The return half of the loop hike was more challenging than we expected and we barely made it back to the ship in time for the mandatory life jacket safety drill.

We looked forward to a full day at sea cruising to Glacier Bay.

Our day in Glacier Bay was mostly spent out on the deck of the Ryndam. It was a clear warm day. We found it difficult to comprehend the scale of what we were seeing. The booming sound of the calving glacier reached our ears about two seconds after the ice fell, so it must have been around two miles away. In the course of the day, we spotted several grizzly bears on the shore and saw whales, seals, otters and bald eagles in addition to many other waterbirds. Words cannot convey the experience of confronting nature in Alaska. I can only share our pictures and hope that you have the opportunity to see it for yourself.

Ketchikan

Ketchikan was our only port before Vancouver and home.
We were now in the temperate coastal zone of Alaska, home to the Tinglit and Haida nations. Here we would see firsthand the artistry of totem pole carvers, woodworkers and traditonal builders.

We had heard that the weather is usually rainy there and were relieved that it was only overcast and drizzly. The locals say that they measure rain in feet rather than inches.
Ketchikan is famous for totem poles carved by the Tlingit people. We took a taxi a few miles out of town to Saxman’s Native Village where we saw a great collection of historic and contemporary totems.

In Conclusion

After 17 days in Alaska and the Yukon Territories, we had much to reflect on. As tourists, we had fleeting impressions of the diverse forces that operate in contemporary Alaska. We saw much reverence for the Native art and cultures of the Arctic and coastal areas, and also run-down trailer parks mostly inhabited by Native peoples. Alaskans love their land, and they must use its resources to survive. Projects like the northern oilfields and the Alyeska Pipeline bring prosperity, but forever change the pristine land, sea and wildlife.

It is difficult to survive through the long, dark, frozen winters. Year-round employment is scarce, so people must scramble to make a year's income during the few months of Summer.

Many Alaskans use those long winters to produce creative work. We saw carvings in ivory and wood, jewelry and other crafts produced with impressive skill and attention to detail. We also were impressed by painting, printmaking, digital media and photography that grappled with the cultural and economic contradictions of this great land.

All of the Alaskans we met were fiercely proud of their state, but not always for the same reasons. Some celebrated the prospectors, outlaws and saloon women of the gold rush. Others worked in the tradition of Sydney Laurence and Thomas Hill, depicting the grandeur of the landscape. Native and non-native artists both worked with the themes and materials of traditional subsistence cultures. Hunters, fishermen and the wildlife they pursue are also common themes. Many artists produced work with traditional themes and materials that could have been done 200 years ago. Others worked in modern mediumswith contemporary artistic themes. The Alaskan lifestyle has historically focused on creativity.

Before the arrival of Europeans, the native cultures used the long winter months to produce stories, art and hand crafts that are among the richest in the world,and this tradition continues today. A visit to the scores of museums, art schools and gift shops bring the visitor into contact with some of the most beautiful artwork being produced in the world today.