Alaska - A Month Long Adventure - Trip Report - Page 8 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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What a beautiful day. I can't believe how clear it is in all your photos. I guess it strikes me, as usually I'm used to some rain/pollution in most of the photos we see, but there's nothing at all in these.
So I'm curious... did you have the Airline chicken?? That does not sound like a winning dish to me.
I didn't realize there was a hot tub on board.
Great scenery, & tea available all the time, I think I could be quite happy on board.
Even though the wildlife was slim, it looks like it was another beautiful day!
I think every day in Alaska was beautiful - even the few rainy ones.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JKnott17
I was a little behind, but I'm all caught up now
Your early morning shots of the sky are beautiful! I'm not sure that I would have been able to get up at 3 am to get them, but I'm glad you did, they are stunning Wrangell sounds like a lovely town, I'm glad you had plenty of time to explore it at your own pace.
Those were some brave souls who tried the snorkeling, BRRRR!!!
Glad you caught up - thanks. Those snorkelers were crazy. Most readily say they did it just to say they snorkeled in Alaska - but they did see some interesting stuff.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lauriep
Another beautiful day! You'd have been more disappointed in the lack of wildlife if you hadn't had such gorgeous weather. Again, I love the stripey colors in the shoreline, and the sunset sea and skies. Really enjoying seeing what life is like on-board. The coffee area, daily menu, and dinner! The salad looks incredible.
You are right, Laurie. Sunshine and beautiful scenery did a good job of washing away the missing wildlife blues. I'll add more onboard pics as we go along.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
What a beautiful day. I can't believe how clear it is in all your photos. I guess it strikes me, as usually I'm used to some rain/pollution in most of the photos we see, but there's nothing at all in these.
Good point, Cheryl, about how clear it is. That's one reason Alaska is so popular with landscape photographers. Of course, it's also a popular spot for wildlife photographers
Quote:
Originally Posted by rlb38
So I'm curious... did you have the Airline chicken?? That does not sound like a winning dish to me.
I didn't realize there was a hot tub on board.
Great scenery, & tea available all the time, I think I could be quite happy on board.
LOL - I had scallops. I only knew what airline chicken is because I'd seen it recently in a nice restaurant and was surprised. It's just a boneless chicken breast with a drumette attached. Apparently, the airlines used to serve it like that because it looked like a bigger portion. It seems to be popular again - agree it does not sound appetizing.
There were actually two hot tubs. One on each corner of Deck No.2.
I have to agree that even without wildlife the scenery you are seeing is incredible. How great to appreciate that there was beauty all around you! I'm another who must have my bacon crispy or I won't eat it.
I have to agree that even without wildlife the scenery you are seeing is incredible. How great to appreciate that there was beauty all around you! I'm another who must have my bacon crispy or I won't eat it.
I was pleased the scenery overcame my slight obsession to see more wildlife
Friday May 24th - What is a Misty Fjords National Monument?
Today, our last full day of cruising on our first week's adventure. My first photo is timestamped at 4:45am - right outside my door, I found this:
Jake, one of the early morning crew, had taped his Go-Pro camera to the railing.
Down to the lounge for coffee and to check out the menu and the activity schedule. We were on a 9:30am Skiff Tour - just enough time for a leisurely breakfast and caffeine overloading. There would only be time for one off-boat activity today.
It was a little blah outside, but wasn't raining:
It's starting to get greener, and it's misty - this must be the famous Misty Fjords:
I had read a little about Misty Fjords National Monument, but didn't have a good idea of what to expect. We'd been to Milford Sound in New Zealand - which is really a fjord - would it be like that? We got some history from our guides about Misty Fjords National Monument - proclaimed a National Monument and Wilderness Area by Jimmy Carter in 1978. It includes 2.3 million acres of the Tongass National Forest, and is 40 miles east of Ketchikan.
From Wikipedia:
Quote:
The area is called "The Yosemite of the North" for its similar geology. Light-colored granite, about 50 to 70 million years old (Eocene Epoch to Cretaceous Period) has been sculpted by glaciers that gouged deep U-shaped troughs throughout the monument. Many of the glacial valleys are filled with sea water and are called "canals", but they are not man-made in any way; the walls of these valleys are near-vertical and often rise 2,000 to 3,000 feet (600 to 900 m) above sea level, and drop 1,000 feet (300 m) below it.
We anchored before breakfast, and the serious kayakers left shortly after:
Our Australian friends, John & Helen, were avid kayakers and also hikers. They did it all! We found out that John had actually medaled in Kayak Competitions in Austalia.
We saw many float planes while we were in the Fjord:
I took a lot of photos on today's tour, and later from the boat. I'll split the update for today's adventure into two parts. I am excited to share Misty Fjords with you, but I don't know if the photos can give the same sense of scale, or show the beauty and majesty of this special place. So, no more words - just a view of Misty Fjords National Monument from a small boat:
Next: Cruising out of Misty Fjords, with a stop for a Polar Plunge!
Once again, absolutely beautiful photos and again, the thing that strikes me is how clear they are. I don't think I'll ever get over that, as it adds so much to the photos you're taking.
So beautiful! I loved Misty Fjords and I just went back and looked at my photos. I have to say, your photos more vividly show what I SAW than the photos I took! I don't know if that makes any sense, but mine show a pale reproduction of the landscape, but when I look at yours, I feel like I'm there. Did you see any starfish? We saw lots of bright orange and purple small starfish clinging to the sides of the rock. Maybe they only appear later in the season.
So beautiful! I loved Misty Fjords and I just went back and looked at my photos. I have to say, your photos more vividly show what I SAW than the photos I took! I don't know if that makes any sense, but mine show a pale reproduction of the landscape, but when I look at yours, I feel like I'm there.
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I can't believe how clear it is in all your photos. I guess it strikes me, as usually I'm used to some rain/pollution in most of the photos we see, but there's nothing at all in these.
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