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Sat. June 18, 2007.

Sometimes the schedule is accommodating enough on the days that count, and today was just such a day. The ship is in Glacier Bay, which since we've been in Alaska I've never been able to be on deck when sailing past the big glaciers. I just got to hear about things later that evening when the cruise director would ask the passengers who saw the really big piece of ice come crashing down in some spectacular fashion. But today was different. After the park ranger gave his talk in the theatre, I didn't have anything on the schedule until 4:00, which meant donning my down parka and heading up to the top deck with camera in hand. I must have spend two hours up there, and the timing could not have been better. Just as I got outside, the ship was making its way past the beginnings of Margarie Glacier, one of the biggest up here. Although, I make that statement with provision, since there's a lot of very large glaciers up here, but this one we were able to sail very, very close to. It might have been the grand scale of everything up here, but I swear we were no more than 1/4 mile from the face of the glacier. I snapped several photos, none of while will certainly do any justice to a behemoth like Margarie. The sheer awesome size of a glacier like this breathtaking. I reviewed some of the photos later on, but none can compare to seeing something like this in person. If you like the great outdoors, then visiting Glacier Bay and College Fjord should be on your short list of things to do. The easiest and best way to see these wonders of nature is on a cruise ship. The rangers say that over 80% of the visitors to Glacier Bay National Park are aboard cruise ships. In one year's time I'll be able to bring friends and family along for a stupidly low amount of money. Call or write me and mention coupon code 1227 for a good deal. :)

My only wish for today would have been for the clear weather we enjoyed in Whittier. It was cloudy, with low-hanging clouds covering the top half of the surrounding mountains. Whittier was quite warm as well. I went out with the resident illusionist's assistant Heather, who sported just a tank top and was perfectly comfortable. Today most everyone had their winter gear on and it was well deserved.

One other interesting note, as I suppose should have been expected, is that the demographics of the passengers are definitely changing. On the early runs up here, most of the passenger compliment was older couples, and a lot (and I mean A LOT) of Asians, most of which couldn't speak a word of English. Now there's fewer Asians and more families. At first you could count the number of children on board with one hand, but now they're everywhere. I expect that trend to continue as we enter the heart of the summer months and the summer breaks for the kids begin. The cruises are also getting more expensive as things warm up, and I believe the entire hospitality industry knows that they can raise prices in the summer since that's the only time most families can vacation together. Smart.