Juneau
In Juneau a bit too long for my liking .. 7am to 10pm. The tours from here by air and sea were expensive, so I just walked around town and then took the tram up the mountain above the town .. great views and a close up look at the snowfields. Juneau is a pretty tacky place .. too many shops selling tat. Later discussion with people on the ship revealed the best thing to do is take one of the frequent shuttle buses (only $7) up to the glacier which is nearby.
Photo Gallery
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Skagway
Spent the day docked in Skagway (8am to 9pm). I was intrigued by a brochure for the Jewell Garden .. luckily I did not pay $29 for the trip offered by the cruise line. I managed to get a local bus there and paid $12 admission. You can either call it a Work in Progress or a Rip Off .. small parcel of ground with planting beds .. with no plants. It just stopped snowing here so it was far too early but they seemed to have no real conifers or winter plants or trees,
Afternoon spent on the White Horse Pass and Yukon Railway excursion to the summit of White Horse Pass. That was really a treat ($108) ; the cars were comfortable, well insulated and with excellent views of the mountains and the valley below. The best part of the trip was the commentary of how the gold prospectors made their way up through the nearby Chillikot Pass until a British entrepreneur built this railway. We just went slightly over the Canadian border then came back. There are trains which go into Canada (Fraser) and this might be worth investigating if you were staying in this area a bit longer.
Afternoon spent on the White Horse Pass and Yukon Railway excursion to the summit of White Horse Pass. That was really a treat ($108) ; the cars were comfortable, well insulated and with excellent views of the mountains and the valley below. The best part of the trip was the commentary of how the gold prospectors made their way up through the nearby Chillikot Pass until a British entrepreneur built this railway. We just went slightly over the Canadian border then came back. There are trains which go into Canada (Fraser) and this might be worth investigating if you were staying in this area a bit longer.
Photo Gallery
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Glacier Bay National Park
Up early and had breakfast by 6:30 as we entered Glacier Bay. Saw some small (Minke) whales and what proved to be sea otters. Really too cold on deck (sharp wind) so I found my way into the Crow's Nest, the large bar on the 12th level and managed to grab a front row seat. As luck would have it, I was on the best side (starboard - left) side of ship. Quite a fantastic cruise through this huge area ; totally pristine .. no development and luckily, no other ships when we were there. We got up close to several glaciers and 'parked' near the Pacific Glacier which was 'calving' (curious word). The ice had a curious (almost mystic) blue colour - there was a heated debate at the dinner table about the reason for this (one person thought the colour was 'trapped' in the ice). [see the Fine Print below for more information].
Saw signs of whales, a few bears but mostly it was the combination of water, mountain and snow which was stunning. We left the major glacier and turned to make our way out of the bay. By this time, the sun was out and it was warm enough to be on deck, but I had a comfortable seat and just stayed put until nearly 2pm. This really was the high point of the trip and frankly, exceeded my expectations.
Saw signs of whales, a few bears but mostly it was the combination of water, mountain and snow which was stunning. We left the major glacier and turned to make our way out of the bay. By this time, the sun was out and it was warm enough to be on deck, but I had a comfortable seat and just stayed put until nearly 2pm. This really was the high point of the trip and frankly, exceeded my expectations.
Photo Gallery
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Ketchikan
Grey and cloudy. In port (Ketchikan) from 10am to 6pm. I'd found information on the Internet about a hike up Deer Mountain which rises above the town on the South side. Slight mist when I left the ship and got directions from a well meaning but rather clueless girl at the Visitors Centre (I think she was Japanese and there to help other Japanese people). She could not seem to get her head around my request to go on a free hike .. when I could be buying perfume or pearls.
The walk up to the trailhead was perhaps 25 minutes and there was a good view over the town from there. Seeing a deer along the way seemed a good omen. The trail then rose swiftly up into the rainforest (temperate, but still described as rainforest). I loved the yellow plant which appeared just after the start of the trail, Skunk Cabbage .. not sure what family it's in but a delightful delicate plant. The trail was well maintained and while steep, seemed safe enough for the first 30 minutes, then I encountered areas where there were no logs (to act as steps) and the rocks were wet and potentially slippery.
I thought I was making progress but only got up to 800 feet before deciding that I should go back down ; I'd passed through 4 of these tricky areas and realised that they would be harder to navigate going down that they were going up. Still, I'd had a good look at the forest and especially liked the ferns and moss growing in the small streams which I crossed frequently. I got back into town about an hour later which is just as well because the rain started and was quite heavy. Ducked into a bar and after one Alaskan Pale Ale beer, returned to the ship.
The walk up to the trailhead was perhaps 25 minutes and there was a good view over the town from there. Seeing a deer along the way seemed a good omen. The trail then rose swiftly up into the rainforest (temperate, but still described as rainforest). I loved the yellow plant which appeared just after the start of the trail, Skunk Cabbage .. not sure what family it's in but a delightful delicate plant. The trail was well maintained and while steep, seemed safe enough for the first 30 minutes, then I encountered areas where there were no logs (to act as steps) and the rocks were wet and potentially slippery.
I thought I was making progress but only got up to 800 feet before deciding that I should go back down ; I'd passed through 4 of these tricky areas and realised that they would be harder to navigate going down that they were going up. Still, I'd had a good look at the forest and especially liked the ferns and moss growing in the small streams which I crossed frequently. I got back into town about an hour later which is just as well because the rain started and was quite heavy. Ducked into a bar and after one Alaskan Pale Ale beer, returned to the ship.
Photo Gallery
The slide show should appear in the adjacent window, but if it doesn't here is a link to it on the Picasa Website.
Click here
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The fine print
Date of travel : May 2009
Why does glacier ice look blue?
Glacier ice is often a deep blue color. This is because of how the sunlight passes through the ice and what happens to the sunlight. Sunlight looks white. The light is really made up of all the colors of the rainbow. Each of the sun's colors have different amounts of energy in them. When the sunlight tries to go through the solid glacier ice crystals the sun gets broken up into lots of colors. Red and yellow have very little energy and the thick ice soaks up the red light more than it soaks up the blue light. The blue light has enough extra energy to get away from the solid ice crystals without getting absorbed or soaked up. This is why the only color people see is the blue color that escaped. The blue light has enough energy to escape the ice so that you can see it. That is why glacial ice is often a deep blue color.
Source : http://www.northstar.k12.ak.us/schools/joy/denali/OConnor/colorblue.html
Why is glacier ice blue?
It partly depends on how dense the ice isGlaciers are created when decades upon decades of snow compact themselves into ice. As the ice crystals grow, they push out the air. The ice absorbs most light and reflects the short-wave-length blue light.
But as ice moves along and is exposed to warmer air or warmer water, the crystal structure breaks down and reflects all the light. That change, writes guide Karen Jettmar in "Alaska's Glacier Bay: A Traveler's Guide," makes the ice appear white.
And that's why the deepest blue coloration is often seen in fractured places: crevasses, towers and where chunks of ice have calved. The color may appear richest on cloudy days.
Source : http://www.alaska.com/glaciers/story/2034.html
Why does glacier ice look blue?
Glacier ice is often a deep blue color. This is because of how the sunlight passes through the ice and what happens to the sunlight. Sunlight looks white. The light is really made up of all the colors of the rainbow. Each of the sun's colors have different amounts of energy in them. When the sunlight tries to go through the solid glacier ice crystals the sun gets broken up into lots of colors. Red and yellow have very little energy and the thick ice soaks up the red light more than it soaks up the blue light. The blue light has enough extra energy to get away from the solid ice crystals without getting absorbed or soaked up. This is why the only color people see is the blue color that escaped. The blue light has enough energy to escape the ice so that you can see it. That is why glacial ice is often a deep blue color.
Source : http://www.northstar.k12.ak.us/schools/joy/denali/OConnor/colorblue.html
Why is glacier ice blue?
It partly depends on how dense the ice isGlaciers are created when decades upon decades of snow compact themselves into ice. As the ice crystals grow, they push out the air. The ice absorbs most light and reflects the short-wave-length blue light.
But as ice moves along and is exposed to warmer air or warmer water, the crystal structure breaks down and reflects all the light. That change, writes guide Karen Jettmar in "Alaska's Glacier Bay: A Traveler's Guide," makes the ice appear white.
And that's why the deepest blue coloration is often seen in fractured places: crevasses, towers and where chunks of ice have calved. The color may appear richest on cloudy days.
Source : http://www.alaska.com/glaciers/story/2034.html