Author: Manny Kagan

Cheers,

Where Is Haines?

The visit to a small place called Haines, was a detour from our ship sailing South. Since we didn’t get on the list for the excursion to see bald eagles, we decided to visit what used to be a Fort William H. Seward. After stepping out on the shore, we were greeted with blooming poppy flowers and we were attracted by a gift store called “The Wild Iris”.

The garden in front of the store that was in a house, had many flowers including irises. The owner of the store shared with us that after studying chemical engineering, he left Chicago, travelled throughout the United States and Canada, came to San Francisco in 1977, but instead of staying there, he flew to Alaska and ended up in Haines, where he has resided for forty-one years. There he rebuilt a house, became a jeweler, and has a rock band. His son, who was born in Alaska, lives nearby, and his wife plants flowers in their garden. When I inquired how he makes a living from selling jewelry, he showed me an impressive calendar of visiting cruise ships.

The feeling about this special place, located between the snow covered mountains and the bay is impossible to describe. When my wife Elfa asked me if I would consider returning and to stay for a month or two to explore the surrounding area, I agreed. The question was what about our dog Max? Of course we could take a car and to drive here through Canada, but I’m not planning to stop working any time soon. Meanwhile, please enjoy these three images.

Enjoy and Share Love!

Cheers,

How To Meet A Bear

After waking up, I stepped out on the balcony at 6.30 am, and I saw that our ship was still moving to our destination – William Henry Bay. We were passing small islands, which were steep forest covered hills. Suddenly, I heard distinctive roaring, coming across the bay, which sounded like a bear.

Today we are going ashore, and at the preparatory lecture last night, we were instructed what to do if we encounter a bear. We were told how to distinguish between three types. If you run away and decide to climb a tree, and the bear climbs up behind you – it is a black bear. If the bear is scared by you and makes scary sounds and gestures, walk away. This is a brown bear, and it will not follow you, since it it prefers fish and berries (unless it is a mama bear and there are bear cubs to protect in the vicinity). If you meet a huge white bear, you will not be able to tell a story about the encounter, since you are going to be eaten.

To get ashore, we were taken in Zodiac boats. On the ship, we were given red jackets, floating vests, as well as special water protective boots. The group had to stay together, and even if a bear would see us, I doubt that he or she was interested in being photographed. Enjoy these three encounters.

Enjoy and Share Love!

Cheers,

Visit to Icy Bay

This morning did not have as dramatic a view as it did yesterday. We saw what seemed like endless water with the horizon line somewhere in the infinity. The water was calm, and it was pleasant outside. Our destination was Icy Bay aka Guyot Glacier. It did not take long for the pieces of ice to appear in the water. At the beginning, there only a few small ones, and then they got larger and larger. One even carried a colony of birds. A few were a dark grey color, and as they moved, the surrounded water was filled with dirt. As the crowd of ice grew, it reminded me of the people as they arrive in a new place. First, a few pioneers, and then as it happened when gold was discovered in Alaska and California, more crowds burst in, bringing with them some dark personalities who left a dirt trail where they moved in. But eventually, all melt to become one large mass either of water or people.

In the afternoon, when we reached the Glacier, we took our first excursion on the Zodiac boats. When the first group left the ship and sailed toward large pieces of ice, it did not look impressive from far away. However, when we got there, I was overwhelmed. These were icebergs melting away with incredible carved shapes and a luminescent green color. The color is caused by the new snow pressure on the lower layers, and those pieces which are dark are covering land. While glaciers are melting, the new snow creates new layers.

The question is, what will happen first, and how long will it take? Meanwhile, do not wait. Make an effort to experience the natural beauty. Here are a few images from our encounters.

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Voyage on MS Roald Amundsen

Before the start of our voyage on the Norwegian Hurtigruten Expeditions ship, named after the Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen, started, I had no idea what to anticipate, or how I would feel. To prepare for the trip, I took eight travel books in the Public Library, a photo-book and a very informative book, “The Great Book of Alaska”.

When we arrived in Anchorage, on the wall in the airport I saw a beautifully executed image made by the local photographer Bob Kaufman, who takes amazing images of Alaska, and in the tourist stores we saw photos by other local photographers. But taking these images was their experience, their feelings, not mine. One of the reasons we chose the Hurtigruten Expeditions cruise line was because their ship was specially designed to go into inner passages, allowing more opportunities to experience nature. We were fortunate with the weather. During the daylight which lasted for about twenty hours, the outside temperature hovered at 70°F.

When I woke up at 6:30 and went out on the balcony, I was overwhelmed with emotions seeing the beauty. In front of me there were peaks of the snow-covered mountains and pieces of ice slowly drifted in the opposite direction. The blue sky and dark blue water framed these images. Today, was a leisure day without any excursions. We could enjoy the beauty of the College Fjord, to read, to write, to eat and of course to photograph. I doubt if you can feel what I felt, but at least you can enjoy these three images.

Enjoy and Share Love!