August 30th

Today was the big day of exploring the Tracy's Arm! Waking up very early we headed downtown to grab a quick bagel/coffee breakfast and to purchase our tour tickets. Not long after we were on the ocean aboard the Adventure Bound boat tour. I have never experienced anything like this trip in my life before. We left around 9:00 am and didn't return until almost 7:00 pm. From the time we lift to the time we returned was like being in another world. We experienced gigantic icebergs, the biggest waterfalls I have ever seen, traveled through the glacier carved fjord of the arm, and finally arrived at the Sawyer Glacier.




-A painting downtown.


-Juneau's waterfall backdrop.


-Leaving Juneau.




-Passing a cruise ship headed to Juneau.


-Iceberg.














-In the fjord.


-Up close and personal with a giant waterfall.










-Markings of the past.




-This iceberg make these large rafts look very small.

I was awestruck by the majesty of the brilliant blue glacier. I felt humbled in it's presence. The blue of the ice seemed so unnatural , as we gazed upon it watching as it's color changed from the oxygen entering the dense ice. When the ice began to calve a sharp crack echoed through the fjord and resulted in a giant chunk falling hundreds of feet into the water bellow. It was a unique experience being in such a small boat in a huge environment. At times the caption got so close to the glacier I felt a bit nervous it would calve. We were the only ones viewing the glacier if anything happened there was no one else around.


-The Sawyer Glacier.



Much wildlife could be found. Hundreds of harbor seals floated carelessly on the ice that has fallen from the glacier while gulls spotted the blue of the ice as they flew passed. We gazed for two hours before heading back to Juneau.


-Harbor Seals.














-Calving.


-That's a big splash!


-Gulls.


-Amazing ice formation.



The way back was an adventure all in itself. I had the privilege of seeing a black bear, a pod of porpoises, tons of sea bids and wound up in the middle of a group of humpback whales. I could here their song as they cried out to one another. Far in the distance one even breached. It was as if dynamite had just exploded in the water as the whales huge body leapt into the air and landed full force on it's surface.


-Black bear on the beach.


-Humpback Whale.






-Our boat, The Adventure Bound.




-Governor's mansion at dusk.