Alaska 8, Glacier Bay

On August 7th we spent the day at Glacier Bay cruising and the next day, the 8th, without taking a port break, we cruised the College Fjord Glacier Park. 

In the College Fjord Glacier Park area, the glaciers on the west side of the water way are named after women colleges and the glaciers on the east side are named after men colleges.   And the speaker noted that that no glacier was named after Harvard.

We had seen so many glaciers to be I begin to feel it you had seen one glacier you have had seen them all.

But one thing for certain, the strong hold of the glaciers bound in a hard iced frozen state is weakening and the bit water way is full of floating small glacier chunks.

Silt.  If you are close to a glacier you can see the deep blue.  It is so blue it looks mystical or divine.   The blue is a certain chemical that the pressure of the weight of the ice has squeezed out certain kinds of rocks.  When pieces of glaciers breaks off and floats downstream and melts and leaves a silt deposit.  It is deadly.   Fish won't eat it and any kind of plant cannot grow through it, thus the fish leave.  Not only that, but is has quick sand properties.  Put your body weight on it and it will swallow you with no chance of swimming yourself out.

I know you know to click on each image to make it bigger with overwhelming beauty.

The Mama

This is the last post about us on Island Princess.  I want to say what a nice comfortable time we had on the boat and mention the entertainment at the heater.  They have over a dozen highly energized young entertainers that are diverse in all kinds of music.  They are good!

Stayed tuned for part 9:  A scenic train ride over the countryside.

Alaska 7, Skagway

When woke up August 6, this rock cliff with painted signs.  

Ship Stuff

This perky young lady is from Australia.  She is co-hostess to a closed circuit TV show every morning.  Her and the other lady promotes activities to get the most out of your cruise.  I just asked her for directions.

Skagway has a public transportation system.  Two or three mini buses drive around town and for $2 a trip, or $5 all day.  The lady bus driver had a big jar with money in it.  It said, "Hibernation fund".  It is seasonal with the tourist

This building is made of sticks.  It was where gold miners filed their claims.

Red Onion Saloon.  It is more a museum with prostitute museum upstairs.  Back in the time Wyatt Erp came to town and the sheriff took his gun while he was in town.  In the morning he was ready to leave but she sheriff slept in.  He left without it.  It is now in the Red Onion's  museum.

This little town has a lot of totem poles and I'm pretty sure most of them have ravens on top.

Alaska, Part 6, Moby Dick

Before even leaving home we signed up for the whale watching tour.  In their ad they said if you don't see a whale they would refund $100 of your fee.  They said they haven't had to refund any yet, that is how sure they are you will see a whale.

Some of the scenes are here just because I thought they were of breathtaking beauty or at least interesting.  The ones that have whales in them will have a notation.

Remember to click on each picture to make it more grand and glorious. 

Whale or 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea submarine THE NAUTILUS at 12:30.  Before we got stared good the captain said for everybody to be on the lookout, and if you spot one holler out the location as it is on a clock.  Like straight ahead is 12:00,  Directly to the right would be 3:o'clock, directly behind us is 6 o'clock, and so on.

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You have to have a quick reflex.  Before I had pointed my camera good this guy popped up in front of me.

Same for this guy.

Another whale watching boat  There were about a half dozen boats with the same mission.

Sea Lions sunning.

I think I got a bit of whale tale straight ahead.

Another one

A Whales quickly surfaces and submerges..  You have to be quick and lucky.

As you see, my pictures are nothing to brag about.  I used a good zoom Nikon camera.  Back on the ship that evening a klutzy girl was showing us the pictures of whales she had taken with her iphone.

They were magnificent!  Whales breaching completely out of the water, with spouts of steam-like shoots, close-ups of the whole tale diving for deep waters.  AAARRRGG!   I think I would have been justified throwing her overboard.  Just joking.

Alaska part 5, Mendenhall Glacier

I'm sure you have head the expression that all roads to Rome.  Here is another one: No roads leads to Juneau, the capital of Alaska. 

The above pictures were taken on Gastineau Channel , one way to get to Juneau, the capital of Alaska.  You can also get there by plane  or by foot.  The terrain surrounding the town is just too rugged for incoming roads.

There were several excursions available  for us tourists in Juneau.  We chose whale watching and the Mendenhall Glacier. 

Juneau is not a big town.  I'm sure it would be even smaller if it wasn't the state's official seat.  The bus driver pointed out the Governor's Mansion, on the side of a hill.  It was bigger than most the houses around it, but not that big.  I did not have enough time to prepare before he driver said, "And the Governor's mansion is there on the left."  Wait!  Stop!  We just drove on.

Alaska, we noticed, have very few franchise fast food restaurants.  I think that is because most jobs are seasonal, based on salmon natural habits and the tourists' natural habits.  That being said, McDonald's opened a store in Juneau.  People came from miles around to try a McDonald's hamburger.   They sold out their first day.  Things like supplies have to come by barge, so the 2nd day McDonald's opened were days later.  They had to figure out a system, which I suppose they did.  Another thing about the local McDonald's is that it  is a notorious bear hangout after hours, around the garbage cans. 

Mendenhall Glacier

There is a sign about here that says something to the effect that if you were standing her about 40 years ago you would be standing on top of the glacier.

This is a lookout point where you can see the Mendenhall Glacier inside without the weather elements pestering you.

Inside the Lookout Point

stay tuned for Moby Dick