Lou confirmed we were going to be in Idaho Inlet for the morning, then headed to Icy Strait later in the afternoon. We were still moving at 5am, and the weather didn't look too promising. Our agenda for today included just one activity. As usual, we picked the Skiff Tour (predictably boring, I know). I …
6/5: Triple Play in Icy Strait
Back out on the bow of the boat, we were watching the Kittiwakes - they were just sitting there, then all of a sudden there would be a big ruckus and they would fly around. Jeremy, one of our expedition guides, explained there was a Parasitic Jaeger bothering them. The Jaeger's M.O. is to wait …
6/5: “We are Just a Crouton in a Bowl of Whale Soup…”
Dick made the comment in the title of this post as we were surrounded by humpbacks; he said he'd heard one of the guides use the phrase last week. It was most appropriate this evening. It was now 6:20pm, and no one was thinking about dinner. We watched the line of humpbacks, not sure how many …
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6/6: A Bad Day @ Hanus Bay?
We woke up to find ourselves in Hanus Bay. We had two days left in our last week of Un-Cruising. It didn't seem possible for the rest of the week to live up to the days before, and ............... it didn't! Again, that's ok. We had already had 5 great days, with just a little …
6/7: Marooned in the Magoun Islands
Our last full day on the Wilderness Explorer has arrived - we are at a quiet anchorage in the Magoun Islands. We weren't actually marooned at the islands, it just sounds more adventurous than "Anchored in the Magoun Islands." The weather has improved, and the morning views are nice. The view at 4:30am shows promise: The …
6/8: Sitka & The End of our Un-Cruise Ultra Adventure
6am and we are Sitka-bound. We had a nice morning, with just the occasional sprinkle. The views as we cruise to Sitka: At 6:30am, continental breakfast items were available in the lounge as they'd been all week. The full breakfast buffet started at 7:30am. A few more photos as we come into Sitka: The …
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6/8: Thoughts on Week 3 and the Overall UnCruise
Thoughts on Week 3: Glacier Bay and the Northern Passages on the Wilderness Explorer: Scenery - A : Spending 3 days in Glacier Bay National Park was a treat, and we would love to go back again. We didn't find the final few days as scenic as the previous two weeks, but were probably influenced …
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6/9: Week 4 – Land Tour
This will not be a very exciting day to read about, but I'm including it just so we have complete documentation of our trip. We had to leave the hotel at 4:00am in order to catch an early flight to Fairbanks. Actually, we were flying Sitka >Juneau>Anchorage>Fairbanks. I should back up to explain why we're …
6/10: Travel Day to Denali …
Monday morning was an early start. It had rained off and on yesterday, but it was just cloudy this morning. Transportation was not an issue today, the Resort Busses were ready to take us to the Train Depot. If you've not been to Alaska, you might be asking, "Another Travel Day?" This wasn't just any …
6/10: Predator and Prey – On the Way to Denali
Everyone back on the bus, we moved out and soon came upon more caribou: Kirsty stopped the bus and pointed up on the hill - how did she spot this guy? It was a Cross Fox, meaning it is a mix of red and black. He's an evil looking little …
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