Review - Southbound Voyage of the Glaciers - 22 Aug 2015

[GreySkies]

(I tried to resize photos before and after putting them into this review. Clearly, this software does not lend itself to such easy manipulation!)

 

I have decided that I will write this review broken up into categories, rather than days. The categories will be (in no particular order):

 

 

1. Cruise Line Excursions

2. Food

3. Activities

4. Glaciers

5. Towns (Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan)

6. Other

 

Background: This year was my 40th birthday. My mother decided to treat me to a cruise to Alaska, which she did when she turned 40. I only had a week off from work, so we decided to do a Southbound Voyage of the Glaciers cruise to maximize our opportunities of seeing glaciers. We ended up on the Grand Princess.

 

 

Four days before the cruise, my helicopter-dog sledding excursion got cancelled due to “operational issues” which I found out was lack of snow for the dogs. I was originally upset that this was cancelled, but didn’t mind that it wasn’t going to happen when the day came. I got to spend the afternoon meandering through Skagway with my mother instead. I’ll talk more about that later.

 

 

Excursion 1:

 

 

Skagway in Focus Photography Tour:

 

 

What it says in the skagway excursion Paper listing: Calling all novice and serious photographers – lace up your walking shoes and grab your camera for an intimate look at Alaska’s natural wonders led by a professional instructor. Visit one awe-inspiring setting after another while picking up valuable tips and techniques to enhance your unforgettable images. (For the Princess Website Excursion Listing, click here.)

 

 

What it was: There were only 10 of us on this tour, out of a max of 14. The driver, Peter, was the instructor. He gave us his background which was a mechanical engineer who eventually had a life altering experience (read: accident) last year that convinced him sitting in a cubicle was not what he wanted to spend his time doing, so he headed to Alaska to lead photography tours. After our assigned time to leave came, we headed out with a short drive down Main St. in Skagway with Peter explaining a few things about the buildings we were seeing, including the most photographed building in all of Alaska and all of the various bars (in case anyone on the tour liked drinking).

 

 

Soon, we were out of the town and heading into the hills. During the drive, Peter explained some of the basic principles of how the camera works and suggested that we all put them into Aperture Priority mode and set the picture to timer so our hands wouldn’t be touching the camera and shaking it. We would control the shutter speed, allowing us to change how the water showed up in the image. Either individual drops or a silky flow. After driving about 20 minutes, we came to our first stop: Pitchfork Falls.

 

 

 

We all piled out of the mini-bus with our cameras and available tripods. Most of the people on the tour had Nikon cameras. I had a Canon. Peter spent the majority of time with the people that had Nikon cameras since he wasn’t as familiar with them. While we were at the falls, we took pictures of the (three) White Pass & Yukon Route trains that went on a bridge over the falls. We also took pictures of the falls.

 

 

 

Pitchfork Falls ©2015 M. Hager Pitchfork Falls ©2015 M. Hager

 

 

At one point, tired of waiting for Peter to get to me, I took my camera and went behind the mini-bus to take photos of a waterfall across the street. (I’d taken a photo boot camp class a few years ago, and one of the things the instructor taught us was to look behind us, particularly during the “golden hour”.)

 

 

Other Falls ©2015 M. Hager

 

 

Eventually we headed to another location with a waterfall. Here, I finally got some instruction from Peter. The photos turned out quite nicely, particularly with the lens hood now attached.

 

 

 

Falls Triptych ©2015 M. Hager

Edited September 6, 2015 by GreySkies
Note at top.

[GreySkies]

After the second falls, we headed to an area where we would be given a talk about depth of field. It was a large landscape with several lakes within view. This was an area between the American and Canadian Border Patrols.

 

 

No Man’s Land ©2015 M. Hager

 

 

The stop between the two borders was relatively short compared to the one at Pitchfork Falls. By this time, our excursion time for photographs was over. We piled into the mini-bus again and headed back to the cruise ship. Peter spent the time explaining some more of what we were seeing, how the border patrols work, and re-iterating the three primary issues when doing photography (aperture, shutter speed, and light).

 

 

PERSONAL REVIEW OF EXCURSION: The negative - I was disappointed in the lack of locations that we stopped in for photographs. There were only 3 stops. The time of year was also such that we didn’t see any animals, but I can’t blame the excursion for that. The positive - I was grateful for the instruction that reminded me of several things from my photography boot camp that I had forgotten over the years. This instruction would prepare me for my excursion the next day which was another photography opportunity.

 

 

Excursion 2:

 

 

Whale Watching & mendenhall glacier photo safari:

 

 

What it says on the princess website Juneau excursion listing: http://www.princess.com/excursion/exDetails.do?tourCode=JNU-700&exType=S

 

 

What it was: There were a total of 14 people on this excursion. This tour was headed up by Molly who is a professional photographer, with Chad who was our driver and John who was our boat captain. Our first stop was at a small stream to view the salmon that were spawning. This stop was for about 10 minutes and just outside of Juneau. My best picture at this spot was of a spider web on a fence. Go figure!

 

 

 

Fence Web ©2015 M. Hager

 

 

We all piled back onto the mini-bus and observed the river trying to spot bear. No luck, but Molly explained to us the tidal differences between high and low tide. Our next stop was the Steep Creek trail. As we walked, we stopped on a bridge where we were able to see more waterfalls and salmon. Once again, the salmon were quite difficult to get good pictures of. The picture I posted are of two different types of salmon next to each other. One is a brilliant red color, the other is a plain brownish-grey.

 

 

 

 

 

Trail of Time Marker ©2015 M. Hager Twin Salmon ©2015 M. Hager

 

 

We continued on and spotted lots of mushrooms and some bear scat. Again, no bears were actually spotted. The mushrooms were massive and the focus of most of my photography. Molly spent much of the time working with other people who were less familiar with their cameras. If I had a specific question, I would just ask that. Otherwise, I figured I’d play with my settings.

 

 

 

Berry Beary Scat ©2015 M. Hager

[GreySkies]

 

Mushrooms Galore ©2015 M. Hager

 

 

At the end of the trail, we were able to see a glacier. Oddly, Molly never informed us that this was Mendenhall Glacier, so I made sure to verify that’s what we were looking at. There were plenty of people at the bottom of the waterfall on the right side. What I loved about Mendenhall Glacier is the different look it has on the left side of the other glaciers I had seen to this point.

 

 

 

Mendenhall Glacier – Left Side ©2015 M. Hager

 

 

The person in the picture is myself with my stuffed mouse, Stowaway. (One of these days I’ll write a children’s book about his adventures, as was suggested on another review I wrote.) This picture gives a great view of the overall landscape of the area.

 

 

Mendenhall Glacier Landscape ©2015 M. Hager

[GreySkies]

From here, we headed to our boat captained by John. After the basic safety review, which included lots of jokes, we were headed to Stephen’s Passage. According to Molly and John, the boats are required to stay a minimum of 100 yards (900 feet) from the whales. The whales, on the other hand, do not have to stay away from the boats. (Training them to do so would be a nifty trick.) On our way out, John spotted some blows from whales and stopped for us to view them. It turned out to be a mother and what was estimated to be an 8 month old whale prepping for the long migration this year. Each time we saw the whales come up, we were all excited and waiting for the tails, but they never showed.

 

 

 

 

 

Humpback Whale ©2015 M. Hager

 

 

Eventually, we did move on and were rewarded with more whales, and, this time, tails. John stayed in contact with other boat captains to trade information, including whether there was enough room for them to move past the whales at a safe distance. Like Molly, John was a treasure trove of information, and I didn’t hesitate to ask him questions.

 

 

Humpback Whales and Boat ©2015 M. Hager

 

Humpback Whale Tail ©2015 M. Hager

 

 

I have a number of other whale tail pictures, but those are either going into a photo competition that the excursion company has every year or, more likely, onto my wall. We also had a very curious sea lion that I got some nice pictures of.

 

 

Eventually our time viewing the whales came to an end and we had to head back to the cruise ship. While on the water, we did spot one eagle among a bunch of seagulls. I tried grabbing some pictures, but none of them came out very well. Molly continued to explain to us the lives of Humpbacks, as they are currently known. She also reiterated the three aspects of photography that are critical (aperture, speed, and lighting. At some point on the bus earlier, she also discussed the use of breaking the picture up into thirds. This is hard to remember to do when excited about seeing whales.) When we got to shore, Molly pointed out an eagle in one of the trees.

 

 

PERSONAL REVIEW OF EXCURSION: The negative – The Trail of Time didn’t seem that exciting to me after the excursion the day before. I think I would have been better off just spending the entire time on a whale watching excursion. Then again, if I’d seen some animals, I’m sure I would have been thrilled with this portion of the excursion. The positive – Molly and John were very informative. We saw a variety of wildlife including whales, sea lions, and eagles. Those that didn’t have a photography excursion the day before had the opportunity to learn about photography and get hands-on help with their cameras.

[GreySkies]

Excursion 3:

animal planet exclusive: bear country & wildlife expedition:

 

 

What it says on the princess website Ketchikan excursion listing: http://www.princess.com/excursion/exDetails.do?t=A&exType=S&tourCode=KTN-885

 

 

What it was: There were a total of 24 people on this excursion. Once again, we all piled onto a bus, but this was a large one and everyone was able to get a seat row to themselves, if desired. As we drove to Tongass National Forest, our driver would point out eagle nests in trees and tell us about the area. The drive itself was fairly nice, and only lasted about 20 minutes. You do go on a dirt road for the last 2 minutes, but the road is well kept, so it isn’t very hard on the body. We passed by the Totem Bight State Park on the way there (and back).

 

Totem Bight ©2015 M. Hager

 

 

This tour itself was headed up by two young guys, Clint and the other whose name I’ve forgotten. The group was split into two once we arrived at the site. We were told to put our food and drinks into a tub to prevent the bears from being attracted to us. I also left my camera case with the tub, but would take an extra battery with me and my normal 55mm lens. My camera had the 75mm - 300mm lens attached. (This would prove to be a mistake, as I would run out of memory card data. Who knew 900+ photos wouldn’t be enough.)

 

 

My group headed out on our walk with Clint and saw tons of gulls near some water. My poor mother was nervous about the suspension bridges. She claims she was about to go on the first one when I bolted back over and started shaking it. I guided her over the first one. By the end of the third one, she seemed fine.

 

 

 

Mom and the First Suspension Bridge ©2015 M. Hager

 

 

Before we even finished crossing the first suspension bridge, someone noticed some rustling of bushes near a big fallen tree stump. After waiting a bit and someone crossing the suspension bridge, we were rewarded with the news that there were two bears! It turned out to be a young mother (still had some brown fur) and a cub of about 7 months. We stopped and watched these two bears for a long time. They meandered over some logs to the water and eventually went in. The mother bear caught a salmon. The two eventually went out of the water and ate the salmon hidden in the bushes. It was a pure delight seeing these bears.

 

 

 

Da Bears! ©2015 M. Hager

 

 

We continued over some suspension bridges (a total of 4) and got to a smaller trail. As we walked through the trail, something on a plant caught my eye. It was a large slug. A banana slug, to be exact. For those familiar with UC Santa Cruz, you’ll recall that their mascot was changed in the mid-1980s to be the banana slug. I was excited about seeing this odd looking slug, but my mom called me to the group which was looking at a bear sleeping in a tree. I went back during a lull and snapped this picture.

 

 

Banana Slug ©2015 M. Hager

 

 

Let Sleeping Bears Lie ©2015 M. Hager

 

 

It did not appear that the bear was in the most comfortable position to sleep in to a human. He was hanging over a large branch. However, at one point, he repositioned himself to something that seemed even less comfortable to us. I guess a bear just doesn’t care. We let the sleeping bear lie and snapped many pictures of him.

 

 

A second bear was spotted in another tree that had a salmon in his mouth. This bear was far more difficult to get a good picture of due to the fact that there were trees in the way. Trust me when I say there was a salmon in his mouth.

 

 

Mmmm… Dinner! ©2015 M. Hager

[GreySkies]

After a long stay observing the two bears in the trees, we continued down the path to the salmon hatchery view. There were many gulls in this area, as well. Clint explained that the salmon, regardless of where they are let go after hatching, will find their way to the hatchery and up the ladders. Nature really is quite astounding! At one point, another bear was spotted in the far distance, again with some salmon. By this point, I was out of my memory card and was frantically trying to figure out which images I could delete to try and get a picture of the latest bear. Thankfully, I was able to do so, as seen in this shot.

 

I don’t recall inviting everyone to dinner! ©2015 M. Hager

 

 

As we made our way from the hatchery back to the buildings where the latest totem pole was being carved and some birds of prey were, Clint spotted a Blue Crested Wren (?) which he said was very difficult to get a good picture of. After several seasons, he still hadn’t gotten a good one. Since I was the first in line, I had beginner’s luck.

 

 

Blue Crested Wren(?) ©2015 M. Hager

 

 

I tried to get even closer, but he flew away very quickly. Everyone in my tour will just have to enjoy the picture I snapped.

 

 

We got to see some birds of prey: two eagles, a peregrine falcon, and one other. Once again, I had to find images to delete to be able to snap a few pictures of an eagle. I was delighted when I saw how this image turned out.

 

Golden Eye ©2015 M. Hager

 

 

The person talking to us about the birds of prey explained that this particular eagle could not be returned to the wild because she had been hit by a car. Instead, they take care of her and she gets to educate the public. The other eagle in their care was because the eagle had a very deformed beak that prevented it from being able to eat properly. The center would cut up the food for the eagle to allow it to eat.

 

 

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder ©2015 M. Hager

 

 

Someone on the tour asked about the fact that only one talon was showing. It was explained to us that not all birds sleep lying down. Thus, like a flamingo, an eagle will rest on one leg while the other is tucked up underneath.

 

 

I apologize for not getting any pictures of the totem being carved. The person was very soft-spoken, but clearly loved what he did. If you go, make sure you ask how he got into totem carving. He carves a new totem for Tongass National Park each year. I believe they currently have 4, plus the one he’s working on.

 

 

PERSONAL REVIEW OF EXCURSION: The negative – We occasionally spent more time in one location than I felt was necessary. The positive – I learned quite a bit, saw bears, eagles, other birds, and a banana slug. The best part was that my mother came with me and got to share the experience!

Edited September 6, 2015 by GreySkies

[shredie]

Fabulous!

[TracieABD]

Gorgeous photos!

[RRFPresident]

The person in the picture is myself with my stuffed mouse, Stowaway. (One of these days I’ll write a children’s book about his adventures, as was suggested on another review I wrote.) This picture gives a great view of the overall landscape of the area.

 

 

Mendenhall Glacier Landscape ©2015 M. Hager

 

Great start to your review! I recognize you from our multitude of trivia games played during the week. Also did the bear country excursion and spotted that first bear sleeping in the tree.

[Arizona-Cruising]

Was looking forward to the photos- tried smart phone and lap top only able to see the eagle which was great. Is it me or can everyone else see the photos?

Any other link to your pictures?

[dijid]

Was looking forward to the photos- tried smart phone and lap top only able to see the eagle which was great. Is it me or can everyone else see the photos?

Any other link to your pictures?

 

I think you have to be logged in to a Google account to see them. That's the only thing that worked for me.

[GreySkies]

Try the following link.

 

 

Alaska 2015

Edited September 7, 2015 by GreySkies

[Bimmer09]

I am seeing your photos and enjoying them-such a beautiful part of the world.

 

Thanks for taking the time to share this with us.

 

Looking forward to more!

 

Norris

[JimmyVWine]

From here, we headed to our boat captained by John. After the basic safety review, which included lots of jokes, we were headed to Stephen’s Passage. According to Molly and John, the boats are required to stay a minimum of 100 yards (900 feet) from the whales. The whales, on the other hand, do not have to stay away from the boats.

Just a quick correction. 100 yards is only 300 feet. Wouldn't want people to start getting confused when their excursion boat gets quite close to the whales.

 

Thanks for sharing your photos.

[GreySkies]

Just a quick correction. 100 yards is only 300 feet. Wouldn't want people to start getting confused when their excursion boat gets quite close to the whales.

 

Thanks for the correction. I'm not sure why I multiplied it by 3.

[emmak8]

Thank you for sharing.

[Arizona-Cruising]

Was looking at doing this trip in 2017 how was the Glacier portion of the cruise? We have done Glacier Bay and Tracys Arm how do they compare? What Glacier was in your trip?

Thanks

[GreySkies]

I will eventually get to reviewing the glaciers.

 

We saw Hubbard and Glacier Bay, plus we did the Major Marine Tours Prince William Sound tour. I've never been to Tracy Arm, so I can't compare the two for you.

 

Glacier Bay was nice, but it didn't seem to be as good as Hubbard at calving the day we were there.

[mimmy52]

I'm enjoying your review. We did the N/B Voyage of the Glaciers on Grand Princess in July, and I also did the photo safari in Juneau. I'm looking forward to more comparisons.

[joand452]

We did this cruise in 2006 -- definitely time to go back!

 

Great photos!

[Budget Queen]

Ketchikan, you mention, buildings, hatchery, carvers. it sounds like you went to Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary???? But then you mentioned Totem Bight? (Which is in the opposite direction and you would not have passed) Just looking for where you actually went? Or was it Saxman Village you actually passed?

[Keith1010]

Great review.

Keith

[Whimsy]

Great review! I'm doing Alaska next year and your review was very helpful!

[Everbest]

What wonderful pictures. I especially enjoyed the picture of the sleeping bear's face since I only saw his back when I was with you. Also I never could get a good view of the bear with the salmon in his mouth. Good job!

[GreySkies]

Ketchikan, you mention, buildings, hatchery, carvers. it sounds like you went to Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary???? But then you mentioned Totem Bight? (Which is in the opposite direction and you would not have passed) Just looking for where you actually went? Or was it Saxman Village you actually passed?

 

I just looked at the excursion information on Princess' site. It was the Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary. The bus went through Saxman Village, and I thought he mentioned Totem Bight as being passed, too. Guess I misheard.