It's been two weeks since I've written here because, last week and the week before, my family took a trip from the great state of NJ to Alaska by way of Seattle. You may think that this is a "sky is falling" point of view, but the intent was to get our kids to see a glacier before it was gone. I don't care if you believe in global warming, but the glaciers do, and they're receding at an unprecedented state. That's math and that's science and it's measurable and shut-up. Hell, the latest trend, and I fully support it, is the removal of the defalt, non-compostable, plastic straw. Unless you're differently abled, you will survive without them. Trust me. It'll be OK.
Other goals on this trip that were vocalized by the kids and us was to: pan for gold, cuddle with sled-dog puppies, and see orcas. Based on the time of year and the geography of the region we were covering, none of these things were out of the realm of possibility. And off we went.
I'll start by saying that we're not a cruise family. We tend to enjoy the potential of stops/visits that weren't planned. For instance, we stumbled upon the Henry Cowell State Park in California on our last day as we traveled back to San Francisco from Monterey Bay a couple years ago. That park was amazing. So, you can imagine that the boat, at times, felt constraining. The kids felt it too, though, less so as they were more likely to brave the 60 degree temps and hit the (slightly) heated pools on the top deck.
However, as you can imagine, the best parts were when we were off the ship. Excursions, though overpriced, were rewarding. The kids got their sled-dog puppy cuddling time and visited with dogs that ran the iditarod. Cool. We did pan for gold, and after spending $130 for the honor, we made about $32 back in found gold flakes. The orca hunt was less successful. Didn't see a one. I'm sure they were there, smiling as we looked the wrong way...or maybe it was because we were so distracted with the humpbacks.
Oh yes. By far, my best time was on a small 12-person boat in the Inner Passage with guide, captain and other guests, searching the surf for surfacing whales (say that 5 times fast). And we hit the jackpot. After chasing a very specific whale for about 30 minutes, our captain moved further south where she guessed others would be...and how! For about an hour, we witnessed approximately 10 whales, together, surfacing and spouting, and diving. My pictures won't/don't do the experience justice, mostly because, what made the moment special was the knowledge shared by our guide during the trip. Jim was an expert and a photographer and a gear-head, and it was an absolute pleasure having him lead our group for the 6 hours we were together.
But, towards the end of the trip, Jim's patter started matching my own message I was trying to deliver to the kids: this stuff is disappearing. Why are the whales there? Because herring are abundant. Why are herring abundant? Because krill is abundant. And, why is krill abundant? Because of the nutrients found in the waters in that part of the world. And, where do those nutrients come from? Minerals smashed during the process of glacial ice movement towards the sea and the eventual mixing of the fresh and salt waters combined with rich mineral deposits.
And where are the glaciers going?
This is not trivial stuff...because, the more whales thrive, the more species thrive that feed on either whales (read: sharks, crabs, bottom feeders, etc.) or whale poop (read: kelp, krill, more shellfish and bottom feeders). When the whales disappear or even diminish in numbers, other species will become unsustainable...which will eventually mean that our food sources from the oceans will go with them. This is not alarmist, this is scientific proven fact. The human species is messing with the food-chain and the natural order of the world can't correct it quickly enough.
My hope is that, in 10 or 20 years, my kids will remember this trip enough to say: "Yes, I was able to see the glaciers and the whales before they disappeared...and do you really need that disposable plastic straw?"
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