Eurodam to Alaska : We came , we saw , we photographed .

[Boatdrill]

Stunning photos....thanks so much for posting them.

It looks like you had chilly days but not too much rain ?

[scubacruiserx2]

Stunning photos....thanks so much for posting them.

It looks like you had chilly days but not too much rain ?

 

Thank you and stay tuned because we will posting some Glaciers from another continent - South America !

It drizzled fairly steady in Juneau during our visit , but we did have to miss Sitka after Glacier Bay because of a large storm .

[scubacruiserx2]

One last photo of the glacier and a video clip , in blue , below the photo .

[scubacruiserx2]

South American glaciers

We did love our cruise in Alaska but we also remember a cruise in South America in December of 2013 on the Zaandam with lots of glaciers ! We would like to share a few of our photos from that trip before returning to our Alaskan cruise .

The Amalia glacier in Chile

 

 

 

 

 

We also took a video clip there

 

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

Glacier Alley

We were now entering the stretch of the Canal Beagle known as Glacier Alley .

 

 

 

 

 

The first glacier seen was the Romanche Glacier with it's spectacular waterfall .

 

 

 

 

 

It was estimated that from the top of the glacier to the water was 2000'. Thus the cascade is in excess of 1000' !

 

 

 

 

A video clip of the glacier

 

 

 

 

The tiny green " dots" on the left side of the picture are 50' tall trees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enlarged photo of where the waterfall emanates from the glacier

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

Looking foward to our next glacier in the brilliant sunshine !

 

 

 

 

 

Alemania (Germany) Glacier . Seeing the glare and sunshine reminded me that I had forgotten and left my polarizing filter at home . Oops , too late now.

 

 

 

There is an island covered with trees in front of this glacier

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we passed this glacier we noticed a large cloud of silt called Till in the water created by the glacier .

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Till

 

 

When we were looking forward toward the sun the glare on the water had made it hard to spot. But after passing it and with the sun now at our backs , it became obvious .

 

[scubacruiserx2]

We were at the half way point of Glacier Alley and we were pumped ! The French glacier was next and the weather was cold and crisp . When I think of France I thought of the French Alps , The Grenoble Olympics and Jean- Claude Killy bringing home the Gold. So we expected a lot. On the other side of this dramatic mountain was the Francia Glacier .

 

 

 

 

So without any further adieu we present the Francia Glacier !

 

 

 

 

 

Don't blink or you may miss it . Oh well C'est la vie !

 

 

I asked this guy if he got any video because I only had time to take a couple of pictures !

 

[scubacruiserx2]

We were more prepared for the Glacier Italia before it came into view

 

 

 

 

I was determined to take a similar shot at this glacier as I had done in the previous trip so I hustled from the Port side where everyone had gathered , to the Starboard side .

 

 

 

 

 

So it was deja vu all over again . Missing from this picture were the polar bear swimmers that were present in the previous trip. This vantage point gave us a high angle view aft

 

 

 

And afforded a view like being there with this close up . The unique characteristic of this glacier was the presence of floating icebergs . The commentator said that they were the size of large houses !

 

 

 

 

A small video clip of the Italia Glacier.

 

 

 

 

Notice the "smoking" mountain in the upper right corner as we had passed the glacier . This inspired me to take a look up at the mountains with a telephoto lens.

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

The Holland Glacier is the last main glacier that we see on our trip through Glacier Alley . On our approach to the glacier we saw some awesome peaks on the top

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a neat video clip as we move to the glacier

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's a very impressive glacier !

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's also a very healthy glacier with a robust zone of accumulation . And I loved the blowing snow !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our last view of Glacier Alley .

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

The Beagle Canal

After passing the last glacier we passed a small island on our port side called Isla del Diablo , the Island of the Devil My wife pointed out something strange . She said that the water was "getting thick". Sure enough it looked like the water was moving in slow motion ! The island is seen on the right side in this picture

 

 

 

 

 

There is a reason for this increase in density and reflectivity explained here:

 

http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/~louisa...ge/basics.html

 

 

The result is a greater reflection of the blue sky making the water look more blue.

 

 

 

 

On the left side we were able to see the South leg of the Beagle Canal

 

 

 

 

 

And in the center is the Gordon Island that separates the North and South branch of the Beagle Canal

 

 

 

 

 

It was at this point , the confluence of the Beagle Canal , that I took several pictures and "stitched" them together to make this panorama .

 

 

 

 

Complete with a watermark !

[scubacruiserx2]

After leaving the glaciers behind , most of the people left the topside of the ship to go downstairs for the lecture on Darwin or for warmer places . Even my Michigander wife was getting cold on the aft section where we were tucked out of the wind. It had been several hours in sub-freezing weather so she headed out for some hot chocolate . I was transfixed at the beauty and keep on shooting photos. It was great when she brought me a warm drink !

 

 

She really wanted to warm up but I stayed . It seemed like I was on a ghost ship and everyone was missing the show astern ! This shot was a single photo with a wide angle lens , cropped for effect.

 

 

 

 

 

Here is the North side in the no wake zone

 

 

 

 

 

Note how the reflection of the peaks have been twisted by the wake wavelets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I considered this to be a perfect reflection of the sky , clouds and mountains on the North side . Another single shot cropped for effect

 

 

 

 

 

 

This video will give you a great panorama of the whole confluence:

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

 

 

A few parting images of this pristine area .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Forward to Ushuaia !

 

 

 

 

 

 

One last video clip of this amazing scenery !!! This clip is in slow motion and is very hypnotic !

 

Edited May 25, 2017 by scubacruiserx2

[styles27]

I was concerned when my wife wanted to book a Verandah room for our upcoming Alaskan - made sense when we sailed the Caribbean, but Alaska? We could have saved quite a bunch! Glad to hear we made the right decision!

 

You definitely made the right decision. We were warmer on our balcony than we were out on the bow and aft.

 

I never thought we would use it as much as we did, but with the wool lap blankets they provide in the room and a fleece jacket and hat it's the perfect place to sit and watch the beauty go by! Enjoy yours!

[styles27]

Thank you and stay tuned because we will posting some Glaciers from another continent - South America !

It drizzled fairly steady in Juneau during our visit , but we did have to miss Sitka after Glacier Bay because of a large storm .

 

 

 

Oh wow! I'm loving these so much! Just added South America to my bucket list!

 

Thank you again for sharing these with all of us!:)

[MicCanberra]

Listen to her , a happy wife = a happy life ! :D

Agreed, besides your kids can't get everything.

 

IMO, a balcony is a must on all but short cruises (under 4 days).

[MicCanberra]

Wonderful photos Joe, the blue skies really make the lighting so much better and sharper.

[scubacruiserx2]

Wonderful photos Joe, the blue skies really make the lighting so much better and sharper.

 

Thanks Mic , the clear sky and light made a BIG difference . We would have loved to seen Glacier Bay with a clear sky , but we thrilled just to be there ! :) :D

[Beach4me]

IMO, a balcony is a must on all but short cruises (under 4 days).

 

I would not do any cruise without a balcony. One trip through Noro-land made me know I'd never cruise in anything but a balcony cabin. If I hadn't been able to go out and get some fresh air, I would have gone absolutely crazy. :(

[MicCanberra]

I would not do any cruise without a balcony. One trip through Noro-land made me know I'd never cruise in anything but a balcony cabin. If I hadn't been able to go out and get some fresh air, I would have gone absolutely crazy. :(

I have been fortunate to avoid sickness thus far.

[ski ww]

Great shots of the South American Glaciers. The year we went through it was very over cast & gray. I didn't get any of those nice clear blue sky & water shots. Thanks

Allan

[scubacruiserx2]

I have been fortunate to avoid sickness thus far.

 

Me too Mic , I've been lucky ! Patty was sick once but has taken medicine since then before and during our cruises , and she hasn't been sick since . I did have the flu once the day after boarding and basically stayed in bed until the last last day . It was our daughter's wedding cruise and honeymoon !

[scubacruiserx2]

Great shots of the South American Glaciers. The year we went through it was very over cast & gray. I didn't get any of those nice clear blue sky & water shots. Thanks

Allan

 

Some of our cruise was overcast and gray ( with sleet ) and then it cleared for the pretty part . We did stay after the cruise at another glacier and that's next before returning to Alaska .

[scubacruiserx2]

After completing our cruise on the Zaandam in Buenos Aires we went to the airport for a flight to El Calafate where we would stay for 3 days . Our main mission was to rent a car and dive about an hour to see the Perito Moreno glacier on the 2nd day which we did .

It's had to imagine just how large the glacier is and even harder to capture it all in photos - but we will try . Perito Moreno glacier is not the largest glacier in the park , but it is the most visited because of it's accessibility . The glacier is 19 miles long , 2.5 miles wide and over 200' tall !! It is HUGE !! Here is a view looking South toward the Brazo Rico .

 

 

 

 

Notice in the center of this photo that the glacier contacts the land.

 

 

 

This is the center view

 

 

 

 

 

And this view faces South where Lago Argentino contacts the glacier

 

 

 

 

 

And here is another overview in the early morning light

 

 

 

 

 

In this video clip you can see a panorama of the glacier

 

 

 

 

As I was looking along the western face at an ice cave I noticed some movement so I started shooting . 2 chunks of ice larger than a truck fell. One of the chunks is pointed by the arrow.

 

 

 

 

 

Resulting in a huge splash and it's subsequent wave.

 

 

 

 

Here's the video clip of what the glacier looks and sounds like , during a calving incident .

 

 

[styles27]

Absolutely breathtaking. Great photos!

[CruiserRob]

Great pictures in South America Joe. Unfortunately we had to deal with this weather, I think this is Glacier Italia

 

 

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