Ketchikan

Sitting in an internet cafe overlooking the harbor and the mountains behind, watching the birds of prey circle and the seals bobbing over the surface of the water. Weather is partly cloudy today following a big storm last night. Residents here were asking if our ship went through the storm last night. They said it was quite something. We were planning on going kayaking today. Not surprisingly, we were the only ones on the ship that signed up for it so it was canceled. When we tried to arrange it ashore, they said they would take us out if we really wanted to go, but they were expecting gusts of winds up to 60 knots this afternoon so it may not be the most enjoyable experience.

At College Fjord / Prince William Sound, we hit our first prohibitively bad weather of the trip. Perhaps it was some type of karmic balance in response to my comments about the heavy snow in Denver. Either way, there was very low visibility and a lot of ice on the radar. After waiting some time to see if it would clear, they turned the ship around and continued to the next destination. Understandable, but disappointing nonetheless.

Had better weather in Glacier Bay, yesterday. Were able to watch the blue-hued Marjorie Glacier calf a few times. The rolling sounds of a thunderstorm made when an 80-foot piece of ice tumbles into the bay is very humbling. As we exited the bay, we stood in the aft and watched sleek, dark forms feed upon what was disturbed by the wake of the ship. They seemed to be attracted to the sound of me putting my camera away.

Two days and we are moving again. There is an incredible inertia factor to overcome. While the constant packing and repacking was wearing, the effort of packing up again after several days rest will be equally draining.

Time-wise, we are three-fourths of the way complete.

• Alaska
• Around the World
• Ketchikan