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One of the highlights of an Alaska cruise is the chance to see glaciers. Our itinerary included a day cruising into Glacier Bay National Park where we could see several glaciers. The destination was the end of Tarr Inlet in the Glacier Bay Basin, where we could get a good view of the Margerie Glacier. It is a long trip as the big cruise ship has to move slowly through the narrows. Then its is a long channel trip past several islands (Willoghby, Francis, Drake, Marble, Composite and Russell).  The captain announced a bear sighting and we watched a brown bear that was swimming across the channel. Very seldom are the bears seen doing this. After passing Russell Island the water was filled with little chunks of ice that had come from the glaciers. It made for a very impressive view of the surrounding hills.

mb-3 A map of Glacier Bay	mb-4370 Snow covered peaks surrounded us.
mb-4400 On deck for the Lamplugh Glacier.	mb-4447 My second foray on deck with the Margerie Glacier behind.

Many of the passengers were out on the forward deck well before the expected 11:00 am arrival at then end of bay. I was one of them for awhile. A trip back to the room deprived me of my place on the ship's rail, but I was able to go up one level and find an unobstructed spot. After taking several shots of the glacier and not seeing much calving I went back to my stateroom to join CJ, my wife, and our friends Chris and Carol. The view from our balcony was just as good for photos until the captain turned the ship around. This was a wonderful day and I hope to see it again some day.

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