Alaska 7.0 - June 30

 W- O - W
June 30 - Excursion to Hubbard Glacier

Today we thought would probably be the highlight.....but with the weather and the ice fields, you just don't know.  But today was SENSATIONAL.  During the early part of the day (we didn't meet to leave for our glacier expedition until after 2pm) Kim went to the gym and I went to the library to work on my journals - not a bad view, eh?  And as the afternoon wore on, both Kim and I grew more and more excited because the weather was spectacular.  The captain even came on the intercom around noon and remarked about how unusually amazing the weather was today.

It's tough working on an Alaskan cruise

A spectacular weather day (temps in the low 50's) and nothing but blue skies & sunshine

As we gathered in the World Stage theatre both Kim and I were surprised at the large number of guests going on this excursion.  I'd been led to believe it was around 35-40, but there had to have been over 100, enough to take two catamarans out.  When we left the Noordam and boarded our catamaran there were three levels and a top deck.  You could sit inside with panoramic windows or head outside to the observation deck where I spent nearly all of my time.  As we pulled away I remarked to the one guide that the view of Hubbard Glacier today from the ship was so SO much better than when we were here three years ago.  Little did I realize just HOW spectacular our view would be.  We zipped out over three miles closer before we even began to see floating ice chunks.  And as the captain approached he and the crew were beside themselves.  They all remarked about how the weather and the views were something they MIGHT see two or three times a month and that the mountains behind the glacier were rarely seen by guests on this excursion.  And despite how chilly we thought it was, the entire crew were running around in short sleeves thinking it was such an ideal day.  At this point I have to tell you, trying to describe what we saw is impossible.  And the photos hardly show how close we got to the glacier.  I knew it was sensational....spectacular....oh so amazing.  And get this....the Hubbard Glacier is one of only seven glaciers that is ADVANCING - about 80 feet a year!  When Kim even remarked about how stunning it was I knew that today was indeed a special day.  I took over 120 shots this afternoon, enjoy what I consider the best of them here......

Our catamaran ready to explore

Truly if you've been to Alaska, this view from our balcony is an excellent one, but hardly compares to the view we got!

Approaching the Hubbard Glacier - can't believe we are THIS close

Navigating through the ice fields

An ice chunk about half the size of our boat

Some chunks of ice are just mind boggling - this one about half the size of our ship

Hard to believe the Hubbard Glacier over 300 feet tall (about 35 stories tall - taller than the Capitol Building in Washington D.C.) - and it extends over 7 miles back.  Note that the glacier is another 250 feet hidden below water :O

The glacier reflecting off the water makes such an impression

Another section of the mammoth glacier and it's reflection

We're oh-so-close!

The pose of the day :)

Close up view of the glacier with a huge chunk of ice floating in the foreground

We can see such details in the ice

Close-up of another section of the Hubbard Glacier

Continuing to scan across the glacier with an up close view

Completely lost on most people is the huge Turner Glacier off to the side

We topped off the evening by having dinner at the Pinnacle Grill, one of the specialty restaurants - a wonderful way to end a fabulous day.  Tomorrow is what would be the highlight for most Alaskan cruises as we head into Glacier Bay where we will see several glaciers.

Alaska 7.0 - June 29

Cruise Train From Anchorage To Whittier
      Board The MS Noordam - Concierge Stateroom 8058

Kim and I were both surprised at how quickly we adapted to the time change as we stayed up until 10pm / 11:30 pm Alaska time and both were up around 7am - which is normal for us.  The Aviator Hotel in Anchorage was "nice" - and the room was large & clean.  Certainly wasn't the 5-Star luxury resort that is typically provided on a Viking Oceans, but then again....we were in Anchorage.  

We spent the morning with Kim in the gym (shocking) and I working on the computer (even more shocking LOL).  We had to be out of the room by 11am and we were to meet in the lobby at noon for departure to the train station.  While we were waiting, Kim did THE coolest thing.  She and her girlfriend Andrea play cribbage frequently at the house.  They discovered there is an online version and so the two "met" at 11am our time / 3pm EST and the two played cribbage together as we waited on the train.  Loaded on the bus around noon and after a short tour of Anchorage we boarded the cruise train with high dome windows allowing for a nearly panoramic view of the amazing Alaska scenery for the two and a half hour trip to Whittier.

We were treated to oh so many snow-capped mountains sitting on large bodies of water and several waterfalls as well.  I was clicking away with photos and videos nearly the entire time and it was quite a chore to reduce the number of finished photos for today's journal page let me tell you.

As we arrived at the port in Whittier the clouds had moved in and it had begun to rain.  But, thanks to the service onboard the train we were pre-checked in and only had to go through security screening before getting onboard the Noordam.  We quickly found our stateroom on the 8th deck (of ten) - it's one of the things we love about Holland America (in addition to the smaller number of guests it holds) is to get one of these upgraded balcony staterooms.  When we arrived we had two of our four pieces of luggage but Kim's big bag had been "withheld" because they would not allow her steamer device.  We had to go down to Deck "A" and have it stored before bringing her bag up.  And when we arrived, there was my big bag.  Smooth as can be to get on board and moved in.

About 5:15 we headed to the Pinnacle Lounge to get dinner drinks - if you're reading this you KNOW that I got the traditional mudslide :)  We then had dinner in the dining room before doing a little exploring around the ship and heading back to our room.  Tomorrow SHOULD be one of the most amazing days we've had in Alaska as we will cruise up to Hubbard Glacier in the early afternoon and then Kim & I will board a small catamaran to get "up close and personal" to the massive glacier - one of the few that is ADVANCING, not receeding.

Alaska 7.0 - June 28

 Day 1:  Travel Day

This morning our son Brad drove Kim and I to the Orlando International Airport where we boarded a United Flight to Houston and then on to Anchorage.  It was a L-O-N-G travel day let me tell you.  To be fair, the "short" two and a half hour flight to Houston was easy, then we had about a four hour layover.  Left about twenty minutes late for Anchorage - but arrived on time at 7:30pm local time.  But the duration of the flight was 7 1/2 hours.  Had time to watch two feature length films, a TV show, read quite a bit, and close my eyes for a while.  We were more than happy to land and get off the plane!  The highlight of the day was, as expected, the final 45 minutes of the flight into Anchorage where the snow-covered mountains were just spectacular.  Our luggage came out within a reasonable amount of time and the Holland America representatives were right there as we arrived in baggage claim.  We'd no sooner got our luggage than our shuttle bus was here and took us to our hotel where we checked into a spacious room.  It was in the mid-60's as we checked in and the doors to the restaurant were open allowing a bit of a chilly breeze - but it felt great - to drift in as we had a quick bite to eat.  By the time we were in bed it was 10:30pm in Anchorage, but for our EST bodies, that was 2:30 am.  Tomorrow we leave the hotel at noon for the train station and our scenic train ride to Whittier where we will board the MS Noordam will depart at 12:45 for what should be a very scenic adventure.

Note the logo on my shirt.....

First glimpse of Alaska as we head into Anchorage

So did you note the logo on my shirt?  The Twin Spires of Churchill Downs!  You know I'm a big racing fan....well today was the BIG day of the spring meet in Louisville (other than the Derby) and as I was 30,000 feet in the air I won 7-of-16 selections including the BIG national feature, the Grade 1 Stephen Foster!

Hope to have some excellent photos from tomorrow's train ride through the mountains and from the ship!