I've been fortunate - have travelled to Alaska twice now. First trip was with my adult children on a cruise. We took small excursions at a couple of our stops - first one was a duck tour boat in Ketchikan - the following tale was our second excursion - really fun!
We loaded onto a much smaller boat than the cruise ship (LOL) with another 40 or so travellers. Our destination was a fjord with icebergs and a glacier.
BAD NEWS? of course. Things are supposed to go awry - when so much planning is involved, right?
The icebergs that we were expecting to encounter were too large for our small boat. But our small boat Captain was persistent - wanted to be sure we had a great outing.
So we headed down a different fjord - Endicott Arm - in the search for not only icebergs (smaller but still exciting to see) but a GLACIER too! Thank goodness for our captain's persistence and then mine.
As you can imagine, most of the passengers would move back and forth, and from side to side on the boat trying to get the best spot to snap a photo of all the great Alaskan scenery. Like our captain, I decided to be a bit persistent in my approach. I picked a spot on the outside - on the right side of the boat - and there I stood.
We travelled the 30 mile long fjord and thoroughly enjoyed the mountains, trees and waterfalls on both sides of the boat. The best was yet to come - a wondrous sight - Dawes Glacier!
I waited patiently while the boat went in circles to give us all a grand view of the glacier. And my persistence and patience paid off.
While the boat was turning and my chosen side started to face the glacier - we heard the white thunder (the sound the glacier makes when calving - losing a big chunk of the glacier into the water - really does sound like thunder). And there it was - me and my camera pointed in the right spot to not only take a beautiful shot of the glacier but of a controversial experience too - capturing the great splash as part of the glacier went into the water. And yes, it really is that blue color :)
I also have two images showing the waterfalls and islands that are included in the ride through the fjord - be sure to check out my page on my site www.sharondraeger.com to see them too!
The other bonus was my children and I had a great time - and many wonderful shared memories. I highly recommend traveling with your grown children - they can be so much fun!
Please check out sharondraeger.com for additional nature and wildlife images.
May the PEACE OF NATURE be with you!!
