“Shh – don’t jinx it,” was the word on deck this morning. The rain had stopped and large swaths of blue were displacing the grey clouds that had persisted since the trip began. Sailors are a superstitious lot, and we didn’t want to press our luck by mentioning the weather…
This morning, the National Geographic Sea Lion took station at the mouth of the Le Conte Bay, which, due to shallow depths, acts like a catch basin for the icebergs and bergy bits that are calved from the Le Conte Glacier, whose terminus is about eight miles up the fjord it created. Le Conte Glacier is notorious for producing lots of “blue ice.”
An expedition landing craft cruise among blue icebergs is like floating through a jewelry store for planets. Bracelets of brash ice are strung together like pearls across the arm of the bay, while icebergs stand like cathedrals of crystal, lit from the inside by some deity of light. The color blue captivates your sight, daring you to look at the lowly earth tones of trees, rocks, and muddy water, now reduced to simply provide a background to a celebration of blues.
Our afternoon in the town of Petersburg is a perfect contrast to the morning—a variety of activities that each offers a more complete palette of color. Petersburg offers guests a chance to explore on their own, or take a guided walk with our guides. Whether a visit to the local bookstore or a long walk though the forest to see the curious muskeg bog, there is something for everyone to enjoy in Petersburg, all while the ship loads up boxes of fresh Dungeness crab.
As the ship sails, dinner is an all-you-can-eat crab feast, served up with all the trimmings by our crew dressed for in formal Alaskan duds of a clean t-shirt and XTRATUF brand rubber boots. We are definitely in Alaska now.
