Alaska - Day 7, Dawes Glacier (Endicott Arm)

Saturday, September 27

Weather:  COLD (low to mid '40sF)
Drizzle, some rain

Entering Endicott Arm

Around 7 a.m., there was an announcement that instead of the Tracy Arm, the ship would be allowed to sail up the Endicott Arm for only the second time all summer. Ours would be the only cruise ship (or any other kind of ship, for that matter) there.

So we got ready quickly and went upstairs for some breakfast as we made our way into the narrower and narrower fjord. Happily, the water is very deep! The view from our balcony was pretty spectacular, but we went up top to join hundreds of enthusiastic, taller-than-I people for a more panoramic view. Come on, people. Let the short people see!

Intriguing icebergs!

Lots of little icebergs were going by, so we heard we might see some calving of the glacier. 
And the glacier! So blue! So incredibly blue! I've seen quite a few glaciers in various shades from gray to pale blue. But Dawes Glacier! Breathtaking! A deep, bright blue. Absolutely beautiful. It was blowing a gale, cold, and drizzling up on deck. I had a hard time holding my camera steady for photos. I hoped they would turn out well, but it didn't matter. The images are indelibly etched in my mind and will stay with me. 

Dawes Glacier

We were very close to the glacier, and it indeed calved right in front of us, four times! What a sight and sound. The ice creaks and cracks, and then...crash! Splash! Giant ice cubes plop with a roar into the frigid waters, creating a wave that we felt strongly as it reached the ship. 

Breezy and wet!

And then the captain turned the ship. How, I don't know. I guess I had assumed we would back out of there or something. It looked as though the back of the ship was going to scrape the granite wall of the cliff's edge as it came around. The distance must have been greater than it appeared...right?

Enjoying some cocoa on the wet deck.

We warmed up with the hot chocolate that was being provided on deck and continued to watch on the huge movie screen, which had been displaying the entire spectacle. As we stood with our second cup, looking up, a bald eagle swooped down and buzzed the deck right above our heads. It took our breath away. Just...wow!

We returned to our room and sat on the balcony, watching the untouched and wild fjord passing by as we made our way back out to sea. Waterfalls. Misty Mountains. Amazing. Gorgeous. Spell-bindingly spectacular. A bit of meadowy shoreline appeared, and I hoped to see a bear. But no. Not this time. Not even with the binoculars.

Seals, just hanging out.

It was so cold out there. Bring layers. Bring your waterproof parka shell. Bring your packable down coat or jacket. Bring your gloves, scarf, and hat. But if you forget all of that, no worries. You can purchase it on board with the ship's logo on it, and pretty affordably, too.

The weather is very much like camping at Glacier Park or the Canadian Rockies. But the on board experience is pretty far from camping in the woods. Unless you eat only at the buffet, which I don't recommend because the dining room experience is fabulous, you'll also need "smart casual" clothes and "excursion" clothes and "formal night" clothes. This is why people used to travel with trunks.

There was lots more of the day to go, and more ship movement was expected as we neared waters that were open to the ocean. A storm was about, and we were to feel its effects. Thus far, though, we'd been sheltered on glassy, smooth waters.

Lots of water and blue ice!

As I made a quick diary entry, some dolphins and an Orca whale went by. My day was complete, and it was only 12:30. Two or three more dolphin pods passed as we ate our lunch with a couple of lovely ladies from Aptos. You meet the nicest people on cruise ships. Of course, there are also those who elbow their way past you to block your view and hog the rail so you can't see if you're short. But I digress. 

Mark and Judy went to a specialty restaurant tonight, so there were six of us at the table for dinner. It was Italian night, which reminded me of my mother. I told stories about her cooking, my favorite dishes, and so on. We talked about Italian food and restaurants and the importance of family. And we lifted our glasses of Chianti in a toast to Mom. She would have liked that.

Yummy!

Here's what we ate:  The hubby had an appetizer of marinated seafood, while I enjoyed prosciutto and melon. We couldn't decide which soup to have, so we tried the minestrone along with something cold called "Peach Bellini." Come on. You know you would have tried it, too. His entree was scallops topped with mashed potatoes and placed under the broiler to brown. I had veal scaloppini, which was served with mashed potatoes, green beans, and mushrooms. Delicious! For dessert, he had "Cassata ala Ceciliana" (three layers of ice cream and candied fruit served as a pie slice), and I had the excellent Tiramisu.

The show tonight was a song and dance production, "Destination Anywhere." It was a celebration of travel to exotic destinations. The dancers were really good. The singers were good, too, but the dancers were amazing.

At the Vista Lounge, it was country-western night. We played trivia and watched some line dancing. 

As we entered Gulf of Alaska waters, the ship started to slip and slide a little. We were going faster, of course, but the seas were also "moderate," with 5 - 7.5 foot swells. At least, that was the last report I'd heard. But, by bedtime, it sure was feeling bumpier than it had earlier. No worries. It was a stellar day!

I thought about my mother a lot today. She loved to sail across the Atlantic. The sea days especially bring her to mind. I thought of how she always picked a particular lounge chair on the deck and tipped the steward to save it for her, bring her coffee, and provide a blanket. I remember he (they were all men in those days) always did that for her. When she appeared, her chair was always prepared and ready for her. It makes me smile to remember these things. You're awesome, Mom.

Super bummed that my calving video was "too big" to post. You would have loved it! But you can check YouTube and see some others!

Alaska - Day 6, Skagway & Yukon Territory

Friday, September 26

Weather: High in the low 40'sF

Cold. Partly cloudy, rain, drizzle, partial sunshine, and snow in the mountains.

Arriving in Skagway, Alaska

We sailed into Skagway early in the morning, and it was just as I had envisioned! It looked and felt like the Alaska I imagined. Skagway has a normal population of under 1,000, so it isn't large, and it maintains (on purpose, I'm sure) a frontier atmosphere. There are three streets, or at least that's how it seems. Don't expect huge department stores and 20-story resort hotels! I liked it. It reminded me of Cicely, Alaska (for you “Northern Exposure” fans out there). I am severely tempted to insert a smile emoticon. Someone stop me. Please.

Managed a shot of the train going over the trestle.
Looks a little shaky, but I guess it does the job.
Alaska.

A coach picked us up and delivered us to the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad station, which would have actually been just a nice walk's distance from the ship. No matter. The excursion we had chosen was a narrow-gauge railroad ride up the Chilkoot Trail to White Pass (the boundary between the United States and Canada) with a coach segment into the Yukon, the same route the gold miners took during the Klondike Gold Rush. I'm sure we all remember movies about the Mounties bringing the law to the Territories, wearing those amazing uniforms. So romantic! I've wanted to go to the Yukon since I was a wee girl with stars in her eyes, and I wasn't going to pass up this chance.

The view from the other side and
over the people.

Unfortunately, not knowing the difference, I sat on the right-hand side of the rail car. If you take the train ride from the station in Skagway, be sure to sit on the left. Unless, that is, you enjoy looking at rock walls instead of valleys and bridges and mountain tops and things.

Lots of water. Beautiful.
Alaska.

It was raining and cold, but lots of people braved the elements to stand out on the car's platforms, front and rear, in order to catch a view. The windows in the car started to fog up because it was so much colder outside than inside, and my camera battery died. My mood was, I will admit to you right here and now, souring somewhat.

My husband wasn't using his camera, so I tried to take a few shots from behind the last seat bench on the left, which actually was a great spot and afforded a nice view. Things have a tendency to work out just as they should. My mood improved considerably.

Snow! My joy was complete. Alaska.

And then, about half-way up to the Pass, the rain turned to slush. And the slush turned to snow! Score! I was surprised at the number of passengers aboard who had never seen snow falling, including a young lady from Los Angeles and a couple from Puerto Rico and the gentleman sitting opposite my vantage point. Naturally, I encouraged them to go out on the platform to experience first-hand the feel of the snow as it falls on your skin and the taste of it on your tongue, which they did. They came back inside wearing silly grins like little children. Everyone should experience this if at all possible. It's magical. 

The husband spotted some wildlife.
His joy was complete. Yukon.

In Fraser, British Columbia, we transferred from the train to the motorcoach, with a charming young man named Dave as our guide. He was funny and informative, chatting about the local geography, flora, fauna, people groups, politics, religion, and economics as we made our way to Carcross (Caribou Crossing), Yukon. There was no question asked that he could not answer. Impressive. I am taking the liberty of assuming that his responses were based in fact and not made of whole cloth, but it worked for me.

The Carcross Desert, Yukon

Seeing the topography and conditions the gold rush miners experienced, many of them to be driven to desperation as their dreams were dashed and their expectations were crushed, made me appreciate their efforts and sacrifices all the more. Granted, there was no doubt greed involved, and many made fortunes at the expense of the unfortunate. But the survival skills involved in braving the elements without the equipment and gear available today, to transport your goods and supplies on your back to your destination through multiple round-trips, to arrive safely and with your things, and to survive, well, that's almost unbelievable. I guess we need television shows like “Survivor” now to satisfy the wanderlust and thirst for adventure and testing that is present to some degree or other in the human spirit. To be a pioneer was not for the feint of heart, and it still isn't. It's a risk. And sometimes a high risk doesn't yield a high reward. But sometimes it does!

Miles and miles with nobody and nothing man made. Yukon.

Whitehorse, had we been driving on our own, would have been another hour up the highway. At 30,000 people, it's the biggest city in the Yukon. Dave said there are only 35,000 people in the whole Yukon. The Yukon is approximately the size of California. Imagine California with 35,000 people in it instead of 45,000,000. Sign me up! It was breathtaking to see such wide, open spaces filled with nothing but natural beauty. The fishing and hunting are said to be spectacular.

We crossed the border twice today.

Did I enjoy the excursion? Why, yes. Yes, I did. I would do it again. It fueled my thoughts and energized me. My imagination was fired up. I was ready for anything. I wanted to drive the Alaska-Canada Highway and have an adventure! And that's what an excursion is supposed to do for you.

Skagway, Alaska

Back in Skagway, we were greeted by lots of closed-for-the-season shops; half-empty, packing-up-for-Mexico shops; and snarky, chain-store shopkeepers telling us we were “supposed to be here yesterday.” Well, pardon me. I should have gone to the saloon! But I thought the town was very cute, and perhaps this is what's to be expected when you visit at the very end of the tourist season. Or, in this case, one day after it. No worries. I'm looking forward to visiting Skagway again.

Look, Denny. There's a marina!
Skagway, Alaska

Everyone was at the table for dinner. What a treat! Here's what we ate: My husband had the calamari appetizer, while I had lychee fruit with watermelon balls and candied ginger and mint. I liked it so well, I asked for another one. I shared that one with him, albeit somewhat reluctantly. For the soup course, he ordered the beef-vegetable, while I enjoyed a very tasty gazpacho. We both had Caesar salad. His entrée was Szechuan Shrimp, and mine was Beef Stroganoff. I was very pleased with the noodles, which weren't overcooked. For dessert, I had hot apple strudel with vanilla sauce, a la mode. And he had...yes, you guessed it. Joel and July, our wait team, are taking very good care of us.

After dinner, pianist Colin Salter entertained us in the Vista Lounge with “Ode to Billy Joel,” which was very good but too short. We made our way to the Princess Theater, where we were impressed by the antics and skill of comedy juggler Aaron Bonk. Then we played Majority Rules in the Explorer's Lounge. I'm pretty sure the winning team cheated (kidding).

And then we went back to the Vista Lounge for “Cruise Line Is It Anyway?” The cruise director's staff were featured as comedy players. The show started out all right, but soon it was falling all over itself in an attempt to be shocking. I am not a fan of shock comedy, so I was glad when the show was over. If you enjoy laughing uncomfortably at others instead of chuckling with them as they make spectacles of themselves, be my guest. I think I may have inadvertently piqued your interest?