Alaska Trip Part III – Glacier Bay

Our boat made its way up Glacier Bay.



We kept a watch for wildlife.



I scoped out the location of the lifejackets and read the directions on this emergency raft. Based on these drawings, it looks like in the worst-case scenario, everything would go swimmingly.



Sea lions!





I hate to be judgmental, but has anyone considered the possibility that these animals are just plain crazy?



There were lots of birds. Love is a beautiful thing.



Capt. Don sailed further into the wilds.




Then we came across some blood thirsty grizzlies.



The view was amazing.



I like to take photos of mountain tops.



I'm not sure what glacier this is, but my guess is that it's either the Reid or Carroll glacier.






Here's the Margerie Glacier. To give you a sense of scale, the cruise ship is 900 feet long and carries 2,000 passengers.



Let's take a closer look.



Examine the layers.



Check out the top.



Here's your humble photographer with a goofy grin, as usual.



We started back and came across more grizzlies. That's fireweed in the background.




If you haven't seen the documentary "Grizzly Man," please do so.



Further down the bay, we came across even more grizzlies!



I wonder what they're saying to each other? Probably something like "Have you seen the documentary Grizzly Man? The ending is awesome!"





The captain decided to take us up the Geikie Inlet where they had previously spotted something called a Glacier Bear. We weren't disappointed.




We also saw some bald eagles.


I didn't see any whales, but I was in no position to get greedy considering all the amazing stuff I saw and the fact I saw whales in Humboldt the week before. After the tour, we flew back to Juneau, dined at a greasy spoon and then left early the next morning to Seattle. I took off on my own, flying to Portland then Humboldt.

On the flight home, a thought occurred to me – I would have had almost as much fun with my family if we spent the week in downtown Stockton. I just like being around them. Then again, let's keep this our own little secret. I've got a hankering to return to Alaska and no desire to go to Stockton.



Before I got to Portland I finished reading "Into the Wild." Yeah, that kid made some stupid mistakes, but he also had something very important figured out. Nuff said.