Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska

Hello from Glacier Bay! It was a rainy and cool day here today.

With the weather all gloomy - and not wanting to deal with the coughing crowds in the buffet line - I did something I’ve only done twice this summer. When my alarm clock rang at 6AM I turned it off, stayed in my nightgown, pressed the privacy button on my door panel, climbed back into bed, and went back to sleep. When the ship’s fog horn woke me up I knew I had made the right decision to pass on breakfast but not on sleep.

It was a later arrival to Glacier Bay today so it all worked out. After my room service lunch of chili and grilled cheese but before my room service dinner of a turkey sandwich I had a picture of Lamplugh Glacier.

I had a picture of John Hopkins Glacier.

I had a picture of a raft of sea otters. So. Many. Otters.

And us lucky ducks even made it to Margerie Glacier today. I did see it calving but missed getting a photo of it.

And for the first time since Covid quarantine I stayed in the cabin the entire day. (Don’t worry, I’m fine.) There are lots of sick folks on the ship right now with no regards as to where they are coughing or who they are crowding. With the bad weather we’ve had the last couple days it’ll be spreading and I don’t need them hovering over the top of me when I’m sitting on my scooter when it does. 

Tomorrow we’re back to Skagway and will be in the prime Broadway Dock spot. I’m planning on getting off the ship early before the town gets busy. See you then!

Northern Lights in Alaska

The Northern Lights are alive and well in Alaska! 

For the last several months as I cruised above the Arctic Circle I kept my eyes on NOAA's 30 minute Aurora forecast. You can find the website here. I was in Iceland and Norway in June, July, and August of this year and the 24 hour and almost 24 hour sunny days stopped me from seeing them. A couple weeks ago in Greenland my inability to know how to take a picture of them stopped me from seeing them. But I still kept my eye on the forecast and things worked out in my favor this month.

Two nights ago as we were pulling into Whittier, Alaska they started to make an appearance. Then again last night there was a brief moment where they popped up again. Here's an important thing to know - your camera can see them much better than your eyes can. If I saw something looking a bit greenish I'd hold my camera up and by golly, there they were. 

Just like being able to experience Greenland by way of cruising Prince Christian Sound, visiting two coastal villages, and seeing it from above all in one week made my Greenland trip complete, being able to see Northern Lights on the last leg of my 4 month long journey has made my Super Sensational Solo Summer Adventure complete. And it's not even over yet!

I don't think I'll be complaining about my iPhone camera anymore. I can't choose a favorite photo so you get to see them all.