The port of call for today wasn't exactly a port, but a destination. It was a national park with 3.2 million acres of forest, inlet and shore mountain peaks, some of them towering over 15,000 feet. And the name is Glacier Bay National Park & Reserve.
A small team of rangers joined the ship from the park's headquarters at Bartlett Cove, the entrance to the bay. We had gotten up early and decided to skip breakfast in order to experience the cruise into the bay. We did notice that there was no TV reception, which was just as well, since we planned on staying outside most of the day. We went up to deck six forward and found that the weather was acting up. Besides some driving rain, the winds were incredibly strong. So much so, that walking across the upper outside deck was dicey. The wind literally lifted our feet from under us. No wonder no one else was out here yet.
We knew that by 8am, the ship would pass by Gloomy Knob, a 1331 foot high granite rock, and if we were lucky, we might see some mountain goats. With the powerful wind, it was difficult holding the camera steady, so we went down to the promenade deck instead. Oddly enough, a rope was drawn across the automatic doors, which we figured may be broken. There were no signs saying the deck was closed. There was a handful of folks doing the same thing we were, cameras ready for the passing of the rock. Just then, a crew member came and told us we all had to go inside due to inclement weather. Orders from the Captain. Most of us headed for the elevator to go elsewhere. We went back to deck six, and got there just in time to see some mountain goats grazing, most of them hidden in the brush. Happy to have the chance to take some photos, we headed back inside and went to breakfast. The hot coffee never tasted so good. So did the blueberry muffins and the Belgium waffles with a side of bacon. In fact, it was such a hearty breakfast, we never did eat lunch.
The park rangers that joined the ship did give intermittent narration as we sailed deeper into the inlet. However, the sound was turned up so high, their words echoed to the point of total distortion. We think we better inform the technicians and hope they can fix it before next week.
The weather remained foggy, windy, and wet as we approached Margerie Glacier, reportedly the most famous glacier here. This glacier is about one mile wide with a face that is 200 feet above the waterline. Chances of seeing and hearing the calving is good. The Captain stayed across from this glacier for one hour, spinning so everyone could see it. And we did hear the thunderous roar as some calving took place. We were disappointed that we did not go see Johns Hopkins Glacier, but it must be off-limits to cruise ships right now. We did go there last year, and saw some spectacular calving. A smaller boat by the name of Chichagof Dream did sail further into the inlet, but turned around.
By then, Dutch pea soup was served on all outside decks at 10:30am. It was good and hot, but small portions. Just as the Volendam was turning into the main outlet, we did spot a humpback whale skimming the surface before diving deep, revealing that whale tale. Once it dove, it never did re-appear. This had to be the first time we ever saw a whale here. Passing Lamplugh Glacier, we did see a group of sea otters pass by floating on their backs as they like to do. We also saw one lone harbor seal on an ice floe, jumping on and off it. Usually we see many of these, but not today. The few birds we saw were gulls and cormorants.
Chilled to the bone, even wearing our heavy jackets, we went inside to warm up. Later we went back to deck six, and watched as we sailed past Gloomy Knob once more. Spotting more goats, we got better photos due to the fact that the sun had decided to peek out. What a difference that made with the landscape. The colors just popped. At 2pm, we sailed by two small islets, one which housed birds and the other having Stellar sea lions. Black cormorants were sunning themselves on the larger islet, while lots of Stellar sea lions were stretched out on the rocks, also taking in the heat of the sun. They did not budge an inch when the ship sailed by them. The ranger said these were all males. They get along without females nearby, since the presence of girls make them fight.
The rangers left the ship by 3pm, then we headed towards the open sea on the way to Ketchikan. We did look for more otters and possibly whales, but saw none. Downloading all of the photos took up the rest of the afternoon in the comfort of our room.
Dinner was in the Pinnacle again, and we ordered our usual favorite salad with the clothesline bacon. Mains were lamb chops and a sirloin strip steak. This evening the restaurant was completely full. But then, there are only two more days left, and the cruise will end. Gosh, this week went by quickly.
Tomorrow's port – Ketchikan, and it sounds like we are in for some more rain.
Bill & Mary Ann
