|
Cruise the Inside Passage aboard the Statendam - (Glacier Bay National Park)
|
We entered Glacier Bay early this morning but we slept in for the first time on
the trip. Unfortunately, later we heard that there were whales in the water of the narrow
passage into the National Park and we missed them. We sailed to the end of the Park waters, to an inlet holding the massive
Margerie Glacier. We guessed that it was at least 200-300 feet tall but the distances make size
hard to gauge. They pulled the ship up parallel to the glacier while the park rangers talked
about the discovery of these glacier–filled inlets by Captain George Vancouver in his search for the Northwest
Passage, the efforts to protect this unique area and its numerous glaciers, and
what it means when the glacier “calves” chunks of ice the size of a house. A strong wind kept us pretty chilled but, for nearly the first time on this
cruise, the sun came out and made it possible to stand outside and watch.
Driving it Home
We had seen glaciers before and I remembered them as being nearly pristine,
blinding white or a frozen blue. The glaciers we saw this morning had been grinding their way across and through
the mountains surrounding them and some were so dark with gravel and silt that
it was hard to recognize them as ice and snow. Margerie Glacier had dark streaks but was a spectacular sight and we were
rewarded with several large calves breaking off, echoing across the bay like
rifle shots. The entire bay, with its numerous inlets and both small and large glaciers, was
quite beautiful.
After leaving Glacier Bay, we headed on toward College Fjord, our final stop
before we arrive in Anchorage on Sunday morning. We aren’t due at College Fjord until 5:00 pm Saturday so we have two full days at sea.
As a tip for those who might decide to take this cruise, keep in mind that ice
floats in this water. That is a clue! I had packed what I thought were warm clothes (and they would have been if we
were in the Gulf). Not warm enough for open ocean this far north. Bring warm clothes!
Montana Majestic Mountain T Tour
On The Road Again
Yellowstone then Home
