July 6, 2926 Wrangell, Alaska

I stepped onto our balcony to cold and rain. Milind brought our coffee, we had breakfast at Trident and lunch in Marketplace.

My salad…Tim’s fruit…

That’s my new poncho…it came compressed in a tiny bag…and will never fit back. But boy was I grateful to have it.

Our excursion to Shakes Glacier went ahead despite the steady rain and incredibly dense fog. The mountains that surround the glacier were pretty much hidden from view, but we never felt disappointed…the mist gave everything a peaceful, almost magical feel. We were just grateful that the weather cooperated enough for our boat to take us so close to the glacier. Because our Captain warned us that he had no idea what conditions would be like…and how close we’d be able to get.


There were fourteen of us in a jetboat and we traveled along the Stikine River on our way to the Stakes glacier. Along the way we spotted several eagles and seals. And homestead homes…this house dates back to 1898 and has been moved away from the river bank several times.
Looks like it’s ready to be moved again.

There are so many waterfalls…they don’t even name them.

I have always loved waterfalls …and to be surrounded by so many was wonderful. The video is just 5 seconds of heaven.

That big black blob? An eagles nest.

Our first siting of glacial ice. Our Captain did a super job of navigating around the icebergs, “bergy bits” – medium sized pieces of glacial ice, bigger than a person, but smaller than an iceberg. And “growlers”…small, low-floating chunks of ice.

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At first the glacier looks dirty…those dark streaks aren’t pollution…they’re mostly rocks, gravel and sediment that the glacier has scraped from the surrounding mountains and carried along for centuries.

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Oh that fog, though.

That’s the glacier in the middle of the pic.

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The silence was stunning.

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Timmy took the first selfie.

ummm…folks in the background…

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I took this one.

Chopped off a bit of Tim’s ear.

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And this photo credit goes to Kayla, our deckhand.

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♥️

We were so close…almost close enough to touch it…well you know what I mean.

Can you see that teeny tiny goat? That little guy was way up the mountain and he’s the reason why I’m going to trade in this iPhone 13 for the latest model…couldn’t zoom in as well as a fellow passenger…and that annoyed me.

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That’s James, our Captain and Kayla…we had such a fantastic time with them. James did an amazing job navigating around the ice and steering us through the fog. He even leant radio assistance to another tour boat who experienced engine trouble and required rescue.

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Turns out the boat that needed rescuing contained Crystal passengers…they arrived back onboard 1 hour late…so grateful we were not on that boat…

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Sushi, Broiled Eggplant and my Black Cod

Paula Jean and Beate invited us to join them in Umi Uma for a memorable meal…I only remembered to take a few photos, because our conversation was so delightful.

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I did take this photo…

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…but this one is so much more professional 🩵

Look, I cannot help myself…this just might be my favorite dessert on the ship.

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We really enjoyed CJ Marvin in his tribute to Elton John…as many times as we’ve seen him perform…we would not miss this show. I love it.

After the hour long show, we popped into the Avenue and Yourick tempted us with sweets.

Then we were in for an even better treat…

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CJ joined Dan Davies for some duets and CJ entertained us performing a very moving rendition of “Imagine” and many other tunes…we could not tear ourselves away.

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Upon returning to our room we found this view from our balcony.

So, yes, we are so lucky…we had an amazing excursion to a glacier, a most wonderful meal with delightful companions and ended our evening with very special entertainment. Every day is a gift. This day was extra. Thanks somuch for following along.