After leaving Sitka we spent two days sailing on our way to our next stop, Valdez.  The weather was a bit cloudy and rainy, which was unfortunate as one of the sailing days was into Glacier Bay to view the spectacular glacier at the north end.  I had been to this area before, about ten years ago when I took my mother on an Alaskan cruise, and I was interested in seeing how much things had changed.  Like the previous trip, the National Park Service rangers boarded the ship at the south end of the bay to provide wildlife spotting and lectures while we cruised north.  I felt really bad for the one ranger who bravely stood outdoors (in appropriate rain gear) on the bow of the ship in the rain trying to spot anything.  But the animals were too smart to expose themselves to the elements and there was nothing to spot.

Eventually we reached the north end of the bay and, as we did ten years earlier, the captain turned the ship’s engines off and we drifted quietly in front of the glacier.  Even though the lighting was bad because of the clouds and overcast sky (thankfully it had stopped raining), the glacier still was awe-inspiring and it was possible to hear the thunder-like cracking that I remembered.  We loitered there for some time before it was time to head back down the bay and continue our journey north.  Because the weather was so bad and the air so chilly, most of the passengers vacated the Explorer’s Lounge, the forward lounge with massive scenic windows, to pursue other interests.  That was all right with me as the lounge has rapidly become our favorite place to sit and watch the world go by and with the hoards of people leaving we had the place more or less to ourselves again.   Despite the bad weather, the sea was calm and we were able to sit and enjoy the trip back down the bay.

Close up to a recently released piece of ice. Beautiful blue colors!

The next day we stopped by the Hubbard glacier and it, too was as amazing as I remembered.  Luckily we had a clear, sunny sky with wonderful lighting which brought out the many incredible blue hues of the ice.  I had been working out in the gym when I noticed that the ship had stopped, and suspecting that we had reached the glacier, scampered out one of the exterior doors on deck 2 (which is more or less the “promenade” deck- four times around is a mile) to get some pictures.  It turned out that deck 2 was perfect for this purpose– all of the people were up in the Explorer’s lounge or on the top deck and no one was around.  Perfect!  After an appropriate interval admiring the glacier we were on our way north again to get to Valdez for an early disembarkation.

Valdez, tucked away in the Prince William Sound, is well-known for the horrible oil spill that happened decades ago. The city is the southern tip of the Alaskan pipeline which transports oil from the northern Alaskan shelf to Valdez for regular pick-up by massive tankers.  After the accident several new safety measures and precautions were put into place to avoid a similar incident through the narrow channel that leads into and out of the sound.   In the past Valdez was also well-known as the epicenter for a major earthquake in 1964 which destroyed the town and completely upended the geography of the sound.  Our goal in Valdez, however, was to get a look at the Columbia glacier and we had an early start.  So disembarking from our ship at 7:30 we promptly found ourselves on a smaller ship with approximately 50 of our fellow passengers headed around the point back into the bay that the Columbia glacier defined.

The weather had taken an turn for the good; we had left behind the cloudy, rainy and chilly fog conditions we had endured at Sitka.  Instead we had a blue sky and warm sun albeit the chill was still in the air and the wind chill from the moving boat was brisk. The captain had been boating in this area for over 40 years and he brought the boat along the southern shoreline so we could look for eagles while we were heading to the point.  There was a plush carpet of green conifer clinging to the steep hills but by looking for small specks of white we were able to spot a handful of eagles along the way.

Sea otters hanging on an iceberg near Columbia glacier.

Unlike our trip in Glacier Bay the wildlife was out in force and on our way to the glacier we spotted some Stellar Sea Lions sunning themselves on a channel marker, no doubt enjoying the sun as much as we were.  We also saw a large gathering of sea otters perched on an enormous iceberg, also clearly enjoying the weather.  We startled them as we got closer and many of them jumped in the water where they feel more comfortable dealing with threats.  But the most exciting animals we saw as we were moving closer to the glacier, was a pod of about six Orcas!  They were gliding along slowly, fins penetrating the surface along with an occasional flash of the signature black and white body.  We followed them for about 30 minutes because everyone on the boat was enthralled and we all knew the glacier was not going to go anywhere.

As we approached the glacier, which apparently has been retreating for several decades, the captain had to slow down and start watching carefully where he was steering the boat as there were chunks of ice of all sizes and shapes floating in the bay around us.  He informed us that the Columbia glacier calves between 8-10 million tons of ice a day and it varies from day to day how close he can navigate to the glacier itself.  Apparently the release of ice has slowed down a bit in the last two decades- the peak release was near 40 million tons a day.  The ice pack definitely got more and more dense as we approached the glacier.  We ended up about three miles out and could not get any closer.  Again, we were luckily with the lighting and I was able to get some great pictures (see featured image at top of post).

Eventually it was time to turn around and head back, this time skirting the north shoreline where we saw several mountain goats perched on a seemingly vertical wall.  I still don’t know either how they got there or how they stayed there!  We got back into Valdez in time to get on the ship.  We headed to our favorite place- the Explorer’s lounge — to discuss the drink of the day with our bartenders.  Gin was the theme liquor and we started with a Jamaican Glow, which got a “B+”.

Seward has whimsical wood carvings stationed around town Here is one that greeted us right off of the ship.

The next morning we found ourselves in Seward with another sunny, beautiful day.  Like Valdez, many of the shops had already closed for the season but our goal was to visit the Marine Rehabilitation Center and Aquarium that is located in Seward.  Their mission was to take in marine animals who need help, treat them and then release them back into the wild if it is possible.  Like the other animal rehab centers we have visited, not all animals can go back into the wild and there was a resident collection of various marine birds, seals and sea lions, who needed constant care.  The aquarium did a good job of explaining the ecology and the marine eco-system of the area and we spent several hours exploring the exhibits and literature.

It was a two mile walk, through the old downtown of Seward, to get back to the port and since it was a nice day we decided to walk.  Even though it was a Sunday and as I mentioned many of the shops had closed for the season, we were able to get a feel for the town of approximately 4000.  At the port, I hung around by the shuttles because I had booked an additional excursion– to visit a sled dog kennel and learn more about mushing (is that even the right term??).  The Seasey family, who is apparently well-known in dog sledding, and has won the famous Iditarod race several times, hosts tourist visits in the summer.  It is really quite a clever set-up.  The tourists have a chance to peek behind the curtain of the race, visit with the dogs, and actually have a mushing type experience by having the dogs pull a specially designed wheeled buggy around some trails.  The family has a way to supplement their income and also train the dogs (the wheeled buggy pulls) over the summer.

Stellar Sea lions in the rehab center.

The dogs are amazing.  Like most people I was expecting Siberian huskies with thick puffy fur and blue eyes.  What I found were lean and muscular short-haired (but thick fur) Alaskan huskies.  As our guide explained, these dogs were marathon runners and as such it makes sense that they would be lean and muscular.  While she was explaining about the dogs and their training a couple of other people were harnessing the dogs to the vehicles.  It was clear the dogs were excited to be on the job, tails were wagging and excited yelping was a constant chorus until the passengers were on board and the “go” was given.  At that point the barking abruptly stopped and all 14 dogs jumped forward at once, pulling forward.  They were clearly having fun.  The tour guide told us that if a dog gives off a signal that they do not want to participate they are not forced to, and that was good to hear.

Iditarod Race Map. 1000 miles- 14 dogs and 1 human.

Dogs hooked up and pulling one of the buggies.

When it was my turn to ride, it was also nice to see that the dogs got frequent rests as we bounced along the two mile trail.  Our “musher” explained that half the dogs were new to the harness and being trained and half were experienced (he had to stop once to untangle a few dogs!).  Also, since it was summer, and they were training the dogs, they had to take care because of the heat (it was in the low 50’s/upper 40’s) it was necessary to rest the dogs more frequently.  They were training for general conditioning.  As we took the breaks it was very obvious when the dogs thought they had enough rest- they started getting fidgety and looking back frequently to see if the human in charge displayed any hints of movement.  Apparently, part of the training is to teach the dogs to slow down and pace themselves, so the breaks were intended to teach the dogs how to recover and be patient, too.  The whole experience was fascinating and to top it off– there were puppies!  Anyone who is in the area, I highly recommend a visit.

Puppies!

For the cocktail of the day program over the last two days, we had a gin day and a vodka day. Instead of boring you with yet another picture of some obscure cocktail, I have inserted some of the beautiful scenery that we have been lucky to experience.  Alaska is a very beautiful place (and we are only seeing a tiny, tiny, part of it!)

Sunrise.

Another horizon shot.

I captured this near the Columbia glacier. The water was so still and the reflections in the water were amazing.

Another shot in the morning leaving Valdez and heading to the glacier.

Sunset shot from the bow of the Orion. I love trying to capture sun glint on the water.

Another evening shot from the bow of the ship re: sun glint on the water.