Spruce Tip Lodge Gustavus

... the water is stunning. The breaching was fantastic to watch, but my attention was often diverted to closer animals. Several humpbacks were near the boat, some approaching as close as 50 yards. During lunch (fresh grab cabs with a ginger sauce), a whale paced the boat right alongside the dining area. No one complained about the view. We stopped several times to take in the whale activities, crossing the Icy ...

... We paddled slowly, as not to miss a single organism. Kimber did a lot of explaining, regarding the geology, marine biology, and tides. It was all rather fascinating. Once we finished the east wall, we crossed the cove to a river outlet. Kimber pointed out a black bear, but we missed seeing it. Instead, everyone paddled ahead, while Debbie and I took our time. We were rewarded with harbor porpoise. Everyone else was out of range, when the porpoise neared our canoe. The kept a safe ...

<br><br>We spent the night anchored at the foot of Reid Glacier. <br><br>We got to Margerie Glacier early so as to kayak without any cruise boats' wake. The day was sunny and warm again, so I was in a tee shirt and spent a little time sunning myself in the back of the kayak while Deb paddled (don't tell her, though). T Margerie glacier and the Grand Pacific merge together and create a contrasting sight. Margerie is white and blue, with a lot of ...

<br> The day started simply with breakfast at the lodge. Once we were packed, we were transported to the dock at Glacier Bay National Park. We boarded the MV Sea Wolf, along with eight other guests: Chris and Betty from New Jersey;; Peter and Heidi from Washington; Ann and Ron from Michigan; and two locals from Gustavus, Ida (maybe 14 or 15) and Phil, the local fix-it guy. We were welcomed by the crew: Keith, the engineer; Tom the captain; Skylar, the 19 year old deckhand ...

... about the surrounding area. We cruised up the bay to the back, where the Northern Pacific glacier had currently receded to. It was the one that had created the bay, and since it was in full retreat, the front, visible edge of it was covered in rock dust it had pulled down the mountains, making it hard to discern as a glacier rather than a rocky valley between two mountain ranges.<br><br>But because it was ...

GLACIER BAY<br><br>The trip through Glacier Bay made the whole trip worthwhile. The ship met 5 rangers boarding very early in the morning. They gave a running commentary throughout the day. There are also rangers located in different locations on the ship to answer any questions. The ship pretty much stops near the glaciers, about 300 yards off and slowly spins ...

... spectacular displays of ice and iceberg formation. In the last century the bay's most famous glacier was probably the Muir Glacier, at one time nearly 3 km (2 miles) wide and about 80 m (265 feet) tall. The Muir Glacier has receded and since the 1990s is no longer tidewater. Most visitors today see the Margerie and Lamplugh Glaciers. All of Glacier Bay was glacier-bound as recently ...

... as it smells rather like cinammon. Megan and Sayre are stating next door at sally's bed and breakfast. They went out and gathered their own eggs for breakfast. Jai should be here shortly for our kayaking briefing. The rain is sporadic today. Let's hope that's as bad as it gets!!!

... eroded mountains. International research is focussing on plant and animal succession and adaptability and we could see some mountains being populated by at first moss and lichen and then mountains that had been out of the glacier longer had alder and then finally the bigger fir and pine trees. We saw seals hauled out on the ice, resting which is also where they have their young. The small icebergs that were ...

... around some of the refrigerator magnet shops for a while, bought a couple of souveniers and then took the tender back to the ship. We did watch the people on the zip line. It looks like a real rush but at $85.00 for 30 seconds I´d rather do it vicariously. Before we went to Hoonah Cal and I both had appointments for massages. Mine a facial and massage. Him just a massage. I don´t know why I do this. I really don´t like massages. They hurt. I am sore ...