Looking for the Whales

 Alaska Cruise Trip Day 5 – Juneau

After our interesting morning at the Dawes Glacier, we headed to Juneau to watch whales.  

In Juneau, we boarded the St. Elisabeth (what an excellent name for a boat!) and boated out to the North Pass of the Favorite Channel. 

A few whales were blowing geysers and "tooting their horns" while a dolphin pod frolicked near them.  There were no spectacular breaches, but it was still exciting to see whale tails.  Parts of whale bodies would slide in and out of the water like sci-fi sand creatures.  

The tour guide said the whales winter in Hawaii to have their young and then swim to Alaska for the summer.  It was still early in the season when we were there, so there was not as much marine life to be found.

When I think of whale watching, I think of the A-ha song, We're Looking for the Whales.  I can hear that song in my head when I look at today's featured pic.

Meandering Runoff

   Alaska Cruise Trip Day 5 – Heading out of the Endicott Arm.

Along the way, we saw many places where spring runoff was carving paths down the mountains.

Dawes Glacier

  Alaska Cruise Trip Day 5 – The Dawes Glacier.

Thirty miles from the beginning of the Endicott Arm Fjord, we arrived at the Dawes Glacier.  

Yes, the scenery was beautiful, but I was expecting something else.  TV shows always show zoomed-in views of glaciers, highlighting their majestic size.  But what my eyes showed me when we arrived was a Minnesota shopping mall parking lot at the end of March after a very snowy winter.  Except the "snow" at the glacier wasn't dirty gray with shopping carts sticking out of it.

About the time I was thinking these thoughts, the ship narrator reminded us that we were still half a mile away from the glacier at this, our closest point in the journey.  Our perspective was distorted.  In actuality, that wall of blue glacier is over 600 feet tall and half a mile wide!

As the ship was slowly turning around to leave, we heard cracking noises from the glacier.  One giant piece calved off, and my husband saw it just as it hit the water.  

Blue Beauty

 Alaska Cruise Trip Day 5 – Nearing the Dawes Glacier in the Endicott Arm Fjord.

The sun was out, and the ice was more plentiful the closer we got to the glacier.  This was the view behind us.

Here is a close-up of the chunk of ice floating in the middle of today's scenic view.  It is such a pretty blue color, especially with the sun shining through it.

Side-swiped

     Alaska Cruise Trip Day 5 – Nearing the Dawes Glacier in the Endicott Arm Fjord.

If you look closely at the rocky surface of the mountains, you will see deep scrapes, like they were side-swiped.  Well, they actually were!  Those are the marks the glacier left behind when it passed through this area many moons ago.

Sky and Ice

    Alaska Cruise Trip Day 5 – Nearing the Dawes Glacier in the Endicott Arm Fjord.

There were more and more glacier chunks the closer we got.

Beauty of the Fjord

   Alaska Cruise Trip Day 5 – Nearing the Dawes Glacier in the Endicott Arm Fjord.

As we neared the glacier, the scenery became even more beautiful. The mountains became more rocky, with almost no trees.

Syrupy

 Alaska Cruise Trip Day 5 – Approximately 22.5 miles into the Endicott Arm Fjord.

As we get closer to the Dawes Glacier, the water becomes even more beautiful.  Just this side of frozen, it looks like ribbons of candy.

Reflections

  Alaska Cruise Trip Day 5 – Approximately 7 miles into the Endicott Arm Fjord.

There were breathtaking dual views of the morning sunrise, in the sky, and in the water. The calm, syrupy-cold water was perfect for reflections.

Floating Down the Fjord

 Alaska Cruise Trip Day 5 – At the mouth of the Endicott Arm Fjord.

Thursday's main event started at 4:30am, as we entered the 30-mile-long Endicott Arm Fjord.  I slapped on warm clothes, grabbed a blanket, and went out on our patio to watch the beautiful scenery float by.

The air was crisp, and the water undulated like a vat of syrup instead of splashing.  Fog hovered at various heights.  It was so quiet and peaceful.  This 30-mile trip to the Dawes Glacier was one of the best parts of the trip.  More to come.

Mountain Sunset

 Alaska Cruise Trip Day 4 – Sunset At Sea

Wednesday closes with a beautiful cotton candy sky and blazing sun streaks skipping across the mountains.

Farewell Skagway

  Alaska Cruise Trip Day 4 – Skagway, Alaska (still)

Pulling out of port and heading onward to our next destination.

Skagway Small Boat Harbor

 Alaska Cruise Trip Day 4 – Skagway, Alaska (still)

As we returned to the ship, we continued admiring the beautiful snow-capped mountains.

A Beautiful Day in Skagway

 Alaska Cruise Trip Day 4 – Skagway, Alaska (still)

After the train trip, we bummed around Skagway for a while – a small, quaint historic town with buildings from the gold rush era.

Laughton Glacier Trailhead

Alaska Cruise Trip Day 4 – Skagway, Alaska (still)

Still on the White Pass Scenic Railway, northeast of yesterday's blog location, near the Laughton Glacier Trailhead. 

 

Remnant River

 

Alaska Cruise Trip Day 4 – Skagway, Alaska

We pulled into Skagway Wednesday morning and took the White Pass Scenic Railway through the backcountry. This is a view of the East Fork Skagway River. At this point, it looks more like a trickle.

Icy Pier

 Alaska Cruise Trip Day 3 – Icy Straight Point (still)

We took the Transporter gondola into town, a small touristy spot with a long beach we walked down.

Mountainous Morning

 Alaska Cruise Trip Day 3 – Alaska

On Tuesday morning, we were finally traveling the waterways between the islands and archipelagos of Alaska, which run parallel to British Columbia, Canada.  According to GPS coordinates, this is a view of a portion of the east side of Baranof Island.  So far, the weather has been absolutely gorgeous.

Next Stop–Vancouver

 Alaska Cruise Trip Day 1 – Vancouver

It was beautiful and sunny as we circled for a landing in Vancouver.  As I love bridges, I was enamored with this one crossing the Fraser River.  It's called the North Arm Bridge, and it runs trains up top and bikes and pedestrians underneath.  Vancouver and the surrounding area also have many skyscrapers and highrises.  

Bucolicly

 Random image taken in Montana.  As seen in 2017.