GLACIER BAY NATUIONAL PARK
We spent the day in Glacier Bay National Park during a spectacularly clear sunny day. Throughout the day, we saw the icy top of Mount Fairweather soaring 15,000 feet above sea level. In the morning, we stopped to view the wildlife at South Marble Island. We saw dozens of tufted puffins swimming, flying, and landing near their burrows on the island. There were many other species of birds all around, too. There were also dozens of large Steller Sea Lions hauled out on the rocky shoreline.
After lunch, the Sea Lion entered Johns Hopkins inlet, where we saw several glaciers. The largest glaciers were at the end of the inlet, where they flowed down to the aqua-colored fjord water. We spent a fun-filled hour watching calving icebergs, which is when huge sections of glacier come crashing down into the sea with a thunderous bang and a huge splash. An iceberg was brought on board and analyzed by several kids participating in the family program this week. The most astounding thing happened when we saw a shooter, which is when a huge iceberg broke off under water and floated up, creating a huge wave!
As we were cruising out of the fjord, we saw another very rare sight. There was a moose! We stopped so that we had a chance to see the male bull moose with its large antlers. During the evening, we took a guided walk around the moss-covered forest near the visitor center, where we saw some lily ponds and a moose. After dark, several of us sat out on the deck watching the stars and a meteor shower on this clear night.
We spent the day in Glacier Bay National Park during a spectacularly clear sunny day. Throughout the day, we saw the icy top of Mount Fairweather soaring 15,000 feet above sea level. In the morning, we stopped to view the wildlife at South Marble Island. We saw dozens of tufted puffins swimming, flying, and landing near their burrows on the island. There were many other species of birds all around, too. There were also dozens of large Steller Sea Lions hauled out on the rocky shoreline.
After lunch, the Sea Lion entered Johns Hopkins inlet, where we saw several glaciers. The largest glaciers were at the end of the inlet, where they flowed down to the aqua-colored fjord water. We spent a fun-filled hour watching calving icebergs, which is when huge sections of glacier come crashing down into the sea with a thunderous bang and a huge splash. An iceberg was brought on board and analyzed by several kids participating in the family program this week. The most astounding thing happened when we saw a shooter, which is when a huge iceberg broke off under water and floated up, creating a huge wave!
As we were cruising out of the fjord, we saw another very rare sight. There was a moose! We stopped so that we had a chance to see the male bull moose with its large antlers. During the evening, we took a guided walk around the moss-covered forest near the visitor center, where we saw some lily ponds and a moose. After dark, several of us sat out on the deck watching the stars and a meteor shower on this clear night.
