Inside passage Alaska cruise

 

Inside Passage—-scenic cruising inside the Endicott Arm/Fjord to the Dawe’s Glacier

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This morning, as the sun rose, we found ourselves entering The Endicott arm/fjord, part of the Inside Passage that leads to the Dawe’s Glacier. It is customary for ships to sail into this fjord just before a visit to Juneau—which is located 50 miles to the north. We spent the entire morning enjoying scenic cruising watching the fjord, that was carved by a glacier millennia ago, leaving behind sheer granite cliffs. The waterfalls continue the process of erosion that the glaciers began. The sea ahead of us is dotted with icebergs and sometimes nearby wildlife make an appearance. I saw several sea otters and seagulls. Occasionally, we observed pieces of glacier calving into the sea. 

During the first part of our scenic fjord and glacier cruising, we listened to enthusiastic animated naturalist, Brent Dixon, provide  detailed scientific commentary from the perspective of an experienced National Geographic documentary maker. He has also delivered dramatic and passionate presentations about humpback whales, bears and sea otters. He is such a compelling speaker that I would listen to him give lectures on any subject.

They brought us hot chocolate and freshly baked pastries throughout the journey.

With the windchill factor, it was below freezing! We could only make quick trips outside to photograph the journey. I mostly sat inside the large viewing area, with 180° views, on the 11th deck. 

I was up and out before sunrise so I could enjoy a good cup of coffee before the spectacular scenery unfolded!

We will visit Juneau soon where we will dock today from 2 PM till 10:30 PM.

More than 6000 steps today before noon.

The staff and crew on the ship are going above and beyond to practice their customer service skills to a ship that has fewer passengers than employees.

Please excuse any errors or typos— I will correct them later.

Side by side Cruising

 Side-by-side cruising.

I have taken back-to-back cruises many times, often a trans Atlantic sailing paired with either a Mediterranean, British Isles, Baltic capitals, Adriatic Sea, or other cruise. On a back-to -back cruise, you take one cruise and when it ends, you stay on the ship for the next journey.

Today for the first time, I am in the midst of side-to-side cruises. I am on a round-trip Cruise from Seattle to Alaska. When the cruise ends in Seattle, I will board a different ship there and take a second round-trip cruise returning to Alaska. The second cruise will include mostly different ports of call.

I look forward to enjoying many of the spectacular Alaska sights and sounds, twice on this vacation.

Because it’s been two years since I’ve been on a cruise, I am estatic to be back at sea exploring parts of the world that are new to me. 9-27-21

I will edit this when I return home after my second cruise

 

Juneau, Alaska

 Juneau. September 27, 2021. 2 PM till 10:30 PM

Please revise comments and dates

Today we visited Juneau , Alaska’s capital and third largest city. It is known for the Mendenhall Glacier, it’s gold mining history, the Tlingit First Nation, and it’s two colorful sourdough pioneers Joe Juneau and Richard Harris. Glacier hiking, whale-watching, gold panning, dog-sledding, salmon bakes, and sea kayaking are some of most popular tourist activities.

Is is accessible ONLY by air or sea.

With its mountain-side location, Juneau is a city full of contrasts. It’s historic downtown buildings giving it a frontier feeling while modern architecture of some of its buildings project a cosmopolitan energy. 

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I added in the following paragraph presuming I would visit this museum. Alas, it was closed both times I was there because the ship stopped in Monday both times—when this museum is closed. I’m lucky I found the other museum of Juno and Alaskan history and culture.

The stunning completely remodeled Alaska state Museum is a 20-minute walk from the ship and well worth the visit. It’s natural history exhibit included preserved brown bears and a two-story high Eagle nesting tree. There were also Russian-American and gold rush displays, artifacts from Native American cultures including a walrus hide boat, and of course several contemporary art collections. I could easily have spent more time but stayed until they closed.

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From our naturalist presenter Mary Amanda, I learned the treatment of Native Americans in Alaska was comparable to the treatment of Blacks in the lower 48. They were completely excluded from most public spaces, including restaurants, hotels, stores, and movie theaters. She even showed us signs that said “no Natives; no dogs.” A brave educated and accomplished woman, Elizabeth P championed  the cause of equality and invested her energy and resources to help pass civil rights legislation for Native Americans in 1945, 20 years before the lower 48 decided to do the right thing and past civil rights laws. She fought against powerful well-connected voraciously bigoted white supremacists in the legislature and triumphed after more than one try.

The Mendenhall Glacier is one of the most visited drive up glaciers. It contains the visitor center with an elevated viewing platform, multiple nature trails, spectacular views of lakes and mountains, and many opportunities to view spawning salmon and bears there to eat them.

Because it rained today, I plan to visit the Mendenhall Glacier next week on my second Alaska cruise. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate for a visit to this wonderful glacier.

I had planned to take the Roberts tramway up to the viewing area on Mount Roberts, that provides a 1800 foot high view of the sea and the mountains. 

Here was how my day actually unfolded:

I took a nice stroll through the downtown area visiting some of the historic landmarks and buildings. I had a nice visit in the Juneau-Douglas city Museum. Among the exhibits I saw were those about the local mining, lumber, fishing, and aviation industries. The museum tells the story of the Tlingit  indigenous people and even focuses on Alaska’s civil rights movement and it’s hero Elizabeth P., whose testimony and tireless fight for equality, led to the passing of the states civil rights laws in 1945.

As always, I learned a lot by visiting this museum that tells the story of the local history and culture

As this journey continues, I have come to appreciate why so many people have taken multiple Alaska cruises!!!!

Here is a photo of me in front of my (second) cruise ship to Alaska—this week, The ovation of the seas. Behind that ship, is the celebrity millennium that I took on my cruise to Alaska last week.