Snowy Range Pass

Snowy Range Pass

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Glacier Bay National Park



Glacier Bay is one of the must see areas of Alaska.  Like so many of the truly wild places, it can only be seen by airplane or by boat.  Luckily for us, we were on a big boat, otherwise referred to as a ship.  Visiting the bay by ship is a bit like going back in time to the ice age.  There are glaciers everywhere.  It is 3.3 million acres of wilderness that is also part of 25 million acres of a world heritage site.  My limited ability with words prevents me from really being able to describe it.  I can only say that you have to see it to believe it!

We entered the bay just at dawn and approached the ranger station to pick up our ranger team by boat.  They provided a guided tour of the bay from the bridge and several rangers strolled the promenade deck to answer questions during the day.  Once again, we had a great day to view the bay, the glaciers, wildlife and the panoramic views. 








 
One of the things that is hard to grasp is the scale of what you are looking at.  While it does look beautiful and impressive, unless you have something to compare what you are looking at, it is difficult to actually get the scale.  In the picture below, you may not see it at first, but if you will look at the enlarged first picture below, you will see a sister ship to the one we are on close up to a glacier.  That gives you a better perspective of scale.











Some of the glaciers have picked up so much of the underlying earth that they are nearly black in color.


We did see several glaciers calving, but not any really huge splits.  However, some of them were shedding many tons of ice into the water.  I did get some great HD video, but the files are too large for blogger.  So I have included a couple of camera shots.



 While enjoying this amazing place, you could still relax in comfort.











 This part of Alaska is not to be missed.

14 comments:

Jim and Sandie said...

I sure hope we can get there before they're all gone. Absolutely incredible.

Jim and Sandie said...

I sure hope we can get there before they're all gone. Absolutely incredible.

Carol K said...

I think you might need to relax for a while after taking in all that spectacular glacier scenery.

Karen and Al said...

Wow. Amazing pictures of a beautiful place.

With all the talk of the melting glaciers, I happened to stumble on a tv show the other day showing these guys breaking big chunks off glaciers to sell to bottling water companies for "Glacier water." Maybe that's where the glaciers are going?

Erin said...

Glacier Bay is amazing isn't it? We were on the Dawn Princess for our Alaska cruise and found a nice front facing public balcony that is not heavily publicized for our entry into the bay and the cruise to Margerie Glacier. The scale of the landscape is so immense that it wraps all around you for an awesome experience.

Paul and Marsha Weaver OCT. 17, 2009 said...

You are right. The ship was so tiny compared to the glaciers.

You two have done a magnificent job with the photos and descriptions. I know we will never get up there so this has been a real treat following along with you two. Thanks.

Rick said...

Amazing photos, again! Those glaciers are just huge when you see those tiny looking boats up close to the edge.

Sweet Meanderings said...

What beautiful pictures! The air and water are so clear. It really makes me want to take an Alaskan cruise!
Candy

Anonymous said...

Fantastic photos!

Sherry said...

Those are just amazing photos. I am so impressed with your trip. Did I see a warm indoor pool amid the cool blue glacier pictures??

Paul and Marti Dahl said...

Okay, okay, you've convinced us. We're calling the travel agent now! :c)

Ruth said...

Wow, is all I can say. It is beautiful, and it looks like you are havng fantastic weather too. Love your header picture it is amazing.

Ruth
www.travelwithkevinandruth.com

Nancy said...

Wonderful pictures. Since I've never been to Alaska, I've really enjoyed reading your blog postings.

Unknown said...

Again breath taking photos.