WOW! Are we having the good fortune of terrific weather! College Fjord was beautiful - the tidewater glaciers gracefully snaking down to the water, and the green hills and snowcapped mountains rising into a bright blue sky. Tuesday we cruised into Glacier Bay, with Mt. Fairweather acting as a sentinel for us. It is rare that 15,000+ feet high Mt. Fairweather is visible, but the mountain rose above the other peaks in the Fairweather Range in all its glory for us to see and admire. Marjorie Glacier was very active, and she had one major calving just after we arrived. Several of our travelers got spectacular pictures and footage of this event, said by the NPS rangers to be among the best they had seen this summer! Calving is when huge chunks of ice break off the glacier and fall into the ocean, making a very large wave and creating icebergs.
After a nice smooth overnight sail, we docked early Wednesday morning in Haines, an infrequently visited Alaskan port city on the Lynn Canal, and the AOT travelers spread out to a variety of adventures. Some went to Skagway (14 miles away by boat, and 350 miles by road!) and took tours from there. The most popular was a ride on the White Pass and Yukon Road narrow gauge train up through the White Pass, retracing the steps of the golddiggers of late 19th century fame.
Thursday we cruised into Juneau, the land-locked capital of Alaska. Our day included a plethora of events for our trvelers, not the least of which was a spectacular helicopter ride the the face of Mendanhall Glacier, just a few miles from Juneau. Others elected to ride on a float plane, take a bus tour of Juneau area, go fishing, or just shopping in the myriad of stores in town, just off the ship.
The food on this cruise is absolutely wonderful, and the service so far has been unparalleled!
Holland America can be proud of the award-winning Ryndam!
I will close with the time-honored cliche - HAVING A WONDERFUL TIME - WISH YOU WERE HERE.
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