I can't wait to tell you about the ten hour Tracy Arm Fjord excursion however I'm going to do just that, wait a minute. First I want to thank all of my friends and fellow Tiffin RV owners on the Tiffin RV Network forum for helping Mary Lynn solve an issue with the RV.
While I was away on this trip yesterday MLA ran into an electrical overload problem and posted a plea for help on the TRVN forum. Within minutes several members replied and were able to 1) reassure her and 2) resolve the problem. The response was terrific and MLA was greatly relieved, and, since the heat had quit working when the breaker flipped off, warmed both emotionally AND physically by the response.
Whenever I tell anyone about how pleased MLA and I are with our Tiffin RV, I always talk about the TRVN. TRVN is by far the best RV owner run and operated forum in the RV industry and was a major factor in us selecting a Tiffin. Yes, Tiffin RV's represent an amazing value however the best support forum 'sealed the deal' for us.
Completely separate from Tiffin, TRVN is run by Tiffin owners and supported by Tiffin owner's donations. They easily save you hundreds of dollars per year. If you are interested in seeing a first class owner operated information and support forum go to www.tiffinrvnetwork.com
Again TRVN, thanks for helping MLA while I was away.
Now let me tell you about the Tracy Arm Fjord trip aboard the Outward Bound operated out of Juneau Alaska. Normally this is a 9 hour trip to and through the Tracy Arm Fjord, which ends at the Sawyer glaciers. Currently the last several miles before the glacier are clogged with ice so out tour went to the next fjord, Endicott Fjord, which is not quite as narrow as the Tracy Arm Fjord however end with the even more spectacular Dawes glacier.
I highly recommend this trip. The landscape is the very best of Southeastern Alaska. Majestic mountains rising steeply from the waters edge for several thousand feet, beautiful cold and clear seawater that is hundreds of feet deep, more waterfalls of all sizes and shapes than you can count, and of course, a wide variety of wildlife.
We saw whales, seals, a black and a brown (grizzly) bear, plus a huge variety of birds, including so many bald eagles that, after a short period of time, you wouldn't bother to take more pictures, you would simply enjoy the view of dozens of eagles perched on rocky ledges and islands.
We even saw a cruise ship from Royal Carribean up against the glacier. At first I was a little surprised/disappointed however I quickly realized the immense cruise ship gave the glacier a sense of scale that would have been hard to appreciate. The glacier made this massive cruise ship look small...
Ice from the glacier and the glacier itself has some of the most beautiful blue colors you will ever see. Glacier ice is actually several times denser than 'normal' ice and takes much longer to melt. Snow that falls in the Juneau Icefield may take 80 years to make the 12 mile journey down the Dawes Glacier before it 'calves' into the sea.
This glacier is about 200 feet tall and the water is ~600 feet deep where the glacier ends its destructive journey down the mountain valley. The power of these massive and massively heavy glaciers is nothing short of amazing. All through the fjord you see the results of this glacier scraping and carving solid rock into sheer cliffs connected by a U-shaped valley.
Recent areas just uncovered by the retreating glacier are scoured clean of any vegetation and provide ample evidence of one of nature's most powerful earth shaping tools.
And, as I've said before, if you make your way all the way to Alaska and don't take the opportunity to see these fjords and glaciers, you are missing the opportunity of a lifetime. Spend the money (about $150/person) and take the boat trip. All things considered it's a pretty good value... and something most people never see in their lifetime.
Get out there and experience nature where ever you find yourself -- you won't be disappointed.
Of course, Alaska takes the whole Mother Nature thing up a notch or two...
See Ya!
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