Today we will embark on our first-ever flightseeing tour. Drake Olson is one of the best-known names in air-based tours in the region, and we are very excited to change up our point of view after two delightful days of scenic cruising along the inside passage.
Glacier Bay’s crowning jewel is Margerie glacier, a mile-long living chunk of ancient ice that presents an eerie turquoise due to the physical properties of the ice, which causes the absorption of red, orange, yellow and green wavelengths of light (leaving blue, which it therefore reflects!). Even the pools of melted water atop this 35-story natural wonder (of which 10 stories are underwater!) appear bright blue. As one of the most actively ice-calving glacier, it makes sounds similar to gunshots from the cracking of the ice and the release of trapped air, then a roaring boom as the ice tumbles down into the sea!
Hey, Rich! Incoming!
We are flying over the east arm (west arm?) and given a view from the heavens where God Himself could boast the incredible artistry in the landscape below! At the risk of redundancy, there are truly no words that do justice to this unspoiled habitat, and it makes me so proud to be part of our great Nation to see wonders like this within our own borders.
I have been an avid cruiser of the Med and have helped many families with bespoke journeys throughout Europe and if I can manage to commit some of the finer points of this region to memory I would love to guide future travelers similarly here. I certainly get why this is a bucket-list item. But I am already wondering…how do you EVER top this?
