20240916 Monday, September 16, 2024- Yakutat Bay and Hubbard Glacier
When we awoke, we found bits of ice drifting past as we worked our way up Yakutat Bay to approach the Hubbard Glacier. There are two glaciers that flow into Yakutat Bay. The Turner glacier flows from the north and the Hubbard from the West. The Hubbard is far larger and one of the fastest moving glaciers in the world. As we approached the glacier, there was a low cloud layer and intermittent rain. Fortunately, ice conditions were ideal and we were able to come within a half mile or less of the face of Hubbard Glacier.
The Hubbard glacier did not disappoint. We could hear it cracking like thunder and if you looked in the direction of the thunder, you could see the ice falling into the water. The sound travels at 1000 feet per second so it would arrive at the ship about 2 seconds after the actual break occurred. But most people did manage to get pictures and video of glacial calving.
There was a Viking Cruises destinations trivia at noon that our trivia group participated in. We missed winning by 1 point, but since we won the first trivia by such a wide margin, and last night’s music trivia, it was a bit of a relief to have another team win today.
The buffet had a soup special featuring a smoked salmon chowder, Hungarian goulash, squash soup and chicken vegetable soups. But without a doubt, the gelato counter is the most popular spot on the buffet.
Since we had arrived early in the morning, we did take naps after lunch, which is easy when they serve beer and wine with lunch. After naps, we had afternoon tea. Then we walked the promenade deck and took advantage of the fitness center and spa again.
Dinner in The Restaurant only took an hour with us dining at 7:45pm sitting at a 2 top. Janet had a turkey dinner while Ben had grilled swordfish. Dessert was a peach mouse which was surprisingly artistically presented.
The theatre featured a second show for Joshua Jordan, who is a comic magician. He put on an entertaining and fun show with some sleight of hand and mentalist tricks, which are hard to figure out. We have seen many of these sorts of tricks done but still have no idea how they are done.
Tomorrow we arrive in Valdez. The ship was originally supposed to tie up to a pier, but one of the mooring dolphins collapsed in August, so that pier has been closed. We will be having to tender into Valdez, so time will be short. The last tender back to the ship leaves at 1:30pm, so we will have to be quick about seeing Valdez.
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