Welcome to Glacier Bay….again. The weather was a chilly 42 degrees with a wind chill factor dropping it even more. It was cloudy with a little fog and drizzle, but still much better than last week's weather.
The park rangers boarded the ship at 7am, right on schedule, however, we seemed to have stopped. Something was wrong, but we did not know what it was, nor was it announced. So we went to breakfast knowing we should have plenty of time to get outside before we reached Gloomy Knob, where we work at spotting some wildlife. That was scheduled for about 8:40am, but we still were not moving after breakfast. Checking with the front desk folks, we learned that there was an emergency medical evacuation and the ship would be delayed for a total of two hours. We wondered if the evacuation would be with a helicopter, but it turned out that the patient was loaded into a tender boat, then brought to Bartlett Cove or Gustavus, the nearest town. Once the boat returned, we were on our way, silently wishing the unfortunate patient the best of luck.
From here, it was the pedal to the metal as the Volendam maintained a speed of 19 – 20 knots to make up some lost time. We went to deck six forward to watch our approach into the bay. Passing by Tlingit Point, we began to see some mountain goats. They appeared so tiny they might as well as been grains of rice. With the ship doing the high speed, it was difficult holding the camera, but many good shots were taken. By the time we got to Gloomy Knob, we were able to see more goats grazing and walking along the steep granite cliffs. What a place to live. We lasted over an hour outside, spotting one Stellar sealion, until the icy chill set in, so we went back to the room to defrost.
Back outside later, we passed the Reid Glacier and Lamplugh Glaciers on the way to Margerie Glacier, the most filmed glacier in the park. Then the Captain slowed the boat, due to the fact the Sapphire Princess was on her way out. Sure made for a dramatic photo as the Princess vessel sailed by us. We arrived to the end of the Tarr Inlet where the massive ice field of the Grand Pacific Glacier, located on the Canadian/US border, came into view. On the left was the face of the Margerie Glacier. Nothing much had changed with it from the last two weeks. However, once again there was no thunderous boom from cracking ice, nor was there any signs of calving the whole time we were there. On the other hand, we did spot many rafts of sea otters doing their thing in the bay. The ranger mentioned that these otters were hunted to near extinction, but have made a comeback once the trapping ceased. It was as much fun watching the folks down on the bow vying for the best spots on the railing and making trips for hot chocolate and coffee with a dash of liquor offered as well.
We had been scheduled for a peek at the John's Hopkins Glacier, but with the 2 hours we lost, it was not to be. Every time we have gone to that glacier, we have seen impressive calving. Again, it's just luck.
It is still a privilege to visit this World Heritage Site and the world's largest protected marine sanctuary…….all 3.3 million acres of it.
Time for a bite to eat at 2pm, we enjoyed one Dine In chicken "back flip" sandwich and a hot dog in our room. It felt so strange to see swimmers in the Lido Pool and many others in the jacuzzi spas. Looking out the windows, the mountains were covered with ice and snow. We assume both the pool and spas were heated. That's the difference between a world cruise and a 7 day cruise. People make it a point to do everything they can in such a short time, and that's what vacation is about.
We knew to be back on the promenade deck when the ship passed by the North and South Marble Islands. However the ship flew past them, too faraway to see very much. The park rangers left the ship by 5pm, and we stayed outside to watch the numerous sea otters floating on their backs near the ship. Whales can also be seen here, but today we saw none.
The Captain turned left after leaving Glacier Bay and headed south towards our next and our final stop in Alaska - Ketchikan. Dinnertime arrived and we were back in the dining room for a dressy evening. On this particular cruise, we have noticed that there are many folks with accents…specifically British. Endrian said that the voyage was marketed to the Commonwealth countries of England, Australia, and New Zealand to name a few. Another observation is that these folks have dressed quite nicely, even more on the formal side than the previous trips. Guess that goes with their culture and we appreciate it.
Our meal began with shrimp cocktails with the red sauce followed by Caesar salads. Mains were steak – one was a sirloin strip and one was the surf and turf of a filet and a tiny grilled shrimp. The very thin cut sirloin came with a tasty gravy, but cooked more than one of us likes. The filet was more on the pink side, so we switched. The French fries were served hot and were shared. Desserts were one scoop of sorbet and a hot fudge sundae. Then on the way back to the forward elevators, we stopped at the library and picked up a couple of books to read finally. There is not a huge selection, but enough to have something for everyone.
Bill & Mary Ann
