Alaska - Day 6 - Juneau - A tail of a whale

 We landed in Juneau where we had booked a whale watching excursion which also included a trip to a glacier after a walk through a rain forest.  It was without doubt our best day on the trip.  

I have broken this day down into 2 posts.  This one will cover our whale watching which was fabulous.  The pictures are a bit repetitive but it will give you a sense of how overwhelmed we were by all the whales.  They were all around us and at one point two of them were coming right for our boat.  Lori edged closer to me and whispered, "Do you think they should move the boat".  The scene in "Jaws" came to mind when Dreyfus says to the captain "I think we need a bigger boat".  

We weren't in any danger but when 2 - 50 foot, 60,000 pound humpies are making a beeline for you one does feel their heart pump just a little faster. Just before they reached our boat they dove under the boat and we could breathe again.   

After watching the humpbacks for a while we could predict their actions.  First you see their backs just break the surface. Sometimes you see a puff of water and mist as they exhale.  Then they disappear and a few seconds later you see the back again but this time much more of it.  By the 3rd or 4th time they almost arch out of the water and that's the clue that they are about to dive and the money shot is moments away.  I got a few but never the perfect angle.  At one point I thought I had it and I said to the woman next to me who, like me, was also waiting for that perfect shot.  "Here it comes.  The money shot".  And then it didn't materialize as the tail never broke the surface.  Oh, well.   

To clarify the money shot is the one you see in magazines or nature shows.  The whale moving away from you with the tail fully in the air, water pouring off the tail and the white markings on the underside visible for the shot.  Sun glistening off the water and wet skin of the whale would make it perfect but as usual it was raining for most of the day and water glistening in the sunlight was not going to happen.   Just getting a shot with good contrast and in focus was a challenge on a grey, misty day shooting from a rocking boat at a moving subject but I got a few.  

Our tour guide was quite the whale expert.  He often comes out just to take pictures of the whales, specifically the tail as the markings on each whale are unique, like fingerprints.  He sends them in so the whales can be identified and tracked for their migration patterns, if they have calves and their age.  They all have names and he was able to identify a few from their markings while we out there.  Of course he could have been spinning us a story and we wouldn't be any the wiser.  

Our guide lives in Alaska but says he has to get out in the winter and not because of the cold.  In fact it's colder in the winter in Winnipeg than it is on the coast of Alaska which is why we now go to Arizona in the winter.  He said it's the darkness that gets to him.  In the winters he is a downhill ski guide and instructor in Colorado and this year he is hoping to get a guide job in Hawaii. Many of the guides we met lead transient lives like this and for some it's not just for a year or two but on an ongoing basis.   

Heading down the ramp to get on our boat. 

One of many whale watching boats with the mountains and a glacier in the background. 

Whale breaking the surface.  There she blows Billy. 

Getting ready to dive

The tail starting to clear the water. 

There it is.  The money shot except I'm in the wrong place.  

The tale (no pun intended) of my photography journey.  

Even had a sea lion make an appearance.  We could see him flipping a fish in the air.  Playing with his food or perhaps teasing the gulls.  

We didn't see any whales breach but did see one calf "spying hopping" which is when they stick their head out of the water to see what is happening up top.  This is one of the few times I got a shot of the head of a whale breaking the surface.  

  

  

Alaska - Day 5 - Ketchikan

Our first port of call was Ketchikan, Alaska.  We were greeted by drizzle and on and off again rain showers.  We had booked a small group photo excursion which included a few of the sights in and around town.  Picking the right excursions can certainly make a difference and unfortunately this one, along with a few others that we picked were underwhelming.

Our first stop was to Creek Street which used to be the red light district of Ketchikan.  

We missed the salmon run by a few weeks but we saw a few swimming in the stream.  This harbour seal was patrolling the river looking for lunch.  By the look of him I think he had caught a few himself. 

One of the former brothels.

Our next stop was a small park just outside of town which in addition to many beautiful flowers was the home to many native artifacts.  We even saw a new totem pole that had just been carved.  

Notice the heavy growth on the roof. 

This sculpture greeted us in the town square as we departed the boat.  

Never seen houses on top of a tunnel.  There was a road around the tunnel which met up on the other side.  

Our ship got to park right downtown.  

The first 3 or 4 blocks of the town are built on top of the water.

Back on board and headed to our next port of call.  Juneau.  

Alaska - Day 3&4 - Embarkation Day

Day 3 was embarkation day and day 4 was a full day at sea. Unfortunately the sunny skies we experienced in Vancouver would not be seen again till we returned 14 days later.  For the most part we spent the time exploring the ship, eating and taking in the views.

Our ship was a bit older and didn't have some of the jaw dropping amenities seen on some of the newer ships.  Capacity was just under 1000 passengers which is small compared to some of the new ships which was just fine with us.  

We had booked an inside cabin which worked out well since the views were mostly clouds and rain and we weren't in the cabin very much.  

We were last on a cruise about 30 years ago and then pretty much every thing was included in the price. Now you see the advertised price and you think, hey, that's not too bad. But then you start adding in the extras (which used to be included) and you can get into the stratosphere pretty easily. A balcony cabin, which would have been nice, was one of those sacrifices.

Next up is our first port of call, Ketchikan.  

Alaska Trip - Celebration of Lights Fireworks

 Each year Vancouver holds a fireworks competition in English Bay which is just on the edge of Stanley Park.  This year 3 groups were chosen to compete for the most fabulous pyrotechnic display.  Each group gets one night to show their stuff and this year it was groups from Portugal, Malaysia and the United Kingdom.  We were fortunate to be there on the last night of the competition and got to see the display put on by the UK.  

Each of the 3 nights draws people in the 6 figures.  Streets are closed, police directing traffic and masses of humanity are walking down the streets towards English Bay.  Parties are hosted by those fortunate to live in one of the towers with windows facing the bay and those with watercraft from kayaks to sail boats to the occasional yacht are parked in the Bay to take in the sight.  The beach itself is lined for miles with people ready for a party.  We got there just before sunset and were hard pressed to find a patch of grass where I could set up the tripod.  

I have never taken serious pictures of fireworks before and I checked with google for the settings to use and I got some parameters and then it was just trial and error.  For a few of the pictures I blended 2 or 3 pictures together to fill in some empty black sky but for the most part I just had to do some cropping and erase some of the lights from cell phones.  Why people use flashes for shots a mile away is beyond explanation.  For many of the shots you can see the floating heads of the crowd in front of me.  Created a bit of an eerie effect. 

I was very happy with the results. It was a fabulous evening.  

Enjoy. 

3 shots blended together.  My first attempt. 

2 blended shots.  Better result.  A little more seamless. 

3 blended shots.