On to Gustavus

Glaciers!

On July 5, we took another ferry to Gustavus to visit Glacier Bay National Park. We had to get up very early and break camp (so easy with the Little Guy) and then wait, wait, wait.

Alaska Marine Highway Ferry

We were one of the first to arrive at the ferry dock, but because of the trailer we were last to board. Scott had to back the car and trailer down a steep ramp and hook it around a corner. I don’t know who else could have done that. If I had been driving, I would still be trying to straighten it up. The tide was low, so the ramp was very angled and the hitch scraped bottom. Nerve-wracking!!!! I didn't get pictures of that, but I did get shots when Scott drove the car and trailer off after we arrived in Gustavus (I walked off the ferry instead of getting back in the car).

Imagine backing in on a ramp twice as steep!

The trip was lovely again – but no whales. Some sunshine, which in the southeast is a treat.

Pretty views from the ferry

A travel buddy

And, we had a hitch-hiker on out ferry trip: a Rufous Hummingbird. 

I was surprised to see one so far north, but that is the tip top of their territory. He was pretty bedraggled and we thought he was on the ferry by mistake. We actually caught him and "let him go" why we were still close to land. 

In retrospect, we probably should have left him alone. He was probably trying to get to Gustavus.

Gustavus

We were going to Gustavus/Glacier Bay for the same reason we went to Glacier National Park, trying to redeem bad weather from a previous visit. The first afternoon complied. It was sunny and warm. 

Bartlett Cove near the ferry dock

We stayed at the Glacier Bay Lodge, where we had stayed before. 

National Park Lodges are generally a good bet

We choose that route rather than camping because the place is notoriously wet (and the Lodge food is good). Glacier Bay does have a beautiful campground, though.

It was a bit drippy when we walked through

Unfortunately, the ferry gets in in the afternoon and there are no bookable afternoon activities. So, we drove around looking for bear and moose. None!!! 

We did, however, see some Sooty Grouse!

And, we got to take a photo with the National Park sign

This was the first time we had had a car there, so we did get to explore the cute little town of Gustavus (population 450) a bit.

The town is quaint and very green

I took a brief walk on the beach and watched otters at play.

 

A Sea Otter and a Glaucous-winged Gull

Last time we were here, there were whales right off the beach, but not this time. 

We were looking forward to having whole Dungeness crab at the restaurant like last time, but they didn’t have any!! Scott was starting to get really unhappy that we came. So, after dinner, we crashed so we could get up early for our Glacier Bay boat trip.

We were looking forward to the main attraction

Glacier Bay Cruise

Yesterday's sun plus a relatively clear morning had me hoping we'd have a sunny cruise into Glacier Bay. But, it was misty, cloudy and ethereal.

The weather is always dicey; I would love to see this on a clear day

Our cruise was conducted by the National Park Service, which manages access to the Bay. In addition to their boats, private boats ...

Wouldn't that be fun?

... and cruise ships ...

A Holland America cruise ship is dwarfed by the mountains

... can enter, but the number of boats that can visit per day is very limited. 

The objective is to protect the environment

The weather was (slightly) better than the last time where we had drizzle, but pretty similar. 

A Bald Eagle flying through the fog

We saw no whales as we headed toward the glaciers, but, we did stop to observe some resting Steller Sea Lions ...

These guys are a common sight in Alaska

... and a Bald Eagle with a fish so heavy it could hardly take off ...

He barely made it to shore to eat

... and some Ochre Sea Stars on the shore ...

The bright oranges and purples pop against the rocks

We went up to the Margerie Glacier, which isn't as impressive as the Kenai Fjords glaciers ...

Margerie's face

... but did do some impressive calving ...

Ice tumbling down the glacier face

I didn't get a shot of the best one (Scott got video) because it happened just as I stepped into the cabin to wipe down my camera from the slight drizzle near the glacier. 

You leave for a minute and this is what happens

It was a good one that created a pretty good wake. I was pretty aggravated that the other folks on the boat wouldn't be quiet, so we didn't get to experience as much glacial snap, crackle, pop as I would have liked.

The noise this makes is impressive

After spending a fair amount of time observing and photographing the glacier ...

An ice cave at the base of the glacier

... we finally had to move on ...

Saying good-bye

We had to drop off some kayakers and pick up some that were returning to Gustavus. 

The tour boat is also a taxi

The kayakers we picked up were not quite ready (which seemed to annoy the captain). It turns out that they had had to stop prepping for pick-up because there had been a Grizzly on the beach a few minutes earlier. We saw it moments later!

Leaving the beach

On the way back in, we saw lots of Humpback Whales. Well, actually, lots of blows, not much Humpbacks. The food must be on the surface, because these whales were hardly doing anything. Very little diving, very little fluking, just lots of blow. We did see one breaching way far away (right by the Volendam; those folks got a show).

I hope the ship passengers were on deck because they were close to the Whales

We did see lots of Sea Otters (no pix), Some Puffins and Guillemots ...

Tufted Puffins, top, and Pigeon Guillemot, bottom

A couple more Bald Eagles ...

Taking off from an iceberg

Some Harbor Seals (no pix), Black-legged Kittiwakes ..

A quick fly-by

He was happy some of the time

We saw more Steller Sea Lions and a Harbor Porpoise. But, the mistiness made it hard to photograph. That made Scott unhappy!

Glacier Bay is unique. In the 1700s, the glacier rapidly surged from the mountain across a wide alluvial plain, displacing a Huna Tlingit village. Residents described the glacier as moving "as fast as a dog runs." They fled with what they could carry and resettled across the channel. 

The bay was carved by fast-moving glaciers

This giant glacier then began to recede, creating the roughly 60-mile long Glacier Bay. 

This rock was covered by ice not that long ago

Extensive surveys have been done to document the glacial recession, plus several that have receded and then grown. So, this bay, which is 800-feet deep in some places, was created during recent history.

Glacier Bay

Lazy Whales
Last time we were in Glacier Bay National Park, we took a whale watch trip with TAZ and it was fabulous, despite rain. So, we did it again. And, we saw lots and lots of whales; unfortunately, very LAZY whales. 

Hard to find a Whale in this

Almost everything we saw was a little blow and a little backbone. Very few flukes. No breaching. 

One of my few pix

Two really great tail slaps, neither of which I managed to catch on film! 

Just missed it!

And some VERY close (as in, going under the boat -- which was a small boat with just eight folks onboard).

Two lazy Humpbacks

After a sunny day in Glacier Bay, the weather got more typical. Light rain and really interesting skies.

Look at that sky!

It was fun, but not a great whale watch.

Back at the Lodge

When we returned to the lodge, the weather improved. 

Views from the Lodge

I walked the forest loop; Scott napped. 

This is temperate rainforest and it is very green

We briefly saw Humpback Whales in Bartlett Cove, but they didn't stick around long.

It is always exciting to see Whales from land

Since we had been disappointed about the lodge having no crab, we called the Annie Mae Lodge because I had seen their van on the dock the day before picking up crabs. We reserved two crabs and had a fabulous dinner. 

Dinner and a view

That was followed by some lovely evening light. 

Things were looking brighter (but we were leaving the next day)

By the way, we have heard that the Glacier Bay Lodge may close next year because business isn't good. That is so sad. It's in such a lovely spot and Glacier Bay is so special.

A nice place to stay

Trip date: June 3-July 20, 2013