them leaving later.
Quote:
Originally Posted by B.M.
Great updates!
love the picture of the whale right by the boat/just outside their window!!
The food pictures are reminding me it's lunch time....
Thanks for following along.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Russi01
I also like the Marvin! Love the blue effect on the pictures. They could be made into a post card or something!! Can't wait to continue!
More coming right up
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22
That hunting group was a tad scary! I'm thinking that they needed an excuse for why their client wasn't going to get a bear. Lunch and your birthday cake both look so delicious!
I agree - they were probably unhappy because they only had a few hours left, and no bears in sight!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coop
I literally LOL'd at Marvin the Martian kidnapping! Another great day!
Thanks - the Captain was obviously a good sport.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
Wow, that encounter with the hunting group was a bit scary. Great day otherwise, although I'm with you about stopping all the time to see the lichens.
The guides were so passionate about every bit of nature, it was hard to fault them, but it got a little tiring to stop every few minutes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dutchdisneyfamily
Catching up again. I had to laugh at the glazed donut comment and the speech bubble. Kidnapping Marvin Martian, ha! Scary looking hunting party. Your close ups are great of the sea creatures! Who knew sea lettuce could be so pretty!
Thanks. It was weird seeing all the intertidal creatures so close - and easily - they were everywhere tucked in the rocks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rhinohunter
This is a great trip. So much adventure and photo ops. Your pix are very good.
Thank you - we were really pleased with this week's cruising.
Friday, May 31st - Another Day, Another Glacier ...
It was hard to believe this was our last full cruising day for Week No. 2's adventure. Our destination was Dawes Glacier, at the end of Endicott Arm:
I didn't get up until later today - the Yoga Class was in full session, and I had to cut through it to get downstairs:
I did remember to check out today's menu:
And then, out to the bow to see where we were heading:
We couldn't see Dawes Glacier yet, but there were some ice bergs (or bergy bits) in the water. Nothing quite as dramatic as what we saw at the Sawyer Glaciers, but still interesting:
Lowering one of the skiffs, so they could go check out the area by the Glacier:
One of many waterfalls in the area:
It was raining slightly - and it was cold - when we set out on our Skiff Tour, but that only added to the atmosphere:
We weren't out long when we heard the thunder of something happening at the Glacier. This doesn't always mean you'll see calving, but in this case it did:
We saw lots of calving, and felt the waves. We cruised along the shoreline, looking at the rocks and waterfalls. Took this photo as we circled back around to the ship. It looks as though the ship is right next to the Glacier - it's about a half mile away from it:
A couple of close up views of the glacier face:
Our hour long skiff ride was over, and we reboarded the ship. Chris was waiting with hot chocolate:
A couple of healthy folks taking advantage of the view and getting their exercise, since there were no hikes today:
We had Cajun Pasta for lunch, but best of all was a delicious strawberry/rhubarb cobbler:
This guy was enjoying the view while warming up in the hot tub (you can see some calving action on the right side of the glacier):
We hung around the glacier until after 3pm - seems like a long time, but it was great because there was so much calving going on:
Ice perched in an odd place - possibly deposited on the rocks during one of the waves from a large calving:
One way to take a photo without getting wet (it did stop raining after lunch):
There was nowhere near as much ice here as there had been at Tracy Arm, but some large pieces remained. You may also have noticed that the different blue colors are nowhere near as dramatic here as they were at the Sawyer Glaciers. Most likely due to the weather conditions, and possibly the density of the ice we could see at the face of the glacier.
Showing where the glacial water meets the ocean:
A better view of the whole glacier as we start out of Endicott Arm:
A small 12-passenger boat - the Sea Wolf - we would see this boat often in the coming week.
Since this was our final day, that meant it was time for the Polar Plunge !!! Again, there were lots of crazy people jumping in the water. It was only 38 degrees (F) - 3 degrees C
They had to stop every few jumpers in order to move the floating ice bits out of the way:
Marvin had to be rescued!
The crazy Polar Plungers enjoying hot chocolate in the hot tub:
Everyone was in a good mood, and the last evening was enjoyable. Dinner was good:
After dinner, we enjoyed the slide presentation of the week prepared by the staff. One of the gals had asked Lou to also share some photos, so he prepared a short slide show from our photos. A few other guests shared some as well. I was glad to see Lou do this, because it's been a chore getting him back into photography. He still didn't do a lot on the trip, but he got some great photos, and has renewed his interest.
I can't believe this is the last day already - it seemed to be zooming by! I'm still amazed by those who were brave/foolish enough to dive in... I guess at least getting a hot chocolate in the hot tub is some reward, but to be honest, I think that's all I'd have done!
This is a real POLAR plunge. The ones we see around here in western NC (usually in Feb) would be quite balmy by comparison. It is sad to see the changes in the size of the glaciers as the temp seems to be rising worldwide. Was the calving due to the melting or was it just due to the movement?
This week went so fast! The shots of the glacier are wonderful. What a lot of calving action! There really is nothing like that glacier-blue. Those plungers are crazy! They do look happy in the hot tub, though. I'm glad Lou got more into photography again and it was nice to have a chance to share your photos. Time to leave the ship again!
2nd week over already. That sure went fast!! Lost of calving going on. That would be my question too. was it because of the some kind of movement or the melting and how warm it has been everywhere? Do you have to pack and leave this time or just the same as last week?
How cool, to have swam with the iceburgs!! That water had to have been sooo cold!
Great pictures! You guys really planned out a great Alaska adventure!
I can't believe this is the last day already - it seemed to be zooming by! I'm still amazed by those who were brave/foolish enough to dive in... I guess at least getting a hot chocolate in the hot tub is some reward, but to be honest, I think that's all I'd have done!
The 2nd week did go by quickly. The polar plungers were crazy. I was surprised how many of the people who were on the first week repeated the plunge - they must have found it invigorating.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rhinohunter
This is a real POLAR plunge. The ones we see around here in western NC (usually in Feb) would be quite balmy by comparison. It is sad to see the changes in the size of the glaciers as the temp seems to be rising worldwide. Was the calving due to the melting or was it just due to the movement?
I think much of the calving we saw was due to movement. It hadn't really started to warm up a lot in the area yet. An interesting side note - when we were in the Arctic, we visited a museum where they showed remnants of an old mining town that had been "found" after a period of a glacier receding. So, while I don't doubt the phenomenon of Global Warming, you also have to wonder about geological cycles, and what is normal and abnormal.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lauriep
This week went so fast! The shots of the glacier are wonderful. What a lot of calving action! There really is nothing like that glacier-blue. Those plungers are crazy! They do look happy in the hot tub, though. I'm glad Lou got more into photography again and it was nice to have a chance to share your photos. Time to leave the ship again!
Thanks, Laurie. Seeing all of the calving definitely made it an interesting day.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Russi01
2nd week over already. That sure went fast!! Lost of calving going on. That would be my question too. was it because of the some kind of movement or the melting and how warm it has been everywhere? Do you have to pack and leave this time or just the same as last week?
I touched on the calving up above - although the fact is, I don't know for sure. We did have to pack up this time
Quote:
Originally Posted by B.M.
How cool, to have swam with the iceburgs!! That water had to have been sooo cold!
Great pictures! You guys really planned out a great Alaska adventure!
Thanks - it has been an exciting adventure so far.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22
A nice finish to your second week of cruising! So neat to see the glacier calving over and over.
Thanks, Cam.
Hope everyone enjoys the Fourth of July Holiday (well, at least those of you who celebrate Independence Day )
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Great day otherwise, although I'm with you about stopping all the time to see the lichens. 
I'm still amazed by those who were brave/foolish enough to dive in... I guess at least getting a hot chocolate in the hot tub is some reward, but to be honest, I think that's all I'd have done! 
So neat to see the glacier calving over and over. 
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