Anchored in the small town of Haines. Our excursion did not begin until 1:30 pm so we walked around the town a bit. Haines is authentic Alaska! Although tourism is one of its top industries, it is a very simple place.  Most of the cruise ships go to Skagway nearby, so we had the harbor to ourselves. We had “famous” halibut and chips at the Bamboo Restaurant and Pioneer Bar, and loved the food and small town authenticity – decor reminiscent of the 1950s. 

Bamboo Restaurant

 

Our excursion in Haines was an 8 mile “raft float” on the Chilkat River in the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. The River was so incredibly peaceful and beautiful! The sun even peaked out for a bit from among the amazing clouds that dotted the mountains and sky. We saw numerous eagles and red tailed hawks; but, for me, the awe and wonder and peace of the sky, clouds, river and mountains came together as magic! Ahhhh… we also had a great young ( and strong! ) woman captain of our raft, Liz, who gave us a glimpse into what young people see as the attraction of life in Alaska. 

Sailed from Haines to Tracy Arm, arriving around 8:30 am on Monday. Since we are now in the Inside Passage, we did not have to worry about turbulence. We anchored in the Tracy Arm Fjord and were on the first zodiac to approach and view South Sawyer Glacier. There are no words that can really describe this experience! Perhaps… awe-inspiring, overwhelming, fantastical, transformative, magnificent… the immensity, beauty and grandeur are something to behold but not fully understand. 

We began our zodiac ride and approached a large bluer then blue iceberg that our zodiac guide, Simon, indicated was a very special piece of ice. The colors and striations were incredible! Simon said that it was a piece of Basel ice, calved below the water line. Magical!! 

 

As we approached South Sawyer Glacier amongst the many seals inhabiting the bay, the immensity and form came into greater focus. WOW! WOW! WOW!  We learned that overcast days are actually better for viewing the glacier than sunny days – the blues are more pronounced. And we were fortunate to experience a major calving event, with a four foot gentle wave from the calving reaching the zodiac. As we headed back to the ship we observed how far the large blue iceberg had moved in an hour. Simon said that the current was moving it along and then said— “the constant here is change”. I love that! Keith and I said when we returned to the ship that you could not possibly explain the wonder and majesty of this experience!