GLACIER BAY – we were sailing along – – –

As you can see today is Sunday – and it’s the big day for us!  Today we cruise into Glacier Bay and see those majestic frozen waterways of the Alaskan Inside Passage.  Unfortunately the weather has not improved – fog and misty rain every now and again but we will not be deterred from having a great time!

Another great night’s sleep and we are ready to take on the world – yes, even the Fakers.  Breakfast time sees Kylie and me arrive at the Lido (Tyler is still asleep) and behold what can only be described as a Faker swarm!  They are in such a flap deciding what to do first. Do we eat quickly in the restaurant and risk indigestion – do we just throw food into our bags so that we can go and reserve our viewing areas and get ready for the glaciers so that no one else can get a look?

The  restaurant wins out so the swarm continues.  We think let them do what they want as we are lucky enough to have a verandah where we can sit undisturbed by these creatures and even get room service to deliver some tea if we wish!  We pile our plates with brekky and head back to the cabin.

After we have finished our breakfast we go for a short stroll, not like all the Fakers who have now stampeded to the Promenade deck to get the best views.  Honestly every part on this ship has a great view (unless you are stuck in an inside cabin) so it beats me to think why they endanger life and limb racing everywhere.

Back on our verandah we see the rugged shorelines that have been fashioned over millions of years.  Sparse vegetation on some parts and lots of trees on others.

As Kylie says in her blog, when we booked this cabin we put a lot of pondering into just where we should be.  We changed our minds 3 times and now we have a great cabin on the the Navigation Deck –  about 3 quarters from the front and on the starboard (right) side.  Yep, we made a good choice.

A great viewing platform to see glaciers and maybe if we are lucky enough we will see wildlife although we are not holding our breath.

Oh Captain advised us yesterday that for today’s journey we would be joined by Park Rangers who will explain what we are seeing etc. so we are looking forward to that. This morning he also told us that for those of us with a verandah we could sit outside and listen to the commentary on either the PA system or the TV.  How good is that?  Read on!

We get ourselves ready on the verandah, cameras in hand and wait for the commentary.  Nothing but a loud buzz over the PA and the same on the TV.  The mandatory phone call to the desk is made and we are told that they are working on the problem.

Yeah right. However, the speaker system on the decks is working fine – yep, where all the Fakers are – so off we go mumbling phrases about paying this ******* money for our own private ******* verandah and when we should be able to use it – the sound system is useless.  Unfortunately for us we want to know what the Rangers are saying so off we trundle to the deck where we are lucky enough to find a quiet spot.

We make sure our cameras are set and then we realise how cold it is. Jackets, hats, scarves and gloves and I am still cold.

The whaleless early morning was bitter but today is worse.  Kylie goes back to the cabin to get the quilts that she had made for this cruise.  They are very much ‘Alaskan’ themed and after taking up residence on the deck chairs snuggling under the quilts, that is when the Fakers decide to walk back and forward in front of K&T and really piss them off.

These thoughtless people are oblivious to everything except their own needs although a few stop and ask about the quilts.  Tyler happily explains the whys and wherefores and Kylie is really quite proud when they tell her how lovely they are.

Now it is time for the Glaciers – Miss Ranger tells us that the first one will be appearing on the port side (where we are) and before long we are swamped by all the people on the other side of the boat so Kylie and Tyler jump up to get to the railing so that they will get a good view.

Now – I cannot remember what order these glaciers appeared, I have been trying to remember and compare the photos and the video so you will have to forgive me if I get the order wrong. This was definitely not a time to be taking notes – so away we go – –

The first glacier comes into view and I am astounded by the colour of the ice.  I always thought ice was white but here it is every shade from light blue to black to white.

Isn’t this incredible?  It is getting colder can you believe it?   This is is Reid Glacier (I think) an 11-mile-long (18 km) glacier. It trends north to Reid Inlet, two miles (3 km) south of Glacier Bay and 72 miles (116 km) northwest of Hoonah.

It was named by members of the Harriman Alaska Expedition for Harry Fielding Reid. Many, many photos are taken and I am astounded at the actual height of these things.  Unfortunately the glacier does not calve while we have cameras poised but we are ever hopeful that we will see calving somewhere along the line today.

After staying here for quite some time it is now time to move on to the next glacier – so until we arrive we decide to go for a walk around the deck, mainly to get the blood flowing.  Our next stop is the Johns Hopkins Glacier – yes it definitely is the JH.

When we get to the front of the glacier Oh Captain brings the boat to a stop and then we do about 4 really slow clockwise circles so that everyone no matter where they are can get some great views and photos.  That is a wonderful idea as it stops the Fakers from running through the centre of the boat from one side to the other endangering life and limb of not only themselves but whoever gets in their way!.

Johns Hopkins Glacier is a 12-mile (19 km) long glacier. It begins on the east slopes of Lituya Mountain and Mount Salisbury and trends east to the head of Johns Hopkins Inlet 1 mile (1.6 km) southwest of the terminus of Clark Glacier and 79 miles (127 km) northwest of Hoonah. It was named after Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore Maryland in 1893 by H.F. Reid.

In the photo above on the left side there is a white splotch.  I think it looks like a group of ghosts trying to frighten us.  While we are here it starts to rain slightly but not one person leaves their position.  I think we are all mesmerised by these wonders of nature and we do not want to miss a minute of anything.

That is the plan until Miss Ranger mentions something that can be seen on the other side of the boat and we all take off and when something is mentioned back on the other side we race back over to where we were in the first place.  This happens quite a lot and come to think of it we could be Fakers in Training.

When we leave Johns Hopkins we see many glaciers all over this place – some maybe small – but they are still incredible.  As usual, I don’t know their names but it doesn’t matter as the photos do them justice.

This is one that is another jaw dropping experience. I will definitely have to return just to sort out the names – anyway that’s a good enough excuse.

Off we go to our next glacier – Margerie and the Grand Pacific all the while keeping a lookout for anything that moves that is not on the ship.  During one of these eye movement exercises a gentleman beside us with a pair of binoculars that you could use to see every star in the sky informs us that there is a bear on the side of the mountain.

Well, great excitement but we cannot see it.  Looking, looking, looking – it is not until we are nearly past the blessed thing that we find it and can point our cameras and hope for the best.  Unfortunately as you can see my best was just not good enough but at least you can make out the shape to tell it’s a bear. Still excited.

Next port of interest is Margerie Glacier.  This glacier is about 1 mile wide, with an ice face that is about 250 feet high above the waterline, but with its base about 100 feet below sea level. The glacier is about 21 miles long and extends into snow-fields in the Fairweather Range where elevations exceed 9000 feet.

Margerie Glacier was once joined with the Grand Pacific but they have since become separated once again.  You can read all about these glaciers on the link at the start of today’s ramblings.  It really is interesting to know the details, it really is.   

As we are standing in front of the Margerie we are told by Miss Ranger that this glacier experiences the most frequent calving and we are to listen out for loud cracking noises (once again) as that means the ice is about to calve.  This time we are lucky enough to see some of it – happens too fast for photos or film as once you realise where it is – it is over and all you have is some ice bobbing along on the surface.  Lucky for us it is not of ‘Titanic’ proportions but then again we know where our lifeboat is!

Photo above right is the Grand Pacific Glacier.  Now I hear you say what a dirty, grubby looking thing that is.  Well, this glacier has seen a lot of action travelling through the mountains and getting to where it is and the dark bits are the rocks, dirt etc that it has collected on its journey.

Oh Captain announces that the Rangers will be leaving us soon and if we want to wave goodbye they will be on the port side, but before doing so they come around and chat with the passengers.

We mention to Miss Ranger that we are disappointed the weather was not the best but she brightens our day by saying that this is the best weather to view the glaciers.

Even in the mist and rain we can get a real idea of their size and character and the crevasses as the mists weave through them, whereas with startling blue sky you just have a silhouette and shiny bright ice.  What a lovely lady – I am feeling better already.  We thank her for an enjoyable and very informative day and they are soon aboard their Ranger boat and as we wave goodbye they head for home.  What a great job – doing this every day during the season and being paid for it!

We stay on deck for a while where we pass misty inlets and are ever vigilant for signs of wildlife but soon realise that we have not had any lunch so off we go in search of food.

Unfortunately the Fakers have the same idea – so once again the food is piled onto plates and we return to our cabin.   After devouring lunch we go back on deck and are excited to see a colony of sea lions on the rocks but our main objective is still scanning the waterways for sign of whales.

Oh Captain announces that there will be huge kelp beds coming up on the port side and this is where we should see lots of sea otters.  Well, yep you guessed it. They have all decided to hide.

Finally a spurt of water and we finally get a glimpse of a whale which lasts for about 5 seconds – and then it’s gone.  More seals splashing around, another spurt of water and then the mother load – a whale breaching – I am just about to press the button on the movie camera but am knocked out of the way by a Faker who grabs my arm and screams in my ear with the most rasping accent ‘did you see it?’  No words can say how I feel except maybe – no better not!  If looks could kill and it is at that time she thinks better of it and moves away.

Unfortunately Moby does not do a repeat performance but I get to film it swimming along on the surface so that’s good.  It’s hard to swap between cameras just in cast I miss something – so what I get on film I don’t get on the still and vice versa.

It has been a long day, so we order our usual ‘Balcony tea’ and then we look at our photos.  What a great day this has been – seeing the glaciers on NatGeo just doesn’t do them justice. You have got to get off that lounge and up here to fully appreciate what nature does.

As we were admiring the many glaciers, and there were quite a few, one of the Holland America photographers walked around taking happy snaps so – here it is – – not the best background eh?

With all the bloody big glaciers we saw today we are the unlucky ones to get just a smidgin of one in our photo.  Obviously this photographer hasn’t got a clue on background composition.  Maybe I should apply to HA to become their photographer.

The sun sets on our little patch of earth and all is well with the world.

Highlight of the day : those breathtaking glaciers of course!