Alaska-- Yakutat Bay, Glacier Bay NP, Skagway, Juneau & Ketchikan
Finally, after three days in Alaska, we boarded our cruise ship. During the first two days, we sailed from Whittier through the Gulf of Alaska southbound. Our first view of a glacier was in Yakutat Bay where we saw Hubbard Glacier. On day two, we stopped at Glacier Bay National Park. We did not leave the ship. Instead, the Park Rangers boarded the ship by climbing a ladder to get on board! The Rangers gave presentations and also provided commentary as we viewed the glaciers from our stateroom balcony. It was a great day to order breakfast and lunch in and hang out in the room learning about Glacier Bay. Also, Ethan got to earn another Junior Ranger badge.
We spent Tuesday in Skagway which is an interesting gateway town that was established and became an important deep-water port during the Klondike gold rush. We took a bus tour up the White Pass Mountain range, the same range that early Stampeaders in search of gold in the Yukon territory traversed on foot.
Wednesday, we were in Juneau, and rode a hovercraft to Taku Glacier. We sped across water, sandbars and landed at the base of the glacier, getting close enough to touch it. When you see a glacier covered in black silt, it's actually dirty ice. The ice is crystal clear and harder than ordinary ice. It was exciting to be standing in a remote area near an advancing glacier! In every direction was remote wilderness.
On Thursday, in Ketchikan, we hopped in a raft and rode out into the Pacific Ocean along the coast to see whether we could spot any wildlife. Unfortunately, other than an abundance of bald eagles, we did not see too many wild animals at all. We did get to see beautiful scenery at every turn. Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan still have that feeling of frontier, wilderness towns. Stories abound of odd folks who settled there in search of fast, easy fortune. But the true fortune is the resourceful and independent folks who stayed and established roots along the southeast coast, making the towns worthwhile for tourists from around the world to visit.
