Glacier's Bay's Bear Track B&B Gustavus

... paddled down wind and upstream into the river. We ditched our kayaks in the tall grass, then took a hike along the river. The wildflowers were amazing. Kimber picked a chocolate lily. The root is edible and is a good source of starch. It wasn't terribly tasty, but I suppose if your were starving, it wouldn't be bad. We found no bears, but lots of tracks. In one area there were bear, deer, and river otter ...

<br><br>We awoke to a calm morning in North Sandy Cove. Immediately following breakfast, we launched the canoes. We paddled along the rim of an island, and as the tide was way down, we viewed vertical tide pools. Along the steep rock outcroppings differing levels could be distinguished: barnacles and muscles at the top, with star fish, urchins, and sea cucumbers near the water level. In the shallow water, we saw a good sized jelly fish, some snails, and thousands of infant salmon, called ...

... and the kayak rocking, it was a difficult scene to shoot. Unfortunately, the wind picked up, blowing cold air from the ice, and the water got rough. We had to pay close attention, so as not to drift into the icebergs floating all around us. We got to see the glacier calve a couple of times, but what is so amazing is the booming noises, which echo down the valley, from the internal glacial movement. As the currents grew stronger with the incoming ...

... visible several feet below. On our way back to the boat, a large bald eagle flew over the inlet, from west to east, landing in a treetop on the near shore. It swayed on the branch, as we floated by.<br> We returned to the boat and got settled for the next leg. I climbed to the top deck and sat in the sunshine by the wheelhouse. This is where the captain steers the boat. Inside, he was playing Jimmy buffet (a little shout out to Eileen), so I commented to him, "With all ...

... on to the National Forest table. They had free samples of chips and dip, made from invasive plant species. Yum. After picking up a Gustavus tee shirt, we stood in line for the all-American meal: hot dog or hamburger, chips, and drink. We took in the sack race, while we ate. It was followed by the other standard contests (spoon race, three-legged race, egg toss) and some ice cream. <br><br>Linda needed to head back for a nap, so Deb and I ...

... br><br>Our entertainment? Humpback whales all around us - they were just phenomenal. Patrick and Shannon hadn't done a whale watching trip while on the cruise so this was perfect for them to get to see also. LJ got some more great photos - no breeching today but there was another mother / child and the little one (who am I kidding?) was playing in the kelp beds turning ...

... We wore gloves and hats and several layers...strange to think it's actually August. There were ice flows in the water, and we listened to a Huna native and a park ranger talk about life in Glacier Bay. Afterwards, we had drinks in the Ocean Bar, and it was a formal dress night. We had surf and turf! That's about it for today. Tomorrow is cruising again...maybe we'll see more calving.

... given time. With Hamish asleep in the front of my boat I took the chance to get some more pictures. The afternoon has been taken up with advanced sitting on the beach including the aforementioned stone skippibg and watching a lone humpback breech over and over again. I am ecstatic since I always seem to be the one on the past to miss the single breech. This guy has been obliging by ...

... 13hrs début du retour avec visite da certaines baies pour voir d'autres glaciers. Retour au lodge à 15.30hrs et départ en autobus à 16.00hrs. Arrivée à l'aéroport de Gustavus à 16.30. Et là c'est la surprise. Je m'attendais de reprendre mon petit avion sans examen de sécurité: erreur. On doit être 200 à attendre pour confirmer nos places à bord d'un vol d'Air Alaska. Il y a là-dedans des pêcheurs avec leurs poissons congelés; des boites et des boites de poisson ...

... food just wasn´t appealing although the food was amazing...presentation and variety. It was about 12:30 when we finally got to bed. I had a real hard time sleeping. This is as late as I´ve stayed up in a long time and I was wired as well as feeling the effects of very long days where it never really gets dark. By the time we were going to bed it was on the downside of getting light again. All of this fitful sleep is probably why I am so sleepy during the day (duh).