Month: September 2024

Glacier Bay National Park

~ Wandering Cindi ~ Leave a comment

Our cruise ship spent one entire day floating around Glacier Bay National Park. This is why we wanted a balcony room! We ordered room service for breakfast and lunch so that we enjoy the majestic beauty of the bay without interruption. The national park sent park rangers to the ship to narrate what we were seeing and give information about the glaciers and the wildlife in the park. It was broadcast over the television so that we could listen to the information and view the park at the same time from the comfort of our room.

National parks are set aside and preserved for a reason. They protect natural wonders, wildlife, and historically significant sites for all to experience and enjoy. I feel so fortunate to have been lucky to get a small glimpse of Glacier Bay. I hope eventually, Aaron and I will manage to make the trip to Alaska so that we can further immerse ourselves in its beauty and experience some of what this beautiful state has to offer.

We saw so many breathtaking sights. I will start with photos of the glaciers, next the many waterfalls, then the animals we saw, and finish up with some landscape shots.

The Glaciers

Taking pictures was a challenge. It was foggy, misty, cold, and not much sunlight. Some of the pictures will have a blue tint to them. In editing, I was trying to bring out the blue in the glaciers that we experienced, but the camera did not capture. Also, we were usually half a mile to a mile away from the shoreline. One thing to keep in mind is that these glaciers were huge. Some of them were more than a mile wide and many, many miles in length.

Glaciers are made of snow that condenses into ice, and as they move, they carve out land due to their massive weight and size. They pick up rocks, boulders, soil, and minerals. These materials are deposited into the water as the glacier breaks apart (calves) and slowly melts. The soil and minerals enrich the water and feed small marine life, which in turn feeds larger marine life, and so on. Glaciers are a massive part of the formation of the landscape and the oceans.

This last photon is in black and white to show the dramatic detail of this amazing glacier.

The Waterfalls

Everywhere we looked, there were waterfalls. To see them so far from shore means that they are very large and powerful.

Sea Otters and Birds

Landscapes

I was mistaken last week. I had forgotten about our hovercraft experience in Ketchikan. So, I will finish up our Alaskan experience next week with the hovercraft trip. I will also include the Butchart Gardens in British Columbia. Lastly, I will cover our Seattle tour. Thank you to each one of you who takes the time to read this blog.

Skagway, the Yukon, and Butchart Gardens

~ Wandering Cindi ~ Leave a comment

After leaving Juneau, our next port was Skagway, Alaska. For this port, we had a bus and train tour of White Pass Summit with a stop in the Yukon Territory. It was an 8-plus-hour excursion with gold panning and husky puppies along the way.

The tour started with the bus portion. The bus took us through the town of Skagway, through Tormented Valley, and then into the Yukon Territory of Canada. It followed the route the prospectors hoping to strike it rich took when the Yukon Gold Rush began. They would get all their gear and supplies to make the trek along the White Pass in Alaska into the Yukon. I can not imagine the bravery it took for the men and women to traverse such an environment to attempt to improve their lives. Only a few succeeded, and many died trying to get to the Yukon.

One of the areas we drove through was Tormented Valley. It was a harsh landscape with beautiful green lakes and imposing mountains. Photographs were tricky due to the cloudy and foggy weather. I did manage to find a flower blooming among the rocks.

After we summited White Pass, we entered the Yukon Territory in Canada. Our passports were checked at the border, and then we continued on to a recreation of a mining camp. Once there, we were fed a mediocre lunch, browsed the gift shop, visited the husky puppies (future sled dogs), and panned for Yukon gold. We also got to hang out with a few goats. Sean and Angie got the most gold of 7 or 8 flakes (and I mean SMALL flakes) each. Mom found 4 flakes, and I only found two. I guess I will have to find another way to strike it rich. In all honesty, this stop on the tour is very like a very cheesy tourist trap. I believe this stop was everyone’s least favorite experience of the entire cruise.

We got back on the bus and headed to the White Pass Summit Railway. On the way, we were treated to a beautiful rainbow. We were all very excited to take a train from the summit down into Skagway! The train ride did not disappoint. It was the highlight of the day. My favorite thing about the train is that we were allowed to stand outside while the train was moving to get better views.

After the train, we hopped back onto the bus, and our driver/guide made two more stops for us. We stopped at what they call Emerald Lake. The lake had multiple shades of green in the water and was a beautiful place to stop. Then, we stopped at a tourist shop area that showed off tribal totem poles and locally made items. I picked up a bottle of Canadian whiskey barrel-aged maple syrup for Aaron while we were there. He loves his pancakes and enjoys whiskey, so I decided this was the perfect gift for him.

A Few More Pictures From the Tour

Our next port on the cruise was a day spent on the ship cruising in Glacier Bay National Park. I will skip that for this blog; it deserves a post dedicated only to it. That will be next week’s post and my last post about Alaska.

Butchart Gardens

Our final stop on the cruise was Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. We did not get into port until 8:00 p.m., but we had a planned excursion to Butchart Gardens. It was going to be a unique experience since we would be touring the gardens at night instead of during the day. Sean and Angie decided to stay on the ship and pack for our arrival in Seattle the next day. Mom and I hopped on the bus and headed to the gardens.

We only had a little over an hour, so we did not get to explore the entire garden. We focused on the sunken garden, which was a quarry before it was turned into this beautiful garden.

We re-boarded the ship for our last night and slept really well. We had a tour of Seattle planned for after our disembarkation the next day.

The scenery on this excursion was beautiful, and the train ride was the day’s highlight. The totem poles were mesmerizing to look at, and the four of us really enjoyed spending the day together and sharing all of the new experiences.

Next week’s post will have tons of pictures of Glacier Bay National Park, as well as pictures of our Seattle tour. After that, back to wandering around in the Airstream with Aaron and Murphy.

Alaskan Cruise Days 1 and 2

~ Wandering Cindi ~ Leave a comment

It was time! My mom, older brother Sean, his wife Angie, and I met at the airport in Seattle on Saturday to embark on a cruise to Alaska the next day! I had never been to Seattle, but this was not the day to explore that beautiful city. We had a tour planned for when we returned from the cruise. All our excitement and focus was on Alaska!

On the Ship in Seattle waiting to Cruise Away

First Day of the Cruise was at Sea

We were on our way to Juneau, Alaska! The first day was spent entirely at sea. We spent the day unpacking, settling in, and participating in some onboard activities. Mom and I went to a talk about how a cruise ship works, how it manages so many guests and crew, and what supplies it takes to keep everyone fed. Later that day, Sean and I went to a beer tasting while Mom and Angie went to play some Bingo. We also saw our first of many rainbows!

Into Juneau and Whale Watching!

Tuesday, our ship was coming into the capital city of Alaska-Juneau. I woke up that morning and looked towards our balcony. The curtains were drawn, but there was this incredible golden glow emanating from the edges. I had to get up and see the sunrise, causing such a gorgeous glow.

As Mom and I enjoyed the amazing sunrise, we noticed spouts in the water. WHALES!!! We figured out they were humpback whales. It was a magical moment. We could not have dreamed of a better welcome to Alaska. They were quite far, but I managed to get a few decent pictures with my telephoto lens zoomed in as far as I could.

The irony was that we had a whale-watching trip planned for that day while we were in port. Mom even took a picture of 2 whale tails without knowing at the time she was taking pictures of the sunrise.

We enjoyed a cup of coffee and watched the beautiful scenery the rest of the way into Juneau. We even saw our first glacier and waterfall of the trip! We also saw another partial rainbow and an iridescent cloud!

As we got closer to Juneau, there were more waterfalls, and signs of civilization.

After disembarking the ship, we took a small bus to our whale-watching boat. On the way to the boat, we stopped and were able to view the Mendenhall Glacier. It is 13.6 miles long, and 1.5 miles wide. In the photos I took, it looks like a lake, but it is all glacial ice. I have had a lifelong dream of seeing humpback whales, and our sunrise viewing just got me even more excited about this boat tour. It did not disappoint! We saw humpbacks, bald eagles, a sea lion, and even a mean old crab that was missing both his claws and missing four of his six legs.

At one point, I was so focused on taking a picture of a seagull that I did not notice the whale in the background.

The Whales

The Crab, the Sea Lion, and the Bald Eagles

The eagles were quite far away, but I had to include the shots due to the name of the ship that happened to be passing at the moment I took the picture.

This port was an excellent start to our journey. We all had a wonderful time enjoying the beauty of Juneau and each other.

We said goodbye to Juneau, and the ship headed to our next destination- Skagway. Next week will be all about our Skagway adventure, which includes the White Pass, the Yukon, and a train ride back into town.

Into the Targhee National Forest

~ Wandering Cindi ~ 1 Comment

While Aaron and I were still at Juniper Campground, we decided to explore and look for our next campsite in the Targhee National Forest. This national forest is between the Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park and has a beauty all of its own. We found mountain streams and admired the crystal clear water, meadows, and incredible views. We also narrowed down where we wanted to park our home for two weeks. The following pictures are from our scouting for the next site.

A few days later, we loaded up and found our next backyard. When camping in national forests during the summer, unoccupied free campsites are more of a challenge to find- especially near such tourist attractions as Yellowstone and Grand Teton. We did not get our first choice of spots, but we did find a beautiful clearing to set up the house.

During our explorations, Murphy and I came across a man-made shelter that looked like the remnants of a survival show where they show the audience how to make shelters, find food sources, and survive in the wilderness. It was pretty cool to see.

The rest of our stay was pretty quiet and uneventful. I was still nursing my sprained ankle but walking around more, so we did not do much. I was also getting prepared for my cruise to Alaska with my mom, older brother, and his wife. After almost two weeks, it was time for us to move on and get settled even closer to Yellowstone! WE had a campsite reserved at Rainbow Point Campground in West Yellowstone for 2 weeks. Aaron and Murphy would be there while I was in Alaska, and then we would all be there together when I got back from my cruise.

We got to the campground early and quickly set everything up. We then hopped back in the truck to take a quick ride through the west side of Yellowstone National Park. I was flying out the next day, so we wanted a quick drive in before I had to leave.

West Yellowstone

Those dots on the landscape in the second-to-last picture are bison. One thing people tend to forget in national parks is that all the animals there are WILD ANIMALS. They don’t like humans, and they do not want to be bothered by humans. People have been hurt because they get too close to the wild animals. Everyone wants amazing animal photos, but they are not worth injury or a life to get that perfect shot. The people in my next set of photos were lucky; no one was injured, but they very easily could have been trampled by the bison.

I want to add, that I took those pictures from the safety of our truck.

The west side of Yellowstone is OK. It is not quite as picturesque as other parts of the park but still majestic and beautiful. Hopefully, I will have another post with tons of photos of other sights and animals from Yellowstone. But next week, and probably the week after that, the blog will be all about Alaska. I have tons of pictures to edit so that I can share the awe-inspiring beauty of Alaska. I will leave you with a quick teaser picture I took with my phone.