Whoever said that while scenic sailing in Glacier Bay there is nothing to see? Obviously, someone who has never been there. We have actually overheard some folks make that comment. Well, today proved them wrong.
A group of park rangers, a naturalist, and a Huna interpreter joined with the EXC guides onboard to deliver presentations and narrations during the day. It would have been nice if the speaker system on the ship was working better. On the promenade deck, the sound came through pretty good, but on our veranda, it was muffled. Thinking that turning on the TV to the forward camera view would have been the answer to that problem. But here we learned that there was a second delay, cancelling out being able to understand the speaker. The only way that worked was to view the inlets and glaciers from inside your room. Not the same as being at the railing. So one of us had to listen inside, while the other snapped the photos.
We were a bit disappointed with the dining room breakfast service this morning. Going around 8:30am, we had a hard time getting much needed hot coffee. Then our meals arrived rather on the cool side. Guess it depends on the size of the crowd and the availability of waiters. Today was not a winner. Would we live through it? Yes, we are spoiled when we are on the Amsterdam, because there we have the same table and waiters every morning. Hard to expect that here. And we are seldom complainers, as things seem to correct themselves in good time if you are patient. That would happen at lunchtime today.
OK, time for some numbers and facts about Glacier Bay National Park. It is huge with 3,283,168 acres of park, glaciers, and snow-clad peaks to fiord inlets. The highest point is 15,320 foot Mt. Fairweather. The bay itself is 65 miles long, 2 ½ to 10 miles wide, which was filled with ice 5000 feet thick as recent as 200 years ago. The park boasts having the world’s most impressive tidewater glaciers. Did you know that Alaska has 100,000 glaciers?
We were given a detailed map last night, and it was most useful for determining our location. Especially with the fouled up speakers outside. One of the most photographed glaciers is Margerie Glacier at the most northern end of the bay. Although we did hear thunderous cracking, we did not see major calving of ice today. What was spotted here on the way were black bears on the starboard side (we’re on the port), otters, gulls, and seals. You had to have excellent binoculars to see the bears in the far distance. Whales, mostly humpbacks, may be spotted, but we saw none. There are moose and mountain goats, but we only saw those on the map. We did see one bald eagle flying across an inlet.
During the scenic cruising at Margerie Glacier, Dutch pea soup was served on the outside decks at 10:30am. However, we forgot to go in search of it, since it is one of our most favorite soups. Darn, we need to read the newsletter first thing.
Before the dining room closed, we went to lunch. Service was excellent, as was the food. Inquiring if there was any more pea soup left, our waiter said he would look, since it would come from the Lido. Well, guess what? He came with a steaming hot bowl of it. Lucky us. The basket of bread and rolls is no longer given to each table. Only brought by request we assume. We ordered a salad and a plate of taquitos. Spaghetti and meatballs and a veggie lasagna warmed us up even more. No dessert was necessary. So like we said, good things happen if you are patient. Speaking of good things, yesterday morning we sent out a bag of laundry, and it was back in our room after dinner. What good service is that?
Around 2pm, the Eurodam arrived at Johns Hopkins Glacier up the inlet of the same name. We felt that this glacier was the most impressive due to its size as well as more abundant wildlife. Besides many seabirds, there was a large number of harbor seals floating on the ice. We understand the seals will come into these inlets to have their pups. It provides safety and food for the summer season. The Captain lingered at this glacier, spinning the ship for all to see. Somewhere in the mountain tops, we could hear thunderous noise, which may have been ice calving. However, we saw no ice falling into the sea below. The place to see impressive calving, in our opinion, is Hubbard Glacier.
With the Coral Princess waiting her turn in the inlet, the Eurodam departed slowly. Must be a speed limit here, so as not to disturb the surrounding banks. On our way to drop off the park rangers, we passed a tiny island by the name of South Marble Island. It is a favorite spot for many types of birds and Stellar sea lions. These guys are the huge ones, like we have at Pier 39 in San Francisco. With good binoculars, we could spot at least 50 of them. And by 6pm, the team left the ship.
Downloading and sorting photos took the rest of the afternoon. We watched another episode of Game of Thrones, which someday, we will have to watch from the very beginning, since we don’t have access to this series at home. By the time dinnertime came, we began to feel the swells of the open waters…something the Captain had warned about during a late afternoon daily talk.
We were back in the dining room with our friendly waiters this evening. Having checked out the menu this morning on TV, we had our sights set on the prime rib entrée. However, that must have been yesterday’s menu, because it was not on the menu. Our second best choice was the rosemary-roasted chicken. When our plates arrived, we each had half a chicken. More than ample, we had to pass on dessert. This had to be a record time, since we were finished before 9pm. It is nice, but there was no way we would stay up for the 10pm show. Tonight’s feature was Alaska in Concert, which we think is the BBC Earth TV series set to live music. Maybe next time.
Tomorrow we will be in Sitka, site of the first Russian towns in Alaska during the late 1700’s. Hope the forecast of 100% rain is not true.
Bill & Mary Ann
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
Report #5 Scenic Cruising Glacier Bay September 25, 2018 Tuesday A most chilly 45 degrees
