The images shown here are from a cruise that my wife Deb and I went on with her parents, Al and Sandy, in early May 2004 as a generous gift for our twentieth anniversary. It was the first time to Alaska for both of us, and the second for Deb's parents. The incredible scenery and wonderful crew and passengers on the ship didn't disappoint! Countless snow-covered peaks and waterfalls, deep fjords, massive glaciers and wildlife ranging from bald eagles to humpback whales made the trip one that we'll never forget.
The ship was the Wilderness Adventurer, a small cruise vessel operated by Glacier Bay Cruiselines that specializes in bringing passengers up close to the wilds of Alaska. The trip was a nine-day journey through the famed Inside Passage, from Seattle to Juneau, with stops in Misty Fjords National Monument, the tidewater glacier of Tracy Arm and finally Glacier Bay National Park. While the atmosphere was "enforced casual" (in the words of the cruise operator) the crew included a gourmet kitchen, headed by Master Chef Joe Bayley, that produced an amazing variety of expertly prepared meals in the small galley. The crew also included three naturalists, headed by Sean Barry, and including Erik Wilson and Allison Astrella, who provided an ongoing narrative of what we were seeing as we floated through the Alaskan wilderness.
The ships crew was headed by Captain Jim Nowlin, Chief Mate Eric Fisher, Chief Engineer Mike Koch and Hotel Manager Ben French. The crew also included Second Mate Rick Hazle, Boatswain Pete Whipple, Deckhands John Hoeffler, Shane Huskey and Donny Sudthisa, Assistant Engineer Chris Harris, Sous Chef Maurice Pedro, galley crew Tamlyn Pradel and Dan Goebel, Head Steward Kevin O' Conner, stewards Paige McDonald, Kaarin Kiel and Chelsey Parmenter and bartender Todd Silver. Stephanie Hase and Mark [?] from the Juneau office of Glacier Bay Cruiselines also joined us, and organized two fine days of "unexpected adventure" after the change of plans in Tracy Arm.
The images here are arranged chronologically and can be viewed in groups, below, or can be viewed continuously as a slide show by clicking here. Click the navigational arrows at the bottom of each page to move between slides.
