If it's Sunday, then it's Glacier Bay Day. The forecast was not the best as there was heavy rain at times, plus the wind chill, with a temperature of 43 degrees – too cold. Despite the wet and windy conditions, we made our way once again to deck six forward around 7:30pm. We were met with more rain and even worse….fog. The winds blowing across this deck were powerful, but the surrounding waters of the narrows showed barely a ripple. Carefully making our way to the starboard side, we found a spot mostly out of the rain. A river of water was flowing where we stood, because most times, the drains do not work well. It was a good test of our waterproof boots.
We lasted out there for one hour, keeping a vigilant eye on Gloomy Knob, but could not spot any mountain goats. They must be smart enough to stay under trees to stay dry. We did see many gulls and kittiwakes. And we noticed we had two stowaways……little green and yellow birds were hoping along the walls of the promenade deck. They must have come aboard while we were in Haines yesterday. If they survive the foot traffic and weather outside, they will live in Ketchikan now.
At one time Glacier Bay's ice was 4000 feet thick and up to 20 miles wide. From 1794 to 1879, the ice had retreated 65 miles from the mouth to the top. With 3.3 million acres, this national park is larger than the state of Connecticut. A typical cruise ship like the Volendam can take up to nine hours to cover it all. We do it in far less time than that, but need to keep a fast speed to enter by 7am and leave by 3pm. There are over 1000 glaciers in the park, but only a dozen are tidewater ones that reach the bay. By the way, the bow never did open up until later, since the rain was falling too much. We only saw a handful of folks out there. Since we would not arrive to Margerie Glacier until 10:15, it was time to catch the last 20 minutes of breakfast.
Boy, did we need that cup of hot coffee in the Pinnacle Grill this morning. We literally had to defrost. No matter how bundled up you are, the time spent standing still depletes the body heat quickly. We were served immediately, although we were not the last customers in there. Manager Endrian spent some time visiting with us. He will be missed when he leaves for home.
Then we went to the promenade deck to watch the entrance into Tarr Inlet and Margerie Glacier. The Captain spent about one hour for all of the guests and crew to enjoy the sights. This is the first time ever there was no calving whatsoever. It's like a "watched" pot that never boils. Here it is a "watched" glacier that never calves. But we did witness something we have never seen before ever anywhere. Right near where we were standing, a young man went down on his knee, and proposed to his lady companion. No kidding. We believe she said "yes" and added oh my God. It appeared some of their friends were in on the secret, and were there to takes photos of the special occasion. Then someone got the ship's photographers who also took some professional shots with Margerie Glacier in the backdrop. Pretty special……
We stayed outside until the coldness penetrated our bones, then went back to the room by 12:30pm to warm up. For some reason, we never saw any waiters handing out the pea soup as was advertised in the newsletter. There was a bartender pushing a cart with all of the makings for special drinks. We worked on photos while watching the steady rainfall outside. At 1:40pm, one of us took a run to the Dive In Grill and brought back one cannonball burger and one hot dog with fries for both. Something new has been added at this grill. It is the offer of a milkshake for $5.50 or a banana split for $6.50.
Then we went out again a 3pm to watch the rangers leave the ship. We stayed on the promenade deck until 4pm to watch for possible sightings of otters and whales. As we were about to leave, we saw one otter near the ship, and a group of whales near the coastline. They were breaching as they were feeding, and diving also. Satisfied that we had seen some wildlife, we headed home. The Captain came on the speakers and announced that we were taking a different route due to rough conditions out in open seas. He turned left at point Gustavus, and followed the route we had come early in the morning. Later in the evening, he would take the ship out to the Pacific Ocean until about 1am, then cut back inside the islands on the way to Ketchikan. In the meantime, he warned everyone to be careful with walking and swinging doors. With this route, we may even be an hour earlier to Ketchikan.
By the way, last week while cruising Glacier Bay, the sound system was terrible. We took the time the following day to report what we heard or could not hear while on the outside decks that day. Guess what? Today the speakers were working perfectly. Guess it pays to let them know.
We would have gone back outside to watch the Stellar sealions on South Marble Island, but it was not printed in the itinerary this week, and we did not sail even close enough to see them. Oh well, it was still raining and still cold as ever.
Dinnertime was dressy, but we have to admit that this group of guests are not into it. This evening, we saw very few men with jackets (if any), and the ladies were casual like most every evening. We think the day is coming when there is no dress code. Hope it is when we are done with cruising. It's nice to see the folks in something other than jeans and t-shirts or sweatshirts in this area. The menu had some gala items like a shrimp cocktail or escargots. We had Caesar salads, and one salmon dinner and a chicken entrée. Both were most and tasty and served hot the way we like it. For some reason, the upper dining room was about half full.
Tonight's entertainment was the Step One Dance Company with In Tandem. For us, the time would be 9:30pm, which happened to be about the same time the Chocolate Surprise was to occur on deck five. We were so tired from today's activities outside, we passed on both.
Tomorrow's port will be the last on this cruise….Ketchikan. Bet it is going to rain there.
Bill & Mary Ann
