Hello everyone -- from SUNNY Skagway today. We are having the most unbelievable weather. Sun, sun and more sun. We've hardly seen a cloud in the sky.

This morning in Skagway we took the scenic train ride, which was very nice, then gave the town a quick look and headed back to the Mariner for lunch and to relax after our marathon excursion day yesterday. Of course, for me that means I headed for the computer corner after a nice lunch in the Compass Rose. (We rarely have had lunch in the Compass Rose in all our Regent trips, but it was nice and relaxing. We had to go there to change a Prime 7 reservation and decided to stay. I had a nice grilled salmon and vegetables, and was proud of myself for not overeating for once. Now, however, I'm sitting at a computer directly opposite from the coffee corner with its display of cookies and other goodies. Not sure how long my resolve will last.)

Okay, enough of today and on (back?) to yesterday with our three excursions. We started the morning at 7:20 embarking a water-jet catamaran from the Mariner for a Tracy Arm excursion. Ice was too thick in Tracy Arm, so the catamaran captain said we would be heading to Endicott Arm. What a stroke of luck! As we traveled toward Dawes (sp?) glacier we went past beautiful scenery, with the mountains rising steeply along the sides of the water. At one point, although we were very close to shore, we were told we were in 700 feet of water, so that gives you an idea of the steep glacial formations. Along our way to the glacier the water was dotted with glacial ice, and on a number of the pieces harbor seals, mothers with babies in some cases, relaxed, getting worried only if we were too close. We saw loads of bald eagles too. The only other vessel in the entire Endicott Arm was a National Geographic boat, so we had things virtually to ourselves. Eventually we approached Dawes Glacier, and the crew was absolutely giddy with how close we were able to get. I'm not certain of the exact distance, but we were as close as is safe. (One of the crew said that a week or two ago they were able to get only within a couple of miles, so this was really special.) We saw calving of one very large piece of ice and several smaller ones. One of the things that struck me was how vividly blue the glacier was. I had no idea. The naturalist onboard explained that as the glacial ice is pressed down further and further by new ice and snow on top, all of the air molecules are pushed out, leaving only blue water molecules. By the way, we had a wonderful naturalist along -- he looked very VERY young but was a great narrator and a real font of knowledge. The captain did a great job of positioning and turning the boat, and the entire crew was as pleasant as could be. I recommend this excursion highly.

We arrived back at the Mariner shortly after it docked in Juneau, then left immediately for our four-glacier helicopter ride. I loved this excursion even more than I expected. We hovered over the rivers and mountain lakes and glaciers, then set down on one glacier next to a deep deep crevass. The pilot estimated it was at least 200 feet deep. By flying over so closely and setting down on the glacier itself, it was possible to see the ridges and crevasses. Very interesting. I have seen glaciers before and thought they looked simply like large dirty ice fields, but this excursion allowed us to see much more of the formations. Spectacular.

For our third excursion of the day, the evening whale watching expedition, "spectacular" again is an apt description. We saw several humpbacks, including one that we watched for I think almost half an hour. He rolled and flapped his fins, raised his head and looked around, opened his mouth, jumped and splashed. Unbelievable to get such a show. The crew was really excited, so we knew we truly were seeing something special. Then as we were about to head back we came upon a pod of orcas, probably five or six. The were not as exuberant as the playful humpback, but the were apparent for several minutes, at one point with at least four fins showing in a row. (Unfortunately I didn't get that photo; it was very bright and hard to see the camera viewer.)

So, all in all, tired though we were when we returned to the Mariner about 10 p.m., it was a wonderful day, one I won't forget ever. When we get home, I'll post some photos.

We are really enjoying the Mariner. I love this coffee corner area. (By the way, I broke down about the cookies a few minutes ago.) :rolleyes:

Tonight we are having dinner with the cruise director, Lorraine Weimerskirck (editing to correct the spelling I butchered before, finally getting it right). Those of you on the Voyager crossing in November 2007 (and many others, no doubt) will remember Lorraine, I'm sure. Lovely person.

We haven't been to Prime 7 yet but have reservations for tomorrow evening. Looking forward to that.

Well, I've rambled much longer than I meant, so I'll sign off for now. Karen, you are so GOOD, finding us in every port! I like knowing that some of my LCT friends are along vicariously.