Hubbard Glacier

Hubbard Glacier

We headed north to the Hubbard Glacier this morning. About 9 am, they steared the ship into Disenchantment Bay, the entrance to the Hubbard Glacier valley.

We were surrounded by more sharp peaks covered in snow. The light reflected off the snow creating a surreal view. That line of fog is where we were heading. The glacier valley is somewhere behind that.

I stood on at the front of the ship most of the morning to get the good shots. Once we actually entered the fog bank, it felt too much like the Titanic for me so I headed to the side of the ship.

Once we were through the fog, we entered the valley. Surrounded on all sides by snow covered peaks and the glacier straight ahead. The naturalist on board said that in his 10 years of doing this, he hasn’t seen too many days like this. The fog lifted just in time to reveal the Hubbard Glacier. Even saw a 'fogbow'. Not a rainbow, but light reflecting off the fog.

To its left, another glacier. Can’t remember the name of that one – I need to look that up.

But you can see the difference in the two. The Hubbard Glacier is mostly clean ice while the second glacier is dirty. They seem to come from the same direction but if you follow them to their source, they follow different paths. As the glaciers move, they pick up dirt and debris. The Hubbard Glacier is mostly ice on the surface. The lower layers (under water) are dirty. The naturalist called this a ‘deep’ or tall glacier compared to others.

We weren’t able to get too close today because of all the ‘bergy bits’ or small pieces of icebergs that had broken off the glacier. The Hubbard Glacier is one of the few glaciers that’s still growing. Most of them are receding. So as they calve or break off, they get smaller. The Hubbard Glacier is still growing. Its 76 miles long and 14 miles high.

Didn’t see too much wildlife but we got a visit from a seal. He swam along the boat for a while.

Finally got hungry and came in for lunch. As we were sitting there, one of the big icebergs rolled over. I didn’t catch it before but here are a couple of shots while it was rolling.

The Naturalist said this was one of the reasons they couldn’t get the ship closer. There were too many of the larger bergs sitting there by the glacier and more breaking off. It would take them several hours to navigate the large ship closer. Most people on board wanted them to get closer but they said it was too risky. As this one rolled over in the water, you could see how volatile they are.

Seeing this glacier was completely different than sailing through Glacier Bay/College Fjord.

And one last surprise. We all noticed the ship send out a tender while we were circling in the bay. They were out recovering a small chunk of ice to bring back on board. That was pretty cool. We all got our pictures taken with the ‘iceberg’. In fact, its still sitting out on the pool deck tonight. I even got a Glacier Tan today.

Off to Sitka, then Victoria and home. I miss home.

Skagway/Juneau Part 2

Juneau/Skagway

Man am I tired of eating. There is food all over this boat. Not too interested in the dining room food but the buffet is amazing. They have a stir fry bar where you can get whatever you want. Since I’m a regular there, the girl always has a bowl ready for me after dinner. I just snack on bread and salad and then head up to the buffet after. Its at the back of the boat so the view is incredible. I enjoy my chicken/carrots/green bean with teriyaki sauce stir fry and the sunset.

Heres a couple of parting shots from Juneau. It started raining while we were in town so it was almost impossible to get a decent shot of the town.

Nick boxing with the waiter. He has started a High 5 craze on this ship. Almost every member of the wait staff stops by the table during one of the meals to give him a high 5. Or a fist bump. We’re working on that too. So the fist bump turned into a boxing match at dinner the other night.

That scout from USC has been watching him and says there isn’t any sport Nick can’t play.

Skagway

Just spent a couple of hours walking around town. Had a drink at the Red Onion and Nick got his picture taken with the Madame.

Some of the old buildings in town. There are only about 1000 residents here.

Leaving Skagway. Some of the most beautiful scenery yet. The rugged peaks are gorgeous. We just sat outside on the back of the boat. The sun sets around 9:30 or 10 right now. The last time we were up here, we went further north and the sun was setting around 11:30. It would rise at 4-4:30 so there was little darkness. The air is so clear up here so the sunsets are breathtaking.

On to the Hubbard Glacier tomorrow. They say its supposed to be foggy so I can’t guarantee any photos.

Juneau Part 1

A few pictures from Juneau. Waiting for the rain to let up a little so I can run out and grab a few more.

I'm trying not to go overboard on the photos this time. Its our second time up here and I took over 1000 pictures the last time. Nothing much has changed.

The little dude on the way out to shop. Hes napping now. He was so wound up watching everything going on in port he wouldn't nap in the stroller. So we had to come back to the ship for a break. We don't leave until 8:30 so we'll be back out to walk around before we go.

Red Dog Saloon

Ate lunch here before coming back for the nap. We're going on 2.5 hours now which has given me more than enough time on the internet. Man, I miss it!

Menu at the Red Dog. Wasn't sure what I should get.......

Ketchikan, Alaska

Just a few pictures from Ketchikan.

Creek Street - Ketchikan Creek runs through the middle of town. Its an old boarded walkway that used to house the Red Light District or the Whore Houses. Dollys House is the most famous. It was the first and the last. Residents purchased the house and restored it.

Sailing out of Ketchikan and through some narrow channels. This is part of the inland passageway of Alaska.

Passed some amazing scenery last night and this morning. The snow capped hills are just too pretty for words.

In Juneau today and enjoying some nice rainy weather. It was WAY too hot yesterday in Ketchikan. Now I feel like I'm in Alaska.

And one last one. This is the little dude putting on a show for the crowd in the theater before the show started.

Hello from Ketchikan

Hope you enjoyed the projects I posted before I left.

Here are some pictures from the cruise. We’ve only made one stop so far and today is the second one. I haven’t had any luck with the wireless so I have to post when we’re in port. Nothing like blogging from the deck of a cruise ship right?

Astoria, OR

Today is Ketchikan, Alaska. We loved this little town the last time we were here but we booked so many tours, we never got to see the town itself. So this time, we’re not taking the tours and instead, taking in the town.

We’ve had one formal night so far. This is Nick in his John Travolta/Saturday Night Fever suit. Check out the shades.

We took him to the show the first night and he loved it. All the action on stage kept him entertained and everyone around us thought he was a hit! The Captain came out and toasted the crew and passengers before the show started. After everyone applauded him and sipped champagne, Nick kept cheering. So the entire theater burst into laughter – even the Captain. He acknowledged Nick and was glad to hear he was so excited.

Nick is also the youngest on board. He gets attention wherever he goes. Mostly positive recognition. His favorite thing right now is giving high fives or fist bumps. So he has all the waiters giving him high fives and fist bumps as they go by. I’m still trying to get a picture of that. And there are some cranky people who don’t think he should be on board. Oh well, it’s a family cruise. The dinner seating was mixed up the first night so my grandmother (our travel agent and head of the 48 person group) got it fixed. She’s escorting a group for the travel agency that includes us. We were all supposed to be at the same table for dinner, but then put us all at 3 different tables. We were stuck at a table with an older gentleman and his two sisters. He talked to us, but was so deaf, he could barely hear much. His sisters refused to speak with us and everytime Nick made a noise or smiled at them, they would look away. The maitre’d wasn’t going to move anyone until they complained. He was as good as one can expect in the dining room for a 21 month old. Like I said, almost everyone is happy to see him.

Everywhere we go on the boat during the day, people pass him and say ‘Hey Nick!’ or ‘How’s it going today Nick?’ All the women on board flirt with him or should I say he flirts with them.

The waiters are pretty good about getting his bread and fruit plate when we get to the dining room.
I’ll update later in the week from Skagway or Juneau.