Glacier Bay National Park, Southeast Alaska
There are many unexpected surprises when traveling with Lindblad Expeditions, and these add to the adventure and the mystique of a voyage. Even though the Alaskan days are long in the summer, sunburns and sunscreen are not usually what are thought of when conjuring up images of this land and planning for a vacation. Wildlife, glaciers and mountains often come to mind – and we had plenty of those today – but we also had the paradox of bright sunshine in a rainforest during our excursion through Glacier Bay National Park. Our park ranger, Sarah Keefer, told us that this was the first sunny day in eleven days.
Mammals have the advantage of being able to modify their behavior according to conditions. What can large animals with thick fur coats do on a hot day like this? Well, one black bear solved the problem in a very logical way by going for a swim in the chilly water of the bay. We caught this one in the act of cooling off between foraging bouts while some kayakers enjoyed a break in the sunshine not far down the beach. The two species responded in different ways to the same condition. It’s nice to have choices.
There are many unexpected surprises when traveling with Lindblad Expeditions, and these add to the adventure and the mystique of a voyage. Even though the Alaskan days are long in the summer, sunburns and sunscreen are not usually what are thought of when conjuring up images of this land and planning for a vacation. Wildlife, glaciers and mountains often come to mind – and we had plenty of those today – but we also had the paradox of bright sunshine in a rainforest during our excursion through Glacier Bay National Park. Our park ranger, Sarah Keefer, told us that this was the first sunny day in eleven days.
Mammals have the advantage of being able to modify their behavior according to conditions. What can large animals with thick fur coats do on a hot day like this? Well, one black bear solved the problem in a very logical way by going for a swim in the chilly water of the bay. We caught this one in the act of cooling off between foraging bouts while some kayakers enjoyed a break in the sunshine not far down the beach. The two species responded in different ways to the same condition. It’s nice to have choices.
