(Today Terry felt well enough to sit on the balcony and watch as we neared Mergerie Glacier. He took some fantastic pictures which you will see below. He was also removed off the quarantine list at the end of the day, but he is still far from feeling well.)
If you would like to hear some of the sounds we heard in Glacier Bay today, go to this site and find the samples of music. I bought this music probably 20 years ago. I liked it then and never dreamed I would actually get to visit this beautiful area of our country.
http://www.amazon.com/Glacier-Bay-Great-Places-Earth/dp/B000T89GVM/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1372531609&sr=1-1&keywords=glacier+bay
Glacier Bay. Probably many have heard the name, and many don't know where it is.
Glacier Bay Basin is located in S.E. Alaska and covers 3,283,000 acres. It is the largest protected biosphere in the world.
Glacier Bay, which is where we went, covers 1375 square miles. In the 18th century the glacier started retreating and in the process left 20 other glaciers in its trail. Today, only 2 cruise ships plus some smaller vessels are allowed into the bay each day.
On the way into the bay, we had a naturalist to come on board. She spoke thru the ship's television studio and explained what we were seeing and doing as we traveled up into the bay. We saw whales, birds, and again today, many icebergs and ice flows.
One thing the naturalist did was prepare us to see Mergerie Glacier. Mergerie is 21 miles long and 1 mile wide. We were told that Mergerie had been calving a lot lately and that we would not be disappointed today. Thus, our gift from Mergerie! The tree-hugging naturalist told us that we should give back to Mergerie since she was giving so much to us.
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| Look at split in ice and the light shining thru. Split widened more and more as it prepared to fall. |
We stopped the ship so we could hear all Mergerie had to offer. Mergerie delivered!!! We heard her groan and creak. We saw splashes when she calved and then the resounding thunder as the sound waves reached the ship seconds later. There was one obvious piece of ice that was sure to come down. We watched bits and pieces fall nearby and then more and more from this tower of ice. It was the size of a small building. When it fell, everyone who saw it come down whooped and hollered, as if a touchdown had just been scored. It was magnificent! I have dreamed of seeing a glacier calve as long as I can remember.
So, on the way out of the bay, I wondered what could I give back to Mergerie. Other than spit into the water and leave her some of my DNA, I couldn't think of a thing to give her....other than a silent thanks to her and to God. It was a highlight in my life I will cherish forever.
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| Entrance into Glacier Bay |
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| Lunch today was outside. Pretty ice carving. |
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| See the pointed piece of ice. Look at pictures below as it falls into the sea. |
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| It only took seconds, but created a memory of a lifetime. |
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| Gull flew over shortly afterwards. Notice the color of the sky. No clouds, no fog. |
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| Ice flow on the way out of Glacier Bay. Bay was 1000 feet deep in places. |
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| Not all icebergs are pretty |
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| One of the many islands around the Bay |
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