Coming in to Anchorage
Friday, August 22, 2008
The Day Isn't Done Yet
Finally left Juneau 90 minutes later than originally scheduled, and it was a beautiful trip to Anchorage. Mountains and clouds were gorgeous. Had a good flight and now I'm sitting in Anchorage, waiting for my last flight to home. Just heard an announcement that one of the flight attendants for this flight is sick, so they're searching for a replacement so we can get going. It's about 12:15 AM and we're finally starting to board, so I guess this is all for now. It will be good to be home. So tired!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
The Long Day Begins...
I woke up this morning in Wrangell, wondering if I’d be able to get out on the plane today. Last weekend, there wasn’t a plane for 3 days due to the thick fog, and since Wrangell doesn’t have radar, planes can’t land when they can’t see the mountains--something to be thankful for, especially if you’re IN the plane!. Eric came over with the fish box and said the weather looked good, so we went to the airport to check in my bags before the flight. Back to Grandma’s for about an hour, then back to the airport. It seems not too long ago that I was on the other side of security at Wrangell airport, but already it is time to leave. After goodbye hugs, I headed through security and after one last wave was on my way to board the plane.
It was a gray morning, with some rain, but once I got in the air, the view was surprising. The Stikine River flats branched out in many directions, easily in view with the low tide. During the quick 15-minute trip to Petersburg, I saw LeConte Glacier and the many icebergs we meandered around in Safari. The tiny white dots were almost lost from sight in the sea of green water. Leaving Petersburg, the mountains broke through the clouds and their tops looked like tiny blue hills against the layer of cottony clouds. One more landing in Juneau, and I was ready to begin my 6-hour layover in Alaska's capital. I hurried through the airport to the cold weather outside and found a taxi waiting at the curb.
I headed to Mendenhall Glacier, a good way to pass a few hours until my next flight. I mentioned to the driver about the possibility of seeing black bears near the glacier and she said there were a couple of beaver dams being constructed and sometimes the bears hang out where the water pools. As she was saying this, I looked to the left and saw a black bear ready to snag an uncautious salmon from the stream. Once at the glacier, I followed other visitors along the elevated walkways, only to find that they were dead ends. Too much bear activity, I'm told. The sockeye salmon were running in the stream, so that was interesting to see. Remembering that the bear was further up the road, I started walking in that direction, but as I kept going, I saw that there were no other people there, and since I didn't have the "protection" of the elevated walkway, I decided I should probably turn around. I didn't want to be the picture of the front page of the newspaper the next day--mauled by a black bear. Besides, it was getting colder and I thought I should look at the glacier for a while.
As I was walking back along the road, the rain started and I was getting several looks in my direction. I could have had something to do with the fact that I was wearing capris, a t-shirt, and flip flops. I knew it was going to be hot once I arrived in MN, so I didn't want to be too hot once I got there. But in the meantime, it was COLD! I hurried toward the visitor center and spent some time in the gift shop, watched the movie about the glacier, and looked at the interactive displays. Took some pictures of the glacier, but they won't compare to the ones I got at LeConte Glacier. I'm glad I got to see Mendenhall, since it's a very popular place in Alaska. One of the employees at the visitor center said that yesterday it was 74 degrees and beautiful skies, so I guess I missed it by a day. Oh well. Seeing that the weather wasn't about to change anytime soon, I went backt to the airport and had a late lunch. Went back through security and am now sitting at my gate, waiting for my flight in a couple hours.
Mendenhall Glacier
It was a gray morning, with some rain, but once I got in the air, the view was surprising. The Stikine River flats branched out in many directions, easily in view with the low tide. During the quick 15-minute trip to Petersburg, I saw LeConte Glacier and the many icebergs we meandered around in Safari. The tiny white dots were almost lost from sight in the sea of green water. Leaving Petersburg, the mountains broke through the clouds and their tops looked like tiny blue hills against the layer of cottony clouds. One more landing in Juneau, and I was ready to begin my 6-hour layover in Alaska's capital. I hurried through the airport to the cold weather outside and found a taxi waiting at the curb.
I headed to Mendenhall Glacier, a good way to pass a few hours until my next flight. I mentioned to the driver about the possibility of seeing black bears near the glacier and she said there were a couple of beaver dams being constructed and sometimes the bears hang out where the water pools. As she was saying this, I looked to the left and saw a black bear ready to snag an uncautious salmon from the stream. Once at the glacier, I followed other visitors along the elevated walkways, only to find that they were dead ends. Too much bear activity, I'm told. The sockeye salmon were running in the stream, so that was interesting to see. Remembering that the bear was further up the road, I started walking in that direction, but as I kept going, I saw that there were no other people there, and since I didn't have the "protection" of the elevated walkway, I decided I should probably turn around. I didn't want to be the picture of the front page of the newspaper the next day--mauled by a black bear. Besides, it was getting colder and I thought I should look at the glacier for a while.
As I was walking back along the road, the rain started and I was getting several looks in my direction. I could have had something to do with the fact that I was wearing capris, a t-shirt, and flip flops. I knew it was going to be hot once I arrived in MN, so I didn't want to be too hot once I got there. But in the meantime, it was COLD! I hurried toward the visitor center and spent some time in the gift shop, watched the movie about the glacier, and looked at the interactive displays. Took some pictures of the glacier, but they won't compare to the ones I got at LeConte Glacier. I'm glad I got to see Mendenhall, since it's a very popular place in Alaska. One of the employees at the visitor center said that yesterday it was 74 degrees and beautiful skies, so I guess I missed it by a day. Oh well. Seeing that the weather wasn't about to change anytime soon, I went backt to the airport and had a late lunch. Went back through security and am now sitting at my gate, waiting for my flight in a couple hours.
Stikine River
Coming in to Juneau
Sockeye Salmon
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
My Favorite Place--Nemo Point
Today is the day before I leave Alaska, and I finally made it out to Nemo Point. Eric and I went for a drive to see what we could see--just like the bear who went over the mountain! It was kind of drizzly, so we really couldn't see much, except some blueberry plants that had a lot of moisture on them. Then we turned around and went to Pat's Lake to see how far the road went. Driving through the rainforest filled with muskeg and moss-covered trees made me feel like I was in a scene in an eerie, scary movie. The winding road seemed to disappear into the misty fog. Not a very great day for shooting pictures, but I'll have to pull out my pictures from the last time I was at Nemo Point to see what the view could have been. Still it was a fun drive.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
I saw the #1 Alaska sight!
Today Eric, Joan, Meagan, Tarun, Taleena, and I went fishing. It started out as a beautiful day and with empty memory cards, Mylo (my camera) was ready to work. Well, it turned cloudy once we were out on the water, but it was still a nice day. Hey, any day that isn't raining is a pretty good day in Wrangell. We went back to the place where I caught all the Coho, but we didn't have much luck.
After Eric was said his classic "BORING" comment a few times, he spotted the sight every person who travels to Alaska hopes to see. Sprays of water on the horizon. Yep, it was humpback whales. They looked like they were pretty close to shore. As we neared them, it was obvious that they were coming toward us, although not close enough for Mylo to do any good. :) A couple times, I saw their mouths out of the water, obviously feasting on a yummy lunch. In anticipation, I watched the spray of water, the arch of the back, and knew the tail would be following soon as the humpback dove deep for dessert. (Not that I know this for sure, but I'm just imagining that's where all the good stuff is!)
We were looking for the whales ahead of the boat, and as Joan sat out on the deck with Taleena, she said, "I see steam! It's the whales!" Well, we all rushed out to see them, and I did get a few pictures, but once again, they weren't anything like the whales we saw in 1990. Still, it was fun to see them. In the midst of all the excitement, we heard the whirring of the fishing line and knew there was a "fish on" (this is the appropriate thing to shout). Tarun got to reel in the first (and only) fish, and he sure was excited. Hi eyes got huge when he saw the fish coming to the surface. It was a big Coho and he put up a good fight for Tarun. With the disctraction of the fish, the whales escaped our view and traveled further away from us, but it was a fun to see them. After the fish was in the cooler, Tarun said, "Are we going home now?" We fished on our way back to Wrangell, but that was the only fish we got. Sometimes you find them and sometimes you don't. But we hit it just right to find the whales!
After Eric was said his classic "BORING" comment a few times, he spotted the sight every person who travels to Alaska hopes to see. Sprays of water on the horizon. Yep, it was humpback whales. They looked like they were pretty close to shore. As we neared them, it was obvious that they were coming toward us, although not close enough for Mylo to do any good. :) A couple times, I saw their mouths out of the water, obviously feasting on a yummy lunch. In anticipation, I watched the spray of water, the arch of the back, and knew the tail would be following soon as the humpback dove deep for dessert. (Not that I know this for sure, but I'm just imagining that's where all the good stuff is!)
We were looking for the whales ahead of the boat, and as Joan sat out on the deck with Taleena, she said, "I see steam! It's the whales!" Well, we all rushed out to see them, and I did get a few pictures, but once again, they weren't anything like the whales we saw in 1990. Still, it was fun to see them. In the midst of all the excitement, we heard the whirring of the fishing line and knew there was a "fish on" (this is the appropriate thing to shout). Tarun got to reel in the first (and only) fish, and he sure was excited. Hi eyes got huge when he saw the fish coming to the surface. It was a big Coho and he put up a good fight for Tarun. With the disctraction of the fish, the whales escaped our view and traveled further away from us, but it was a fun to see them. After the fish was in the cooler, Tarun said, "Are we going home now?" We fished on our way back to Wrangell, but that was the only fish we got. Sometimes you find them and sometimes you don't. But we hit it just right to find the whales!
Taleena
Tarun--the proud fisherman
(thanks for the picture, Meagan!)
Sunday, August 17, 2008
A Night at the Opera--in Wrangell?
Yes, it's true. I never imagined my first opera experience would be in Wrangell, AK, but tonight Grandma and I went to a concert at the Nolan Center. The singer was a lady who recently moved to Wrangell and she performed several selections from various operas. I think the highlight of the evening was people-watching. As people were finding seats in the auditorium, a flash caught my eye. I saw a lady entering the room and she sure was dressed to the nines. Her long jacket was COVERED in sequin flowers and beads, bright red in color. Someone made a comment to her, and she said people told her to wear her diamonds, which she revealed on bracelets as she pulled up her sleeves. She also had long, dangling earrings and big rings on both hands. Somehow she looked a little out of place. And guess where she decided to take a seat? Right in front of me! I thought Grandma was going to lose it when she got a closer look at the apparel of this lady.
She choked back her laughter and was able to compose herself before the next lady entered. She was part of the group ahead of us and she made her way to the seat directly in front of Grandma. And she was sporting a fur coat, not a long one, but a fur coat no less. Once again, we had to hold in our smirks. I suddenly felt very underdressed, but I felt a little better when I saw a lady come in with bright orange rain boots with her pants tucked into them! I guess you see all kinds, no matter where you go. It was a fun evening, and I can now say I've been to an opera, although it probably wasn't the music that stood out tonight! :)
She choked back her laughter and was able to compose herself before the next lady entered. She was part of the group ahead of us and she made her way to the seat directly in front of Grandma. And she was sporting a fur coat, not a long one, but a fur coat no less. Once again, we had to hold in our smirks. I suddenly felt very underdressed, but I felt a little better when I saw a lady come in with bright orange rain boots with her pants tucked into them! I guess you see all kinds, no matter where you go. It was a fun evening, and I can now say I've been to an opera, although it probably wasn't the music that stood out tonight! :)
Friday, August 15, 2008
Flower, flowers, and more flowers...
I took some more flower pictures in between raindrops today. I love seeing the water on the plants. There's not much to really say about them...I'll just let the pictures do the talking.
Astibile
Daisy
Day Lily
Mountain Ash
Geranium
Hydrangea
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Nolan Center Museum
Grandma and I went to the Nolan Center today and enjoyed walking through the museum. Saw many interesting things...native art, historical items, stories about the history of Wrangell, etc. A beautiful building with a lot of stuff, but it didn't feel crowded like some museums can be. Of course we also had to spend some time in the wonderful gift shop.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
The results are in...
Well, I've waited for Becky and Chris to revise their guesses, but I haven't heard from them yet, so I guess I'll let you know the picture count...
Here are the guesses:
Dad...704
Mom...756
Erin...856
Becky...1247
Chris...1156
I told Erin the picture count before I posted to my blog, so I won't count her vote. The total was 856, so I guess Mom is the closest! Good job!
Here are the guesses:
Dad...704
Mom...756
Erin...856
Becky...1247
Chris...1156
I told Erin the picture count before I posted to my blog, so I won't count her vote. The total was 856, so I guess Mom is the closest! Good job!
Friday, August 8, 2008
Fishing in Alaska…It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This
As I was eating Grape Nuts yesterday morning, Eric called and said he’d be here in 15 minutes to leave for fishing…I scurried to finish eating, pack, and take a quick shower before we left. Can’t keep the fish waiting! What a beautiful day to be out on the water in Safari. We left Shoemaker Bay at 9:15 a.m. and had a very enjoyable trip out to the fishing spot. Along the way, there was a small rain shower and a beautiful rainbow appeared right above the shore. I’ve never seen one that low. The water was very calm and the sky…well, once again, it was beautiful.
After eating an early lunch, we were ready for fishing action. Rods were set and we began trolling for Coho salmon. The first fish was fun to reel in, but unfortunately we couldn’t keep it--it was a King salmon and the minimum size is 28 inches. Glistening in the sunlight, it was almost an iridescent color. We didn’t have to wait much longer for more excitement, because soon we found some Cohos. Man, were they fun to catch! They had some fight in them. Getting closer to the boat, they must have known there were bad things coming, so they’d make one last attempt to get away, but eventually I got them close enough and Eric had the net ready. At the end of the day, I had caught 4 Coho and 4 Kings (which we couldn’t keep). It was great fun.
Fishing wasn’t the only excitement of the day. We had 3 Dall porpoises chasing the boat. They are curious creatures and were coming to check us out, but eventually they got bored with us because we weren’t going fast enough. They did return later in the day, but didn’t stick around long.
As we headed to our anchorage for the night, it was turning into a beautiful evening. The reflections in Quiet Harbor were tremendous. Quiet Harbor…this place was appropriately named because the only sounds I could hear were occasional seagulls and the small ripples of water bumping against the boat. As I was reading, Eric pointed out a sea lion. I grabbed my camera and headed outside. Diving down deep, he’d grab a fish, then head to the surface to thrash his head as he tore the fish to pieces with his powerful jaws. He put on a show for about an hour while the seagulls were hovering over the water to catch the leftovers from the sea lion’s dinner. As the sun made it’s slow descent behind the trees, I enjoyed the coolness of the evening. A couple jellyfish floated by and a seal popped his head out of the water to greet me. After a beautiful day outside, it felt good to lie down and be gently rocked to sleep by the motion of Safari.
This morning we woke early, with dense fog to greet us. Once we left Quiet Harbor, blue sky broke through the fog and I could tell we were in for another wonderful day of sunshine. After motoring for a couple hours, we trolled for Cohos around a reef. The tide was going out, and as we circled the reef, we could see seals claiming their spots on the rocks for their time of sun-bathing.
After trolling for a while and not getting any strikes, Eric put down the anchor and halibut fishing began. I sat out on the cooler (half full of Cohos) and watched the rods, waiting for any sign of halibut catching an early morning snack of herring. The seals were great entertainment as I waited. They were making all kinds of racket, probably fighting for the best spot to catch the most rays. I didn’t wait long before I heard the whirr of the reel and knew this was going to be fun. After Eric set the hook, he handed the rod to me and I began hauling the halibut up from the ocean floor, about 85 feet down. At first, it didn’t fight at all, just came up slowly as I reeled it in. But once it got closer to the surface, he made a run for it and I had to hold on tight. Once he was finally in the boat, after getting a big thump on the head, he went into the cooler with the Cohos. Misery loves company, right? The ten-pounder was not a record-winning halibut by any means, but my mouth watered as I thought how good it would taste! Doesn’t get any better than halibut. Joan got the next one, another small one, so it was a good spot. Throw in a couple dogfish (looks like a small shark), a small halibut we threw back, and one that got away…we had our limit of 4 halibut in an hour and a half--3 ten-pounders and a 14-pounder.
After that excitement, we headed back to the place we caught Cohos yesterday. We trolled for quite a while and didn’t have any strikes but eventually ran into some Kings, but once again, they were too small. Lost one Coho and after a few more Kings, both lines were tugging at the same time. They were fighters, so Joan and I ended up with lines crossed. Once we got the lines separated, Joan and I were reeling them in, and after getting Joan’s in the net, there wasn’t enough time to get it out, so Eric left it in and netted mine also. Then came the fun of untangling two Cohos, lines, and lures. Fifteen minutes later, we had two more on, only this time they were kings. Mine was hooked really good, so he didn’t survive. I spotted an eagle watching us from the tree, his eyes on the king salmon, now floating on the water. His eyes kept moving from us to the fish and back again, and once we were far enough away, he swooped down, grabbed the fish, and flew back to the tree to enjoy a free lunch. Not something you get to see very often. Very neat! Fishing ended with one last Coho, and he was probably the biggest fighter of all. Took a while to get him into the boat, but what fun! I can’t imagine fighting a 50-pound King salmon! This one was the biggest of all…almost 8 pounds and over 30 inches! A great way to end the fishing trip. On the return trip to Wrangell, we saw two porpoises, different from the ones we saw yesterday. We docked around 6:45 p.m. and after unloading everything, we went to Eric & Joan’s to photograph the catch of fish. It was enough to fill a wheelbarrow, and I know they will taste great when they fill our stomachs
After eating an early lunch, we were ready for fishing action. Rods were set and we began trolling for Coho salmon. The first fish was fun to reel in, but unfortunately we couldn’t keep it--it was a King salmon and the minimum size is 28 inches. Glistening in the sunlight, it was almost an iridescent color. We didn’t have to wait much longer for more excitement, because soon we found some Cohos. Man, were they fun to catch! They had some fight in them. Getting closer to the boat, they must have known there were bad things coming, so they’d make one last attempt to get away, but eventually I got them close enough and Eric had the net ready. At the end of the day, I had caught 4 Coho and 4 Kings (which we couldn’t keep). It was great fun.
Fishing wasn’t the only excitement of the day. We had 3 Dall porpoises chasing the boat. They are curious creatures and were coming to check us out, but eventually they got bored with us because we weren’t going fast enough. They did return later in the day, but didn’t stick around long.
As we headed to our anchorage for the night, it was turning into a beautiful evening. The reflections in Quiet Harbor were tremendous. Quiet Harbor…this place was appropriately named because the only sounds I could hear were occasional seagulls and the small ripples of water bumping against the boat. As I was reading, Eric pointed out a sea lion. I grabbed my camera and headed outside. Diving down deep, he’d grab a fish, then head to the surface to thrash his head as he tore the fish to pieces with his powerful jaws. He put on a show for about an hour while the seagulls were hovering over the water to catch the leftovers from the sea lion’s dinner. As the sun made it’s slow descent behind the trees, I enjoyed the coolness of the evening. A couple jellyfish floated by and a seal popped his head out of the water to greet me. After a beautiful day outside, it felt good to lie down and be gently rocked to sleep by the motion of Safari.
This morning we woke early, with dense fog to greet us. Once we left Quiet Harbor, blue sky broke through the fog and I could tell we were in for another wonderful day of sunshine. After motoring for a couple hours, we trolled for Cohos around a reef. The tide was going out, and as we circled the reef, we could see seals claiming their spots on the rocks for their time of sun-bathing.
After trolling for a while and not getting any strikes, Eric put down the anchor and halibut fishing began. I sat out on the cooler (half full of Cohos) and watched the rods, waiting for any sign of halibut catching an early morning snack of herring. The seals were great entertainment as I waited. They were making all kinds of racket, probably fighting for the best spot to catch the most rays. I didn’t wait long before I heard the whirr of the reel and knew this was going to be fun. After Eric set the hook, he handed the rod to me and I began hauling the halibut up from the ocean floor, about 85 feet down. At first, it didn’t fight at all, just came up slowly as I reeled it in. But once it got closer to the surface, he made a run for it and I had to hold on tight. Once he was finally in the boat, after getting a big thump on the head, he went into the cooler with the Cohos. Misery loves company, right? The ten-pounder was not a record-winning halibut by any means, but my mouth watered as I thought how good it would taste! Doesn’t get any better than halibut. Joan got the next one, another small one, so it was a good spot. Throw in a couple dogfish (looks like a small shark), a small halibut we threw back, and one that got away…we had our limit of 4 halibut in an hour and a half--3 ten-pounders and a 14-pounder.
After that excitement, we headed back to the place we caught Cohos yesterday. We trolled for quite a while and didn’t have any strikes but eventually ran into some Kings, but once again, they were too small. Lost one Coho and after a few more Kings, both lines were tugging at the same time. They were fighters, so Joan and I ended up with lines crossed. Once we got the lines separated, Joan and I were reeling them in, and after getting Joan’s in the net, there wasn’t enough time to get it out, so Eric left it in and netted mine also. Then came the fun of untangling two Cohos, lines, and lures. Fifteen minutes later, we had two more on, only this time they were kings. Mine was hooked really good, so he didn’t survive. I spotted an eagle watching us from the tree, his eyes on the king salmon, now floating on the water. His eyes kept moving from us to the fish and back again, and once we were far enough away, he swooped down, grabbed the fish, and flew back to the tree to enjoy a free lunch. Not something you get to see very often. Very neat! Fishing ended with one last Coho, and he was probably the biggest fighter of all. Took a while to get him into the boat, but what fun! I can’t imagine fighting a 50-pound King salmon! This one was the biggest of all…almost 8 pounds and over 30 inches! A great way to end the fishing trip. On the return trip to Wrangell, we saw two porpoises, different from the ones we saw yesterday. We docked around 6:45 p.m. and after unloading everything, we went to Eric & Joan’s to photograph the catch of fish. It was enough to fill a wheelbarrow, and I know they will taste great when they fill our stomachs
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Mountains and Flowers...oh how pretty!
I did a lot of walking today, first to the golf course and then into town. Another beautiful day. Not a cloud in the sky and very sunny. Found lots of pretty flowers to photograph today. It was just nice to be out and enjoy the fresh air. Keep up the guesses on my glacier photo count...I might be going fishing Friday and Saturday, so maybe I'll let you know on Sunday! Talk to you soon.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Update on Picture Count...
Hi everyone,
I thought I'd give you another hint about how many pictures I took at the glacier. It's more than
25 Andrew Jacksons but less than 2 William McKinleys. Does that help??? I'll tell you the answer at the end of the week. Happy guessing! :)
I thought I'd give you another hint about how many pictures I took at the glacier. It's more than
25 Andrew Jacksons but less than 2 William McKinleys. Does that help??? I'll tell you the answer at the end of the week. Happy guessing! :)
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Le Conte Glacier--What a Sight!
Yesterday was an amazing day. Eric, Joan, Tyler, and I left for Le Conte Glacier around 10 a.m. in Safari. The sky was mostly clear and the temperature was perfect--around 60 degrees. It was a great day to be out on the water--very calm and smooth. After a few hours of travel, we could see small specks of white appearing on the horizon. Those little “specks” were actually icebergs the size of small houses. The blue color of these icebergs is a color like you’ve never seen before. I don’t even think Crayola has been able to reproduce the color “ice blue.” Each iceberg has its own distinct shape. Remember when you were a kid and you’d find shapes in the clouds? Well, it was fun to try to find shapes in the icebergs. One looked like a sponge, another like a ship, and another like a layer cake. Knowing how little I felt next to these massive chunks of ice, it’s incredible to think that most of the iceberg is submerged under water and not even visible.
The temperature started to drop as we traveled into the natural refrigerator (or maybe “ice box,” as they used to call them, would be a more appropriate term!). The deep, aquamarine water was a sheet of glass, reflecting the steep mountain cliffs plunging into the deep water. Melting snow from the top of the mountains created a huge waterfall that roared to the icy water below. As we traveled around each point, I kept wondering, Will we see the glacier around this corner? Will we even be able to get close enough to see it? The water was quite choked with ice, so travel was difficult. We hit several small ice chunks, but Eric was a great tour guide and maneuvered Safari very well through the ice. Finally, we rounded a point and we could see Le Conte Glacier! Even though we were still two miles away, the huge wall of ice was massive! Seeing it lying there between the mountains was breathtaking. The depth and the beauty that surrounded me are very difficult to describe, and even the pictures don’t do it justice. It’s one of those instances when you had to be there to really "feel" the experience.
As the sun was reflecting off the ice and mountains, I was thinking this was pretty great. Then I began to look at all the floating ice and I noticed that some had brown spots. Studying them more closely, I saw that these “spots” were actually seals. I pointed them out and we inched our way toward them. Making no sudden movements, we were able to get fairly close to them. Needless to say, Mylo (my camera) got a workout. The seals were very curious about us also, and they didn’t seem to mind too much that we were there. They would watch us and then recline on the ice, then check us out to make sure we weren’t too close. Eventually, they did go in the water. But there were many more to be found.
The next group we approached must have been siblings, because as we got closer, they started barking at each other. It’s probably something people don’t get to experience very often, so I was very excited to hear it. As I looked at all the seals we saw, it’s amazing that each one seems to be unique in coloring and markings. As we started our departure after taking a few (hundred) more pictures of the glacier, we approached an iceberg that had one lonely seal. It was a baby, very small and cute. We were able to get VERY close to it, because its mother wasn’t there to “tell” him to jump into the water. The poor little thing was probably half scared to death seeing us coming toward him. He was a great model though, and we got so close (probably within 5-10 feet) that my zoom lens wouldn’t focus.
We passed the icebergs again on the way out, and of course I took more pictures, because they looked different from the other side. (That’s my lame excuse anyway.) After eating supper, we meandered through huge icebergs as the sun began to descend on the horizon. The fading light cast an eerie shadow on the icebergs, and it was gorgeous. One of the icebergs broke apart, crashing into the water and creating a smashing sound. Very impressive.
We then had a lot of time to “waste.” It was slow going waiting for high tide so we could make it over the flats (“sand bars” to us MN people). A few times we hit bottom and were “stuck” in the sand. But the tide was continually rising, so we eventually made it across around 11:30 p.m. and headed back to Wrangell. It was fairly dark, yet you could still see some light on the horizon, making a silhouette of the islands.
We arrived back at Shoemaker Harbor at 3:00 a.m. and gratefully headed to Eric and Joan’s for some sleep. I think my brain was over-stimulated though, because I had a hard time getting to sleep. I kept seeing glaciers, seals, and icebergs in mind. And who can guess how busy Mylo was today? Maybe I’ll let you guess how many pictures I took today. We’ll see who’s the closest. Maybe there’ll be a prize for the winner! A picture of Le Conte Glacier perhaps? I’ll give you a little clue. It’s more than I’ve taken of my nieces and nephews at any one time, but less than 50 rolls of film. Stay tuned for the results. In the meantime, I have to go ice my trigger finger! If only I had a chunk of an iceberg…
The temperature started to drop as we traveled into the natural refrigerator (or maybe “ice box,” as they used to call them, would be a more appropriate term!). The deep, aquamarine water was a sheet of glass, reflecting the steep mountain cliffs plunging into the deep water. Melting snow from the top of the mountains created a huge waterfall that roared to the icy water below. As we traveled around each point, I kept wondering, Will we see the glacier around this corner? Will we even be able to get close enough to see it? The water was quite choked with ice, so travel was difficult. We hit several small ice chunks, but Eric was a great tour guide and maneuvered Safari very well through the ice. Finally, we rounded a point and we could see Le Conte Glacier! Even though we were still two miles away, the huge wall of ice was massive! Seeing it lying there between the mountains was breathtaking. The depth and the beauty that surrounded me are very difficult to describe, and even the pictures don’t do it justice. It’s one of those instances when you had to be there to really "feel" the experience.
As the sun was reflecting off the ice and mountains, I was thinking this was pretty great. Then I began to look at all the floating ice and I noticed that some had brown spots. Studying them more closely, I saw that these “spots” were actually seals. I pointed them out and we inched our way toward them. Making no sudden movements, we were able to get fairly close to them. Needless to say, Mylo (my camera) got a workout. The seals were very curious about us also, and they didn’t seem to mind too much that we were there. They would watch us and then recline on the ice, then check us out to make sure we weren’t too close. Eventually, they did go in the water. But there were many more to be found.
The next group we approached must have been siblings, because as we got closer, they started barking at each other. It’s probably something people don’t get to experience very often, so I was very excited to hear it. As I looked at all the seals we saw, it’s amazing that each one seems to be unique in coloring and markings. As we started our departure after taking a few (hundred) more pictures of the glacier, we approached an iceberg that had one lonely seal. It was a baby, very small and cute. We were able to get VERY close to it, because its mother wasn’t there to “tell” him to jump into the water. The poor little thing was probably half scared to death seeing us coming toward him. He was a great model though, and we got so close (probably within 5-10 feet) that my zoom lens wouldn’t focus.
We passed the icebergs again on the way out, and of course I took more pictures, because they looked different from the other side. (That’s my lame excuse anyway.) After eating supper, we meandered through huge icebergs as the sun began to descend on the horizon. The fading light cast an eerie shadow on the icebergs, and it was gorgeous. One of the icebergs broke apart, crashing into the water and creating a smashing sound. Very impressive.
We then had a lot of time to “waste.” It was slow going waiting for high tide so we could make it over the flats (“sand bars” to us MN people). A few times we hit bottom and were “stuck” in the sand. But the tide was continually rising, so we eventually made it across around 11:30 p.m. and headed back to Wrangell. It was fairly dark, yet you could still see some light on the horizon, making a silhouette of the islands.
We arrived back at Shoemaker Harbor at 3:00 a.m. and gratefully headed to Eric and Joan’s for some sleep. I think my brain was over-stimulated though, because I had a hard time getting to sleep. I kept seeing glaciers, seals, and icebergs in mind. And who can guess how busy Mylo was today? Maybe I’ll let you guess how many pictures I took today. We’ll see who’s the closest. Maybe there’ll be a prize for the winner! A picture of Le Conte Glacier perhaps? I’ll give you a little clue. It’s more than I’ve taken of my nieces and nephews at any one time, but less than 50 rolls of film. Stay tuned for the results. In the meantime, I have to go ice my trigger finger! If only I had a chunk of an iceberg…
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