We encounter aspects of this world in our travels that leave us emotional with our mouths agape in sheer wonder and awe. Such was the case yesterday when our ship sailed to the Hubbard Glacier in Alaska.
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| As we approached the Hubbard Glacier. |
Our captain’s adventurous nature and desire to please his passengers got us as close as any cruise ship dare venture when calvings (equivalent to avalanches) were occurring every 10 minutes or so.
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| Beautiful mountains surround the glacier. |
We’d love to have been able to capture calving, but they happened so quickly we kept missing the photo op, especially without our tripod handy on deck five, where we stayed watching the glorious scene for over two hours.
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| As always, Tom was having a great time. |
It was cold outside, and we were bundled up as best as we could with the clothing we have on hand; lightweight jackets, flannel shirts leftover from chilly Penguin, Tasmania, and gloves we’d purchased in the ship’s Alaska shop. I’d added a hat and scarf to my glove purchase, but none were available for men.
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| At times, we wondered if dark chunks of floating ice were wildlife, but alas, we never saw an animal in the area. |
Tom, who more easily stays warm than I, had no trouble staying warm while I nestled up close to him for some added body heat. Many passengers had brought along heavy down jackets and gloves, but we have no room for such items.
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| As it turned out, the dark ice was a compilation of rock and dirt trapped in ice. |
When we’re on the Antarctica cruise in January, we’ll be renting complete cold-weather outfits through the ship’s pricey rental program. Still, it is undoubtedly better than purchasing everything we’d most likely never use again.
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| Close up of the top layer of Hubbard Glacier. |
After the few hours on deck five, we headed up to our veranda, where we could take the more steady of the two videos included here today when we used the tripod placed on the outdoor table.
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| This expanse of the glacier is approximately ten stories high. |
Although the sun tried to peek through from time to time, the conditions were overcast with dense clouds. Nevertheless, we did our best with the photos, knowing they wouldn’t be perfect in less-than-ideal situations.
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| Ice floating in the rippling sea as we neared the glacier. |
We both feel we’ll need to purchase a more sophisticated camera while we’re in the US, especially with Antarctica and Africa upcoming in the future. These simple cameras we’ve owned over these past years are no longer sufficient for our needs.
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| The size of the glacier is hard to believe, and it continues to grow over time. |
Although I still have a lot to learn about taking photos, I think I’m ready to go to the next level, perhaps taking an online course to help me. I’ve been hoping a more technologically advanced camera would hit the market soon within a reasonable price range that is relatively easy to use without changing many settings while shooting.
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| The closer we maneuvered toward the glacier, the more the floating ice in the sea. It’s still early in the summer season. |
Alas, I’ve yet to encounter such a product and will soon begin searching for what will work well when weight is a significant factor for me and our baggage. We certainly don’t need any added weight to our already heavy bags and carry-on.
Suppose our current camera continues to hold up. In that case, we’ll keep it since Tom seems to be getting good at handling it, and the idea of us each taking photos in both of the upcoming locations might prove to be the best idea for capturing unique and memorable shots.
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| An edge of the glacier. |
Today, we’re in Sitka with a plan to get off the ship and explore yet another tourist-orientated town with shops and restaurants. Of course, there’s so much more to see in Alaska, but we’re convinced that someday we’ll return and do so in our way and time.
In reality, one-day visits to ports of call generally don’t do it for us, with a few exceptions. Instead, it’s the magic of living in a location for a period that provides us with the type of experiences that fill our hearts and minds with the richness and depth of any location, hardly accomplished in one day regardless of any tours on which a traveler may embark.
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| At specific points, the ice appears blue. |
This further exemplifies our chosen method of traveling…not quickly skipping from one location to another, instead of spending the time to discover the wonders this fantastic world has to offer.
Of course, one generally doesn’t stay long at the Hubbard Glacier, and for our purposes, this cruise fulfilled our expectations. The sights and scenes yesterday left us reeling with delight over having decided to spend these short nine days on this Alaskan cruise.
We’ll be back tomorrow with many more photos we’ve yet to share. Have a beautiful day filled with richness and wonder!
Photo from one year ago today, May 22, 2016:
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| One of the narrow roads we walked in the neighborhood in Bali. For more photos, please click here. |