Glacier Bay Nat'l Park at Gustavus, AK

We spent 3 nights at Glacier Bay National Park Lodge, outside of Gustavus, AK. Tiny town landlocked by glaciers. Flew there & back with Wings of Alaska. We went on 2 really nice tours. The first was a whale watching trip, and watch whales we did!!! Near Point Adolphus, we came across a pod of about 8 humpback whales that were bubble feeding collectively. At times it was almost like watching a ballet. We even saw a couple of whales breach out of the water. Lots of backs, tails and flukes out of the water. Pairs of whales swimming in unison... all coming back to the surface together to feed. What's happening under the water is that they are blowing bubbles in sort of a net around a school of the tiny fish that they eat, and while the fish are stunned, they swoop through and get a mouthful on their way to the surface. There are sea lions that hang around them to take advantage of the stunned fish, too. There were even a few kayakers in the neighborhood, too. Really close to the whales. We were able to hear the whales, their breathing, and their vocalizing; groans, growls, clicks, just amazing sounds. We were told that when they come up for air and 'blow', that their exhalation comes out at 300 miles per hour. That ought to be enough to stun a fish.
Our second trip was up-bay to the glaciers. We spent all day on the boat covering a large part of Glacier Bay, seeing more whales, seals, sea otters, and sea lions. And glaciers. One of which is even advancing instead of retreating. This is because the ice that feeds it comes from ice fields in mountains at about 10,000 feet, rather that the neighbors whose ice fields are from 5 to 6 thousand feet. And also because the glacier is at a steeper angle than its neighbors, which lets it advance easier.
Annabel went on a 3-mile hike along the river through the rain forest, hoping to see bears. No bears, but good exercise. And good food at the lodge. We spent pleasant time in front of a roaring fire (did I mention how cool it was? Long sleeved shirts, jackets, blankets on the bed...)