Into Alaska on June 24

We woke to fog and morning dew. The ship changed time zones early, so that the change would be while we were all sleeping, but our phones and watches did not change right away because we were still in Canada.

Before breakfast, Clare made a water run (the tap water tastes like chlorine). Going past the gym, she noticed that all the equipment was being utilized! Walking, cycling, stair steps, weights, everything. Our fellow travelers are serious about keeping in shape.

Two dolphins tried to keep up with the ship while we were eating breakfast. Such a nice welcome. No camera again.

Most of the day was ocean travel and learning. The experts on this cruise are really good. One guy, Oscar from Mexico, gave us tips on how to more fully utilize our smart phones as cameras (or how he said it, your camera that can also be used as a phone). Even Brian learned things from him, and his presentation was full of humor to keep us listening. Lauren told us about the cultures in Southeastern Alaska. Jake(?) told us about Old Growth Forests, which we would be seeing later in the afternoon.

Dining area on the ship. We have to use our phones for schedules and menus.
Island shapes reminiscent of Scotland’s Loch Ness in the inside passage? Does it have a monster, too?
Ship superstructure. So many antennae!
More islands with trees down to the waterline
New Eddystone Rock, an igneous remnant from an ancient volcano.
Another view of New Eddystone Rock
Pilot boat transferring specialized personnel for negotiating the narrow fjords

Yesterday, we were equipped with excursion jackets that we get to keep and mud boots, huge and heavy that we don’t want to keep. Both were necessary for our first Zodiac tour in the Misty Fjord!.

We were fitted for expedition coats and shoes yesterday, so we were ready for our first Zodiac tour.

Giant, heavy waterproof boots, great rain jackets, cumbersome life jackets and a map showing where we were going (the northeast end of the fjord).

I didn’t really feel like I was in Alaska until we got into the Zodiacs and out onto the ocean. We rode very near the shorelines all over the area. The water was super clear near the shorelines; you could easily count the rocks below. The reason the ocean water in the fjords seems opaque is that they are so deep.

Misty Fjords National Monument is aptly named. These are views from our rainy Zodiac trip.

A Zodiac boat leaving the ship before ours.
Our guide, Lauren, in yellow.
Our ship as we started our adventure.
Other Zodiacs touring the Misty Fjord as Clare enjoys the rain.
The sedge at the end of the fjord, where a stream is flowing in at low tide.
Shear rock cliffs between the trees show how thin the soils are over the glacially scoured land.
The white line above the water line is called the dead zone, where land plants and ocean life cannot survive.
Exfoliating rock forming a proto-arch, may become a dome later.
Water falling down the cliff on the side of the fjord.
We saw three harbor seals, on the rocks, not very visible here. Rain makes photography difficult.
Cascade over gneiss. A closeup of the rock would show intricate folds.
Sound of water falling!

Tongass National Forest has, from two of our guides presentations, one third of the old growth rainforests in the world. They of course want to preserve this pristine environment, and politely pointed out problems from current administration policies. No names mentioned.

Sorry this was not sent yesterday. Our excursion was late in the afternoon, the internet connection is spotty, and we were tired.

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