Today's itinerary included scenic cruising in Glacier Bay, a national park consisting of 3.3 million acres, and part of a 25 million acre World Heritage Site. In other words, it is huge. And thanks to the National Park Services and the US Department of the Interior, we were well armed with excellent printed information of what we were to see and learn today.
We have been here many times on past cruises, but we seem to appreciate this inspiring wilderness more each time we come. With possible sightings of humpback whales, otters, harbor seals, not to mention black, brown or grizzly bears, mountain goats, and moose, what is there not to like? We would also be treated with sightings of birds such as bald eagles, arctic terns, various gulls, puffins, guillemots, and kittewakes. Many of these birds come here to nest and raise their young before heading south for the winter.
Reading the brochures, we learned that this entire bay was once completely frozen over in the form of glacial ice, and as little as 250 years ago. Today some of Glacier Bay is over 1000 feet deep. And after picking up the park rangers at 7am, we headed north towards Margerie Glacier, very near the Canadian border.
The good news was that even though the skies were overcast, we had no rain or fog. And very little wind. The sun even peaked out revealing some blue sky. Yes, we felt quite lucky today. And for taking photos, our room with the aft view from the veranda was really great. The noise from the wake of the ship never bothered us. We also had the option of going out on the bow on deck 5 for viewing, which one of us did during the pea soup serving. It was far more comfortable having our own space with lounges as well.
We kept an eye out for the whales, hoping to see some in the beginning of the entrance to the bay. Not sure anyone saw them. We did begin to see some floating ice and bergie bits, realizing we were getting closer to glaciers. There were many birds to film at this point. By 10am, we had reached the Tarr Inlet, and Margerie Glacier at the end of the finger. The most photographed glacier here, Margerie is one mile wide, with an ice face of 250 feet above the waterline. The base is 100 feet under sea level.
The Captain spent quite a bit of time turning the ship for all to see. Hoping for the thunderous sound of the cracking of calving, we did not see or hear it. This glacier moves up to 7 feet a day, even though it is thought to be in the process of retreating. This is true for some of the glaciers, but on the other hand, some are growing.
Dutch pea soup was being served on the outside decks at 10:30am. We had promised our morning waiter, Gan , that we would hunt him down on deck 5 forward. One of us did go there, but they had already run out of soup, and Gan had to go back to the kitchen for more. Never did see him or have the soup. Will have to tease him about that tomorrow.
Some folks told the rangers that they spotted a mountain goat, but even with our high-power binoculars, we never saw any goats.
After 12pm, we arrived at nearby Johns Hopkins Glacier, much smaller, and covered with a lot more dirty ice. The Captain did not linger here very long. The next sighting was Lamplugh Glacier, another dirty ice floe.
From there, we headed south towards the exit. We began to see streaks in the water, but at a distance. It turned out to be dozens of sea otters. You could see their heads on one end, and their flippers at the opposite end. They can be up to 6 feet long. We are either sailing in their feeding grounds, or they were attracted to the ship. The rangers said that they are capable of diving 200 feet to search for shell fish.
As the ship was leaving the bay, we spotted hundreds of otters, but most at a distance. The best of these photos will be posted later.
At 2pm, the rangers gave two talks in the Mainstage about the wonders and native voices of Glacier Bay. At 4pm, the ship slowed while the rangers were picked up to go back to their headquarters. They had done a fabulous job today.
By 3pm, it began raining lightly, so it was time for lunch for us in the Lido. Needed to keep it light, since we had dinner reservations in the Tamarind tonight at 8pm. The Captain announced that tomorrow the weather in Ketchikan may produce heavy rains, but hopefully, will clear up in the early afternoon. Hope he is right.
Dinner was really good with similar starters as last evening. This time we added an order of the baby back ribs, and they were tender and juicy coated with a BBQ sauce. Entrees were the wasabi steak and Sechuan sp? shrimp……both delicious. Had to try the cheesecake that does not look like cheesecake. Sure was good.
By the way, the credited port charges for Icy Strait Point was $4.24 each. Same amount as the previous cruise.
Until tomorrow……….
Bill & Mary Ann
Thursday, September 30, 2021
Report #7 Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska Wednesday- September 29, 2021 Mostly cloudy and 46 degrees
