Silver Moon, Part 2: Sights and Sounds of Alaska
Entering Disenchantment Bay on the first full day of our cruise, Captain Albici reduced the speed of the Silver Moon and crept forward as far as possible before coming to a complete stop. Dead ahead stood Hubbard Glacier, one of the greatest natural wonders I have ever encountered.
Hubbard Glacier has to be seen--and heard--to be fully appreciated. Towering walls of blue and white, the boom of cracking ice, and the splash as it slides into the silvery water below. Harbor seals lounge on growlers (car-sized chunks of ice) that float nearby.
The largest tidewater glacier in North America is 76 miles long, six miles wide, and hundreds of feet tall at the waterline. It is one of the few advancing (growing) glaciers in the world, while more than 90% are retreating. The ship slowly rotated to give every passenger a perfect view from wherever they were watching.
Then it was on to Juneau, Alaska's capital city, where I set out on a tour that combined whale watching and a visit to Mendenhall Glacier.
On our expedition vessel, we located eight to ten humpback whales, including groups of two or three hunting together. Humpbacks migrate from Hawaii every summer to feed in the local, krill-rich waters, before returning home to breed in the winter.
We saw lots of spouts as whales surfaced to breathe and tails as they started deep feeding dives, but we were several hundred yards away and I found myself wishing I'd taken the kayak excursion for a chance at a closer look.
Then we were off to see Mendenhall Glacier, which cascades down from the Juneau Icefield just 12 miles from downtown. It's a beautiful sight but the glacier has been retreating for at least 250 years and at the current rate of 100-150 feet per year, it will recede beyond the horizon and no longer be viewable from the existing visitor center by 2050.
Time to book a trip!
I'd be remiss without a quick shout-out to Hannah, our Juneau tour guide, who was knowledgeable and engaging and whose love of whales is infectious.
Next stop, Skagway, a staple of Inside Passage cruises for its colorful Gold Rush past.
The sleepy settlement of Skagway sprang to life in 1897, when thousands of hopeful prospectors flooded the area en route to the Klondike region of Canada's Yukon. Gold miners arrived in the deep-water port from Seattle and other West Coast cities to brave the treacherous White Pass Trail, burdened with gear and dreams of fortune.
Skagway quickly became a bustling, and often lawless, boomtown, infamous for its rough saloons, con men, and opportunists like Soapy Smith, a notorious outlaw who briefly ruled the streets. That legacy endures to this day as visitors walk the same streets, ride the historic White Pass & Yukon Route railway, and imagine the grit and determination it took to chase gold in the last great frontier.
I took an interesting and comical tour on the Skagway Streetcar in the morning and a high-octane Zodiac (motorized raft) ride through the fiord in the afternoon, stopping to photograph seals, sea lions, eagles and waterfalls. Hold onto your seats!
Sitka is perhaps my favorite Alaska port city, due to its sprawling, scenic waterfront dotted with tiny islands, plentiful wildlife and rich history.
I took another Zodiac ride through those islands, bouncing along rougher seas than we'd had in Skagway and weathering an occasional, exhilarating splash of icy water in the face.
We spotted sea otters, sea lions, bald eagles, and orange and purple starfish. Then we docked at Finn Island, peeled off our waterproof gear and feasted on King Crab legs, salmon and steak.
It was here in Sitka that "Russian America" was officially transferred to the United States, on October 18, 1867, with the Russian flag lowered and the American flag raised. The Russian past lingers in onion-domed churches and historic buildings like the Russian Bishop's House. The roots of the indigenous Tlingit clan run even deeper, with traditions woven into art and carved into totems.
There's nothing better than returning to the Silver Moon for a bit of pampering after a few hours immersed in the wilderness in Alaska. Our suite was always immaculate, and our refrigerator and private bar fully stocked.
By this stage of the cruise, we had sampled four different restaurants -- all truly excellent -- and had visited the well-equipped fitness center twice to work off some of those calories.
We ordered room-service breakfasts on days with early excursions, and our butler arrived promptly with a smile, white-table-cloth service and a recap of our day's excursions and dinner reservations, to make sure we did not forget anything.
We looked forward to the extensive lunch buffet at La Terraza restaurant (sushi, anyone?) if we happened to be onboard, though there were other, tantalizing lunch options.
Enrichment lectures on glaciers and the Gold Rush made the places we'd visited come alive.
Music filled our vessel in the afternoons and evenings. There were musicals in the theater and jazz and blues in the Silver Note restaurant, while the ship's band and a guitarist and a pianist rotated through various venues.
We couldn't go far on the ship without being greeted by a member of the staff or crew, always making us feel welcome and looked after.
As we sailed from Sitka in the late afternoon, I watched its islands fade away from the privacy of my veranda and thought about all the preparation that must be going on throughout the ship--chefs organizing their kitchens, entertainers practicing their songs, passengers dressing for dinner.
Every day at this time, the Silver Moon is a flower preparing to bloom.
To see itineraries and prices for the Silver Moon, please click here.
To see all Silversea cruises that visit Alaska, please click here.
For more about Silversea and a list of all their ships, please click here.
Click to watch videos of Hubbard Glacier, humpback whales and a bald eagle.
Sincerely,
Alan Fox
Executive Chairman
Vacations To Go
Related newsletters:
Silver Moon, Part 1: Welcome Aboard
Silver Moon, Part 3: Salmon Fishing and Post-Cruise Vancouver
