Wednesday,
July 6, 2016: Cruising in Glacier Bay
Whale-Watching
at the Crack of Dawn:
Today was meant
to offer the highlight sights of our entire cruise. And by the end of the day,
we realized why it is considered a privilege to be able to set eyes on these
parts of our planet. But to begin at the beginning...
We
set our phone alarms for 5. 30 am as the Cruise Director had informed us that
chances of whale sightings were best just before we entered Glacier Bay—about
5. 30 am! Naturally, we took him at his word and by the time we reached the
Crow’s Nest as the Explorations Deck is called, there were about thirty people
ahead of us scanning the waters. Initially there was not much to report but we
did see some rather cheeky sea otters—brown bodies bobbing up and down and
identified by shiny button noses. After a fairly long time, when most people
had given up, we saw a few ‘spouts’ in the far distance—these are made by
whales blowing water out through their blowholes. A little movement was visible
in the water—we saw what looked like black fins and tails—but, even with
binoculars, they were too far off.
And then, just when I
thought how disappointing it was how little wild life and marine life we were
spotting on this trip, there came a gigantic Orca (Killer) whale almost
slapping against the side of our ship. I
kid you not! It was literally just three feet from our ship and directly in the
water below us when it made a graceful turn, exposed its back and fin above the
water line and then plunged below exposing fully its huge forked tail. It was
such an awesome sight to behold—especially after I had quite given up on
spotting anything that remotely resembled a whale. Needless to say, it felt
worth completely worthwhile to have woken up at that hour to see what we did.
Picking
up Park Rangers Mid-stream:
Whale-watching
apart, however, the sea surrounding Glacier Bay was stunning to say the least.
Dotted with green-draped islands, it offers opportunities for some serious wild
life watching if one has good eyes or a good pair of binoculars. We, however,
saw none. At about 6. 15, we began to see a boat in the distance—we thought it
was a whale-watcher, but as it neared closer to us, we made the happy discovery
that it was the commuter vehicle used by the US Park Rangers who began their
journey in it from Gustavus (pronounced Gus-tay-vus) in order to meet our ship
which they would board and on which they would remain for the entire day. It
was really cool to see the three of them—interestingly all women—well-clad
against the cold in bright red coats. We waved to them from the Crow’s Nest and
got some good pictures of their craft. We did not see the manner in which they
are hauled up into our ship on the Starboard (right) side. Apparently, our ship
brings its speed down to just a few knots in order to lower a rope ladder along
the side of the ship. The rangers then climb up it and into the ship. Sure
beats a cup of coffee to wake you up in the morning! One of their colleagues
then sails away in the boat with the intention of returning to the same spot in
the evening to take them back to Gustavus. A few minutes later, two of the
rangers came to the Crow’s Nest. They would spend the rest of the day with us
providing us with the kind of expert commentary that would guide us through the
area.
The US National Parks Service has
declared the entire Glacier Bay region a National Park. Thanks to the efforts
of the naturalist John Muir, who is mainly associated with Yosemite National
Park, the US government was persuaded to take this area on as a protected
region. This means that it is maintained as ‘wilderness’ and because the only
way to get to these parts is by boat, only very few people on this earth have had
the privilege of seeing the area. Because the whale populations in these parts
apparently dwindled quite suddenly, environmentalists petitioned for the
banning of cruise liners in Glacier Bay. The cruise companies, however, appealed
and, finally, a happy compromise was reached. Only two cruise liners per day
are allowed in Glacier Bay. So we were really honored to have the opportunity
to survey this part of the world in our Holland-American cruise-liner. Campers
are allowed to spend time here but there are no camp sites, no running water, no
facilities of any sort. If you wish to camp in this area, you pitch tent wherever you please and use the
wilderness for bathing and toilet facilities. We were amazed not just to see a
few people on one of the beaches but to actually find two of them kayaking in
the Bay—I mean how cool is that???
Exploring
Glacier Bay:
We spent most of our
morning in the Crow’s Nest—it was one of the best places to be as it is an
enclosed area that is temperature controlled and one can hear the experts provide
their commentary which turned our attention to the map of the area and the
route that our ship would take as it wove its way through a network of islands
to the glaciers that give this bay its name. Ice-draped mountains were all
around us by this time and you get a sense of actually being in Alaska although
it is the middle of summer and the warmest time of year in these parts.
I nipped downstairs to
get breakfast up for the two of us: waffles with strawberry compote and whipped
cream for me, a bagel with cream cheese for Llew together with assorted
pastries—all washed down by hot chocolate and coffee. Filled with this lovely
repast, we trained our eyes on the topography as it unfolded before us. In
front of us was another cruise ship and as we followed the exact same route,
our ship literally inched forward. This allowed for a lot of photo
opportunities as the glaciers came into view. At one point, the ranger pointed
out a herd of white mountain goats—a nanny with her kids—on the mountain in the
Starboard side; but we could barely discern them as tiny white spots.
Our exploration of
Glacier Bay continued as Reid Glacier
and Lamplugh Glacier came into
sight. These are basically great rivers of ice the tops of which are almost
entirely black or grey as a result of the debris (called moraine) that has been
picked up along the way. The faces of the glaciers, however, are tinged blue
and you understand where the shade ‘ice-blue’ gets its name! A half hour later,
our ship made a left turn into Johns
Hopkins Inlet and we were able to see Johns Hopkins Glacier come into
focus. This glacier is the only one that is increasing in size—the others are
steadily regressing as a result of global warming. We took a bunch of pictures
but I was constantly aware of feeling sorry that there was so little wildlife
in evidence. I had, at the very least, hoped to see a couple of bald eagles on
this trip for birds and animals have the run of this land here and are masters
of all they survey.
Margery
Glacier—The Biggest Highlight:
It
was not long before we arrived at the big kahuna—Margery Glacier. Being the
highlight, they save the best for last. It is a massive ice river that runs
down to the sea and as the ship inched closer and closer to it, we realized
that the best way to view it and to get the best pictures would be to leave the
Crow’s Nest and get down to the deck when glass would not inhibit our viewing
of the sight.
And
that was what we did. It was cold on the deck and Holland-America had
thoughtfully provided cups of warming Dutch Pea Soup for everyone on board—a
wonderful tradition that I hope they will retain. Just when I started to feel peckish,
along came the soup. It could not have been more welcome.
Fueled
up well for more viewing, we went down to the third floor and when we emerged
on the deck, we found just a few people there—certainly not as many as I
expected. Perhaps the bulk of them had already taken their pictures and left.
For Llew and me, it was a marvelous opportunity not just to get some nice
pictures of the glacier itself, but to pose against it as well. And finally,
after we had taken the mandatory pictures, we could actually gaze upon the
giant glacier surrounded by ice-encrusted mountains and take in the wonder of
the region—the dead silence of it all, the bird life (loads of sea gulls in the
water) and the glare of snowy light as it bounced off the white and ice-blue
face of the glacier that appeared in some parts like giant stalagmites reaching
for the air above.
When
Glaciers Start Calving:
I was disappointed that it was not warm
enough for us to see some of the ‘calvin the glacier—the name given to the
process by which giant chunks break off the main glacier and fall into the sea.
The fact that the water around the glacier was filled with ice floes ought to
have indicated to me that we were likely to see it happen—but I had given up
hope.
Imagine our delight
then when we heard what sounded like a gun shot—a great big crack. And a few
minutes later, a great chunk of ice detached itself from the side of the glacier
and fell with a wobble into the sea with a huge high splash. Luckily, my camera
was ready and since its journey down to the water was slow, I got a decent
enough shot. It was a true sight for sore eyes—we actually saw the process of
‘calving’. A few minutes later, we heard the rumbling roaring sound of the
glacier again as it proceeded to fling another chunk of ice into the sea. And
we realized then why the ranger had told us that if we had not yet gone
outside, we ought to—as the sound that the glaciers make are as awesome as the
sight of them. It was a truly splendid
morning spent really well as our ship made a full circular turn at Margery
Glacier to allow passengers on every side of the ship to take in the absolute
beauty of it. We realized then why this is the highlight of any cruise to
Alaska. It was a sight that would remain in my memory for all time.
A
little later, as it was rather cold on the deck, we went back to our
staterooms. Our early rising had made each of us feel a little woozy but by
noon, we were at the Lido Deck as the ship began its slow retreat out of the
Bay. There were still lots of opportunities to take pictures but at the end of
the day all we wanted was to drink in the sights of the mountains, the islands
and the sea and we ended up doing just that.
Lunch
on the Lido Deck:
Everyone
seemed to have become really hungry by the act of glacier-watching for the Lido
was packed. There were loads of choices on hand and I settled for soup
(Ketchikan Green Chile and Corn Chowder) as I needed some warming up, a plate
of small Middle Eastern nibbles and a bowl of spaghetti that I had custom-made
for me Carbonara-style with bacon and mushrooms. Llew settled for a plate of
roast meats.
Ranger
Presentation in the Showroom:
At
1.00 pm, feeling fully sated, we made our way to the theater to listen to
Ranger Faye make her presentation on Glacier Bay and although she used
Powerpoint and some really good slides to make it interesting, I have to say
that I dozed off through most of it. Early morning risings and too many late
nights have begun to take their toll on me and I am often finding it impossible
to keep my eyes open. Still, I was quite pleased with the few bits and pieces I
caught and as we trooped out of the theater at 2. 00 pm, we decided to spend
the rest of the afternoon at leisure.
An
Afternoon of Leisure:
Llew
chose to take a long and much-needed nap. As usual, I was content with a 20
minute shut-eye after which I donned my sneakers and began a two mile walk
around the deck. There were a lot of other walkers doing the rounds, so I had
plenty of company. After I had walked three miles or nine rounds of the deck,
it was close to 5.00 pm when Mass was about to be celebrated. I joined Llew in
our stateroom as we swiftly got ready and set off for Mass which, I was
surprised to see was attended by at least 30 people. Mass and Communion done,
we went back to our stateroom to get into our bathing suits for a nice long
relaxing soak in the hot tub on the Lido Deck. This was the first time during
this cruise that we found the time for a hot soak—on our previous cruise to the
Baltic, we were in the hot tub after each day’s sightseeing in a different
European capital.
Gala
Night on Board:
Half
an hour later, we returned to our stateroom to shower, shampoo and get ready
for our formal Gala Night on board. I love these formal (dress-up) nights as it
is a great pleasure to see everyone in their grand attire—males in jackets and
ties and women in strapless gowns and their highest heels. We went to the Manhattan Dining Hall at 7.00 pm and
were happily seated almost immediately—so much better than getting there at
8.00 pm and having to wait for half an hour for a table. It happened to be
Lobster Night—so we were excited.
To
our good luck, we were placed at a table for four and were quite pleased by the
company of Bob and Mary who had just joined our ship in Skagway having done the
land part of the Alaska cruise first. They made very interesting company as
they were very seasoned travelers. We were awed to discover that they have been
traveling together since their retirement in 1993 and have undertaken a minimum
of two big trips per year—sometimes three. Having done this for 23 years, they
have seen most parts of the world (except Israel and India) and made really
entertaining company. Llew and I would dearly wish to follow in their
footsteps—Inshallah!
Dinner was as good as the posted
menu promised it would be. Both Llew and I started with the Shrimp
Cocktail—which was different from the British version which is usually lettuce
dressed with a Marie-Rose sauce with shrimp placed on the top of cocktail
glasses. In this case, the undressed lettuce was placed in cocktail glasses,
four large shrimp were draped on the side of the glass and a tiny ceramic
container of a cocktail glass was served to be used as a dipping sauce for the
shrimp which were also accompanied by a wedge of lemon. Although different, it
was delicious. Both Llew and I also chose a salad for our second course—Caramelized
apples, pears and shallots were served in a balsamic-vinaigrette over greens
(nice enough). For our main, no marks for guessing that we both close the Surf
and Turf—Lobster Tail with Filet Mignon accompanied by roasted carrots and a
green spinach pilaf. It was very good indeed and we both enjoyed the dish.
Finally, for dessert, I had the Flourless Chocolate Cake served with a raspberry
sauce and whipped cream—Llew ordered it too—that Chef Suraj, during his cookery
demo, had said was his favorite dessert on board. It was great, I have to say.
The texture was incredible. It was rich and super creamy and the quality of the
dark chocolate used was so good that I could tell from the taste that it was a
superior grade.
Evening
in the Crow’s Nest with Piano Man Jimmy:
Our
companions said goodbye to us at the end of their meal and we decided to get to
the Crow’s Nest where Piano Man Jimmy
Maddox had been moved for an evening of hits from Around the World. Once again,
we were regaled by the multiplicity of his talents as pianist, singer,
raconteur. The songs he played were well-known hits and with a large number of
people joining in both in the singing and taking spontaneously to the floor, we
had a really great evening. At 11.00 pm, we finally decided to get back to our
stateroom and call it a night.
It
had been a day of immense sights and sounds and we were certainly enjoying our
travels and all the wonders it was slowly revealing to us.
Until tomorrow…
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