We are posting this message from the Mariner and the Hubbard Glacier. We wanted to give you an update on Capt Larry. We have searched for whales in many places but we have never had the close encounters we had with Capt Larry. Let's start with his boat. We've been on several this trip and none are as smooth as Capt Larry's. No rough ride even when going extremely fast. He knew right where to find the whales and then was extremely patient in waiting for them to surface. He manuevered the boat around so that we were within 15 feet of a surfacing humpback. Twice. A close encounter of the Whale kind. If you have not had enough of whales we also had some very good encounters on the Sea Otter Quest in Sitka - as close as 20 - 25 feet. If you are interested in the Float trip down the Valley of the Eagles in Skagway you need to pack some waterproof gear. Like gloves and hats. It was quite chilly and rained on us the whole time. It has been a fabulous trip even tho it has rained each and every day. We don't want to leave!!

Thanks for posting! Look forward to the Capt Larry afternoon -

Thanks for updating us. Sounds like we need to be prepared for some rain.

Thanks for checking in!! I am fully prepared for lots of rain now and I am glad it hasn't dampened your experience!

Thanks for the update from Alaska!

Masaki

I have one more lesson learned to pass along. If you want to take the train from Whittier you need to sign up for it as soon as possible. For us this was not an option on the website ahead of time. There are only 300 seats so by the time we requested this it was full. We had to take a bus. The bus takes almost the exact path as the train so it wasn't bad. But we got to the airport at 9:15am for a 3:30pm flight. My understanding was that the train gets you there at 11ish. We rented a car and drove to several parks that surround the airport. I recommend earthquake park. Very nice. If the Beluga's are in this would be a real treat.