84 passenger, Spirit of Discovery, Cruise West
I wanted to post some photos of winter in the Pacific Northwest, but this year the weather here has been unusually warm. Not a flake of snow. So I dug through my boxes of old photos and came up with some wintry pictures I took on an Alaskan cruise.
I’d love to recommend the cruise ship you see above for your next trip to Alaska, but Cruise West has gone out of business. They were great while they lasted!
We saw lots of whales on our cruise, also bears, puffins, sea otters, and eagles. But this post is all about icy things.
Glaciers.
A glacier up close. (The flag is on the bow of our ship.)
A glacier, an iceberg, and chunks of floating ice.
And now my favorites: these beautiful blue icebergs.
We piled into Zodiacs and got up close and personal.
Another iceberg photo. (That’s not a polar bear. Just a chunk of ice.)
And one more iceberg–I couldn’t resist. Don’t you love that rich blue?
Last of all, kayaking on Sitka Sound. It was summer after all.
Beautiful photos. Never been to Alaska but this state is on my bucket list. Too bad the cruise ship is out of business because I know that it can be a challenge to find a great one.
My son-in-law’s parents chose the ship, and they did a wonderful job. The naturalists on board were knowledgeable, and the food was not only delicious but also healthy. The boat was small enough to get up close to the scenery, and the limited number of passengers made it possible to get acquainted with everyone on board. No matter which ship you choose, though, Alaska has thrilling scenery and an abundance of wildlife.
I would brave snow and ice in a heartbeat to have such a grand adventure. Wonderful pics!
Alaska still has wide-open space with plenty of opportunities for adventure. We watched bears eat salmon at the mouth of a stream. And we saw whales cooperating to catch fish by a technique known as “bubble netting.” They start deep in the water, swimming in circles around a school of fish and blowing bubbles. As they rise toward the surface, they make their circles smaller, cinching the net of their bubbles. When they reach the surface, they open their huge mouths wide and fill them with fish. We could see them breaking the surfaced, their mouths so wide open we could have seen their tonsils if there weren’t so many fish in their mouths.
This looks really wonderful. Here in Europe they offer those ship cruises to the north of Norway. Usually they are pretty luxury but then again I actually never checked it out myself. This kind of thig would be great for my in-laws to see!
This cruise was especially nice because it was a small ship–friendly staff and passengers, and we could get close to the glaciers. I think your in-laws would enjoy such a cruise. Most people do.
I really think that this kind of trip is something you never forget. I am no big fan of snow and ice after those winters in Finland however I always wanted to see an iceberg close up
The colours are fabulous, Nicki 🙂
I read an article to try to understand why we see that beautiful blue color in icebergs and glaciers. The explanation was too complicated for me, but if anyone is interested, this is how Mark Dubovoy explains it.
Oh, reading this post makes me wanna do the tale of “Wang Zhao Jun”. How can such icy view look so beautiful and cold at the same time? 😀
By the way, that chunk of ice really looks like polar bear!!! XD
You have so many stories to tell, Hari. I quickly looked up Wang Zhao Jun and saw that she’s one of the four beauties of ancient China.
The blue ice is beautiful! I’ve never seen a glacier. Ten years ago I was in Lapland (north of Finland) with my dad and our itinerary included a trip on an icebreaker ship! Later we swam in the space opened by the icebreaker and it was so much fun! (We were swimming with special thermal costumes, of course!).
Riding on an icebreaker ship and then swimming in the icy water! Wow! That was really a unique experience.
There is a scuba diving park just offshore here in Edmonds. Since Puget Sound is cold all year long, the divers always come dressed head to toe in wet suits. I don’t see them shivering, so the suits must work, but I’ve never tried them.
An Alaskan Cruise is not on my top 10 list ~> ice and snow hold no appeal for me (except for the ice in my adult beverage!).
That said, I enjoy watch documentaries shot in Alaska. Thanks for sharing your photos
I was invited on this cruise by some friends, and I’m really glad I went. Most trips leave me feeling that way. There’s always so much to see and learn and experience. Plus my friends were goo company and the food delicious.I prepared for the trip by reading about John Muir’s trips to explore the Alaskan glaciers.
These pictures are just gorgeous, especially the ones of the icebergs. It seems like you got pictures of so many great things: whales, icebergs, and glaciers!
When I prepared to take this trip back in 2006, I didn’t realize how many opportunities I’d have to take pictures. I did bring a camera, but it was nothing special. Some of the passengers had zoom lenses and much more experience and skill than I had. They got fantastic photos of whales, bears, eagles, puffins, sea otters, etc. It’s a lot easier to photograph the scenery.
Wow! These pictures are stunning, Nicki. If you want to see snow, you’ll have to head to the North East. They’re going to get hammered tomorrow and Tuesday.
It sounds like the Northeast is in for a terrible snowstorm. We’ve been exceptionally lucky so far this winter. I’m not missing the snow yet, although it can be beautiful.
Gorgeous photos, Nicki! I love the blue icebergs too! My older brother and sister-in-law took a cruise to Alaska. I think it was their favorite trip ever.
Thank you, L. Marie. I’m glad your brother and sister-in-law also liked their Alaskan cruise. There’s a lot to see in Alaska, and it’s not too far away.