2023 Alaska, Asia, Australia, Arabian Peninsula Trip
Day 6/105 - Margerie Glacier, Lamplugh Glacier
We awoke to fog, rain, dark skies, and general dreariness. That didn't bode well for scenic sailing in Glacier Bay, Alaska. GLACIER BAY NATIONAL PARK IS a UNESCO World Heritage site that covers 3.3 million acres of rugged mountains, glaciers, a temperate rainforest, coastlines, and fjords.
The park rangers that came aboard narrated our sailing for most of the morning. They spotted a couple of mountain goats and a single bear, but we weren't out and about yet. After breakfast, we went to the Explorers' Bar where we could listen and pop outside as needed.
Otters were prevalent, floating about on their backs and climbing onto larger pieces of ice.
The fog gave the place an ethereal feel.
We were nearing the northern end of the Tarr Inlet and the Margerie Glacier.
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| These small waterfalls were plentiful along the hills |
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| The Margerie Glacier |
The park ranger identified the birds in the area as Black-legged kittiwakes.
Several large harbor seals were just hanging around on the ice.
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| Like I said, ethereal |
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| This group of six or seven harbor seals seemed to be quite comfortable |
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| The water was like glass |
We headed south in the Tarr Inlet to the mouth of the Johns Hopkins Inlet and the Lamplugh Glacier.
The skies cleared to some extent and we got nice views of the Lamplugh Glacier.
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| The Norwegian Encore was also sailing today in Glacier Bay |
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| I believe this is Mount Cooper, but don't quote me on that |
Even with the cold, clouds, and rain, we still could appreciate the rugged beauty of this area. The Captain and crew did a terrific job getting us close to the glaciers and letting us see everything up close.
We spent some time in our room, watching the scenery go in and out of the fog and clouds.
Several otters went floating by without a care in the world.
Eventually, the time came for our park rangers to disembark. Their boat came by our room on the way to the starboard side where they crawled down and headed to shore.
After a pre-dinner libation in the Explorers' Bar, we enjoyed the best dinner so far in the World Café. It was billed as "Taste of Alaska". They had salmon, fried cod, BBQ brisket, and interestingly enough, fried Kentucky chicken. Everything was outstanding and we really enjoyed it.
They held a general knowledge trivia tonight in the Explorers' Bar. We assembled a team of six and did well with 14/15 correct. A team had a perfect score, edging us out. We didn't know the first animal in the Chinese calendar. We thought it was a tiger, but it was a rat. Oh well. It was still fun and a great way to meet people.
Tomorrow is another scenic cruising day in Yakutat Bay.
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