Valdez Trip

Valdez Trip


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valdez065P7298035 The morning of the cruise was very foggy and misty, but the layers of low clouds did allow some good views of several glaciers around Valdez Arm. This one is Valdez Glacier seen from the boat. valdez065P7298035
valdez066P7290063 While in the harbor of Valdez, we saw many sea otters floating around and hanging out... valdez066P7290063
valdez067P7298054 ...these two gave us a look. valdez067P7298054
valdez068P7298063 A lot of the coastal waters around southern Alaska are actually part of the Alaska State Maritime Highway system. This is a picture of the State Ferry Aurora steaming into Valdez. valdez068P7298063
valdez069P7298064 The Shoup Glacier is another popular glacier to either hike to, or do some sea kayaking near. This was the most we got to see of it as we sailed past headed to our first stop, the Columbia Glacier. valdez069P7298064
valdez070P7298069 Of course the best part of the cruise, other than the glaciers, was seeing all of the cool glacial streams that also became many waterfalls. valdez070P7298069
valdez071P7298073 Near the bend in the Valdez Arm, there is the Anderson Glacier on Mount Thomas. valdez071P7298073
valdez072P7298083 Not long after we were sailing, we managed to spot our first fledgeling Bald Eagle (sitting on the branch near the middle of this photo). valdez072P7298083
valdez073P7298090 This was a view of the coastline where we spotted the Bald Eagle. valdez073P7298090
valdez074P7298092 One of the large waterfalls coming from the Anderson Glacier area. valdez074P7298092
valdez075P7298093 Another shot of the Anderson Glacier. valdez075P7298093
valdez076P7298106 Since the forests in the area are such a nice deep forest green color, the best way to spot Bald Eagles was to look for the white heads. The guide told everyone it was like looking for a golf ball in the deep grass. The two white spots in this blurry photo are Bald Eagles. We were never able to get great shots of the Bald Eagles since the distance we were spotting them at was so far away to focus right. valdez076P7298106
valdez077P7290082 Valdez, like many coastal Alaska towns, is a big fishing port. This boat was heading out probably looking to catch some salmon. valdez077P7290082
valdez078P7298133 After a few hours, we finally started getting close to the Columbia Glacier. This meant we started spotting icebergs. valdez078P7298133
valdez079P7298140 The next several photos are some of the better shots of the icebergs... valdez079P7298140
valdez080P7298144 ...but the largest of them were all sitting in the same area. We learned that this was where the terminal moraine of the Columbia Glacier is located (basically the depth of the water goes from deep water to rather shallow water). The terminal moraine traps the tall icebergs since they are not shallow enough to get over the moraine. The guide told us that usually there is so much ice beyond this point that it is too dangerous to go any further. We lucked out!! The ice beyond the terminal moraine was not bad at all, so we got the chance to proceed to the Columbia Glacier!! valdez080P7298144
valdez081P7298147 These are several photos of the large icebergs at the terminal moraine... valdez081P7298147
valdez082P7298150 ...nice blue and the dark spots are actually trapped ground-up rock. valdez082P7298150
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valdez091P7298163 We are finally on the other side of the moraine headed for the Columbia Glacier. valdez091P7298163
valdez092P7298164 More great blue icebergs. The blue comes from the fact that when light enters the ice crystals that make up the glacial ice, the only color that is not absorbed is blue. I think the deep blue is usually related to the older age of the ice, but that may be wrong. This photo also shows the nice overhang that forms on the terminal moraine icebergs. The overhang is caused by wave erosion when the sea level is higher during high tide. We went through at low tide, so the overhang is very visible. valdez092P7298164
valdez093P7298165 As we got closer to the Columbia Glacier, we got the chance to see harbor seals chillin' on the flat icebergs... valdez093P7298165
valdez094P7298168 ...this one showed us his best side. valdez094P7298168
valdez095P7298172 Some of the icebergs were very clear. valdez095P7298172
valdez096P7290103 Another iceberg. valdez096P7290103
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