R. Doug Wicker's Blog, page 63

Cruising Alaska Off-Season — Endicott Arm; The Sunny Version

Oh, what a difference a week makes. We’re back in Endicott Arm, headed for Dawes Glacier, but this time we’re under bright sun and blue skies. Which, in my book, makes for much better photography in most cases, unless you’re going for mood. For instance, just compare the shot above with this one from Fun Photo Friday I posted on December 17:

Endicott Arm one week earlier

Even the icebergs and growlers come off looking much more intense in color, and the clear portions of ice positively...

Christmas Wishes

On this very special day
I would just like to say
To followers, fans, and friends alike
That bowl of egg nog do not spike…
…Too much

Merry Christmas, Everyone. And stay safe ! ! !

A Spillane Christmas Carol (Humor)

Time for a repeat of a little more Christmas humor. Below is the investigation into the murder portrayed in yesterday’s poem. A little inside joke contained therein: this story was originally written for a contest that had a 1,500 word-count limit. That was up from a 1,000-word limit the preceding year. So, here is:

A Spillane Interpretation of A Dickens Christmas

It was the best of times, Christmas.  It was the worst of crimes, murder.  She was a store clerk at the Old Curiosity Shoppe.  Her na...

If Edgar Allan Poe Had Written A Christmas Carol (Humor)

Now time for a repeat of a little Christmas humor (tune in tomorrow for the sequel on the subsequent murder investigation, written in the style of Mickey Spillane):

A Poe Christmas

Once upon a snowstorm dreary, through which I trudged all weak and weary,
Past many a quaint and curious number of advertisement lore
I saw the ad, above some wrapping; on the door I started tapping
At first it was a gentle tapping, tapping at the storefront door
I must gain entry to this store, as there was nothing t...

Fun Photo Friday — Off-Season Endicott Arm 2

Today’s Fun Photo Friday is Part 2 of my three-part series of Endicott Arm/Dawes Glacier favorite. Next week I’ll be rerunning some Christmas articles, and the following week we’ll finish up with Endicott, Dawes, and indeed this entire look at cruising in Alaska during the off-season.

Cruising Alaska Off-Season — Where Dawes Meets Endicott Arm

Up until now the views I’ve presented of Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier were taken on Cruise 1 on 29 September of this year. That was our misty, cloudy visit. We returned on Cruise 2 exactly seven days later, and the weather could not have been more cooperative. For instance, the photograph above was taken on Ovation of the Seas’ transit of Endicott at 8:26 a.m. on 6 October. Misty pictures can be fun, but sunny days present my preferred canvas. So, let’s compare and contrast, beginning with...

Cruising Alaska Off-Season — Dawes Glacier

At the end of our sojourn into Endicott Arm lay Dawes Glacier. The photo above is the end of the fiord, with Dawes in the lower left portion of the screen and some impressive mountains hovering above the glacier. While it may appear that we got close to the glacier, do not be deceived. I was using my trusty DMC-FZ1000 zoomed all the way in to 400 mm (expressed in the 35 mm equivalent). To see how close we actually got, this is a better depiction:

Dawes Glacier at the end of Endicott Arm...

Fun Photo Friday — Off-Season Endicott Arm 1

Today’s Fun Photo Friday is the first of three featuring favorite images from Endicott Arm. Here is today’s photo gallery/slide show:

Cruising Alaska Off-Season — Bundled Up for Dawes Glacier

Ovation of the Seas entered Endicott Arm very early in the morning, even before sunrise. But we traveled east towards Dawes Glacier at a very leisurely pace, necessitated by the narrow fiord. We also had icebergs to dodge, so there’s that as well. But we enjoyed the view along the way, as there was much to see and photograph. For Cruise 1 you may recall we were in a virtual balcony cabin, so our views this day were from the decks. Thus, we had to bundle up a bit:

Ursula keeping warm in En...

Cruising Alaska Off-Season — Misty Endicott Arm

As with most of the stops we made on these off-season back-to-back cruises aboard Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas, we visited Endicott Arm twice. And at the end of Endicott arm lies a glacier we had not visited on previous Alaska Cruises — Dawes Glacier. On Cruise 1 our transit of Endicott Arm was cool, damp, and misty, and that’s what you’ll see this week and into next. Starting the middle of next week, the series will show you Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier as they appeared in the su...