POSTBLOG FROM SITKA ALASKA: Goodbye Wilderness!

It seemed like every time we tried to nap, we would be called on deck to observe yet another whale or a bear walking along the shoreline.  I’m not saying I’m tired of seeing wildlife, I’m just tired.

This was not a restful vacation.

The final day in the wilderness, Clyde and I did some kayaking around a little bay whereupon we saw a stream with salmon jumping up the falls, just like on TV. We watched a young brown bear catch a fish and run into the forest with it. The naturalist who was standing on the nearby shore said it was probably nervous about other bears taking his catch.

The expedition ended in Sitka, population 9,000. It is the most civilization we’ve seen in over a week. It’s very picturesque with the rain forest and Pacific Ocean surrounding. One of the hotel employees indicated that it was much smaller than that big city of Juneau.

In Sitka we paid a visit to Saint Michaels Russian Orthodox Cathedral and toured the local raptor rehabilitation center. There were lots of eagles and owls recovering from injuries, most of whom will eventually be released back into the wild.

They apparently aren’t used to “homosexuals” here.  The clerk who checked us into the Super 8 didn’t think Clyde and I should share one queen sized bed.  She finally figured it out and was ok with it in the end.

The best thing about the Super 8 is the wifi, so I can post some photos and one last postblog.

Tomorrow we fly to Seattle and the next day, home to Denver.

It was sad to leave the ship. We made some new friends and shared a lot of experiences together. Some of us continued to have that rocking rolling sensation after we stood on dry land.

I have to say that I love being in Alaska. Though we only saw a little part of it, the unspoiled beauty and all the wildlife, made me feel like the world isn’t necessarily doomed. It seems like at least in Southeast Alaska, they are figuring out how to live with nature without destroying it, giving me hope that it can be done elsewhere as well.

  

It was also wonderful to share the experience with sister Sue and bro-in-law Jerry.  We will remember this trip together for a long time to come.

Now, it’s back to civilization. At least here in Sitka we have a nice big hotel room where the shower and the toilet don’t fill the same space.

POSTBLOG FROM GLACIER BAY NATIONAL PARK: Stories of Whales and Woes

The 44 year old humpback was known to everyone in the national park so it was a tragic day when her lifeless body was discovered floating in the bay, the victim of a cruise ship hit and run.

After providing many meals for bears and wolves, Snow’s skeleton was cleaned and reassembled and put on display at the Glacier Bay National Park visitor’s center in order to help educate visitors about humpback whales. Needless to say, it is a large skeleton.

Today we traversed the length of Glacier Bay, the most pristine place I’ve ever seen.  There is no development at all. Just miles and miles and miles of turquoise water, glaciers, icebergs, mountains up to 15,000 feet, and forest. The only way to get in and around the park, which is the size of Rhode Island, is by boat. Unfortunately the mystique of the wilderness is compromised when one of those gigantic cruise ships races by.

From the ship’s deck, we saw mountain goats, a family of bears  (a sow and three cubs), and most exciting of all: a pod of Orcas. They were wonderful to watch, their dorsals bobbing up and down in glassy water.  

The whole day was narrated by a couple of guests: a park ranger and a representative of the Tlinket people, both who told stories and educational facts about everything we were observing. I’m sure those hoards on the big cruise liners don’t have a fraction of the experience we are getting.

Just another day in Alaska on the National Geographic Sea Lion. 

POSTBLOG FROM PETERSBURG ALASKA: Flight Seeing Like Site Seeing Only From a Plane

Seeing the ice fields from a few thousand feet high distracted me from worrying that the little single engine pontoon plane would crash. It was worth the extra $200 to get the aerial perspective – these glaciers are freakin’ huge.

From the air, we saw vast snow fields producing the magnificent glaciers which like frozen rivers, powerfully carve out valleys, smooth over peaks, and calf icebergs which melt in the inlets and turn the water green.  Climate change, which is real by the way, is most evident here in Southeast  Alaska  when you learn how rapidly the ice is retreating.

Just another day of thrills as we tour Southeast Alaska’s Inland Passage on the National Geographic Sea Lion.

This afternoon, we stopped in the town of Petersburg, population 3,000, for a bit of shore leave. While my sister Sue and I opted to take the flight tour over the glaciers, others leisurely explored the town and admired the fishing boats docked nearby. It’s amazing how there is no way to drive out of these little towns, including Juneau, so you have to either fly, boat, or ferry to get away. 

This might be a good time to describe the ship. It is Calypso-sized (of Jaques Cousteau fame) with outdoor decks in the front and the back. Clyde and I are in a little cabin, the size of a small dorm room with twin beds and a toilet-shower combination.

We spend a lot of our downtime hanging out in the lounge which consists of tables and chairs, a bar, and coffee and tea all day. The lounge is also where we hear lectures. Before  lunch, one of the experienced naturalists taught us all about bears (there are only three species of bear in North America: black, brown, and polar). Late in the afternoon, a local fisherwoman told us about the fishing industries including the seasonal nature of the work, and how invested these locals are in making sure the stock remains sustainable.  Much learning was had by all.

The dining room, on the same level as the lounge, is where we take our meals. And the food is wonderful. Dinner always features options of seafood, beef, or vegetarian. Tonight we ate crabs which were caught near Petersburg  just hours before. So good!

As of this writing, a general announcement has been made. There are humpback whales off the bow. Ho hum, whales again …

POSTBLOG FROM ALASKA: If You Touch Your Tongue to a Glacier, Will It Stick? And Here Whaley Whaley!

With a crack and a rumble, the gigantic curtains of ice broke suddenly from the mountain sized glacier and crashed into the water below, creating a mini-tsunami that forced the Zodiac raft to face into the waves as they spread out into the fjord.

What a spectacular day!

In the morning we hiked into the rain forest, observing a large brown bear and her three cubs ambling quickly along the shoreline.

The afternoon took us from the ship in Zodiacs to observe a huge deep blue crystal glacier up close, dodging ice burgs inhabited by seals who were just finishing their pupping season.

As we observed an incredible late sunset and prepared to make our way to our cabins, a pod of humpback whales appeared off the bow of the ship. We shivered and waited between each animal’s plume of breath, watching  the creatures’ backs and tails arch and dive amid the clicking of many cameras on deck.

Each event was accompanied by expert commentary from excellent naturalists, interpreting what we were seeing and answering our questions.

The answer is no, by the way. If you lick a glacier, your tongue will not stick. But you don’t dare get close enough to find out.

I can’t even begin to convey this extraordinary day except to say that if it ended now, we would have gotten our money’s worth.

But tomorrow, new adventures will be had as we cruise Alaska’s Inside Passage on the National Geographic Sea Lion. 

POSTBLOG FROM JUNEAU: Aboard the Sea Lion, Jumping Fish, Practicing with Life Preservers

 At last, we are aboard are home for the next seven days, the National Geographic Sea Lion. It's a tiny vessel, with just 60 people aboard, comparedIt's a tiny vessel, with just 60 people aboard, compared to the giant  cruise ships docked next to us that hold 6000. It reminds me of the S.S. Minnow of Gilligan's Island fame.

 We have received our emergency and abandon ship training, mastering the putting on of life preservers, and we've had our first meal on board. Now, Clyde and I are settling down into our small but comfy cabin awaiting the midnight launch.  Tomorrow we will wake up in a fjord somewhere.

 But the wildlife experiences have already started.  Right next to the ship, fish are jumping. Some of them multiple times, like skipping rocks. I don't know what kind of fish they are or why they are jumping. We will have to ask one of the naturalists aboard.

 If you are following our travels on Facebook, I'm afraid I have bad news. Because of the slowness and expense of the Internet connection on board, I won't be posting anymore pictures until the end of the trip.   I will, however, try to keep up the daily post blogs.

For now, bon voyage.

POSTBLOG FROM JUNEAU: City of Dogs

There are a lot of dogs here in Juneau. The hotel where we are staying has a limit to the number of pets you can have. Five. No more than five dogs can be in your hotel room.

Yelp reviews talked about a dog at the front desk. I pictured a big Alaskan husky or something. Turns out it's a little miniature poodle type puppy.

Everywhere you go there are dogs.

As we walked downtown we saw people with dogs.  As we walked by giant cruise ships which are not like the one we sail on tomorrow, we saw people with dogs.

As we hiked around the magnificent Mendenhall Glacier, yep, people with dogs.

I thought Boulder was dog crazy.

Juneau is very big and very small. Land area wise, it's one of the biggest in the U.S. Population wise, however, it's only 30,000 or so. I don't know how many dogs live here, but I'll bet it's a lot.

It rains a lot in Juneau, thus the many waterfalls in the surrounding mountains.

Tomorrow our cruise starts. I don't know if there will be dogs on board.