Category Archives: Cruises

The Call of the Loon

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Loons return to New Hampshire

It’s springtime in the lakes region of New Hampshire and the haunting warble of the loon’s call has returned too. That means it’s time for me to begin my quest for a decent photo of the common Loon.  The Common loon once was plentiful in New Hampshire waters but now sits squarely on the endangered list mostly due to man’s disruption of their habitat and lead poisonings from fishing lures and sinkers. 

I know finding the perfect photo is a lot of luck when it comes to wildlife photography. Wild Things don’t present themselves on demand! It took me years to get a decent moose photo and I had to go to Wyoming to get it.

A Moose heading for the trees

Moose in Maine

Moose in the afternoon

Moose in Wyoming Grand Teton

 

But even with that photo I feel it could be better. But I’m giving moose a break and turning my attention to the Common Loon

So last year I took my first loon photos on Lake George. They weren’t very good.

Lake George Loon 2020

Lake George Loon 2020

Gray and fuzzy but we all have to start somewhere. I’m going to try my luck at Squam Lake this year. It’s chick season now so I’m heading to New Hampshire.

On Golden Pond

Little Squam Lake was the filming location for the 1981 movie, On Golden Pond. It’s a beautiful lake. There are actually 2 lakes. Big Squam and Little Squam. Our Loon Cruise would take us into Little Squam where there are nesting platforms for the loons. It’s chick season now and I’d love to catch a glimpse of some of those little guys. When first hatched they can’t regulate their body temperature so they often hitch rides on their parent’s backs.

Loon with chicks- Unattributed from web- (wish it were mine)

 

But that behavior only lasts for about 2 weeks. Not much time to catch them in action

The Call of the Loon

Little Squam Lake 2021

The Loon Cruise

I drove from my Home in Taunton to Squam Lake , about 2.5 hours one way, for a 90 minute cruise then drove home after the cruise. It was worth it. We had a naturalist on board who specializes in Loons.  Her stories and tips really explained the behaviors we got to see.

The Call of the Loon

 

We spotted 2 adult loons right away near the first nesting platform.  You can see one of the adults on the nest here.

At the next stop there were 2 tiny chicks, just hatched. They were too small and too far away for me to get a picture but it was exciting. It was also at this spot that we saw a display of territorial behavior. The 2 adults were trying to send a 3rd loon away. They were splashing and flapping their wings. Right before they all took flight we heard them call. That was amazing. I love to hear the call of the loons.

The Eagle and the Cormorant

We stopped by another nesting site but it didn’t seem to be active. Still is wasn’t a total loss.  As we pulled away we spotted a bald eagle.

The Call of the Loon

Bald Eagle- Squam Lake 2021

 

We picked up speed to head back to the dock and right in front of us we spotted a Cormorant. So of course we had to slow down and watch him for a bit. Unfortunately I missed his take off when he decide to leave.

The Call of the Loon

Cormorant – Squam Lake 2021

 Not Done Yet

It had been a full trip with lots to see but we weren’t done yet. As we neared the end of the cruise we spotted a great blue Heron on a rock. It was being harassed by 2 loons who clearly did not want Mr. Blue in their territory.That was a great ending to a fun cruise.

So maybe I didn’t get that “Iconic” Photo but I got some good memories.

3 adult loons taking off – Squam Lake 2021

 

When It’s Hot, Hot Hot Out

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It’s Hot Enough for a Heat WaveKilauea

What better way to survive hot weather than to find nice , cool air conditioning and settle in for some travel stories? I never told you about my last night on the Big Island from my March trip. I confess I’ve been distracted following Kilauea‘s antics, my work load and life in general but with temps approaching 80 and it isn’t even 10 am , time for a writing break.

Captain Cook’s Historical Dinner Cruise

Dinner cruise

Time flies when you are on a Hawaiian Island. Whether relaxing or playing it really is a paradise. Too soon I was looking at my return trip. I needed to do one more thing before I climbed aboard the airplane in the morning. The Concierge recommended a dinner cruise.  Dinner cruises are not one of my favorite pastimes but I hadn’t done much to see the coastline so I decided to say yes.I booked the Captain Cook Historical Dinner Cruise. It’s about 3 hours long and leaves from Kailua Pier.

Hawaiian HutKailua Pier

It’s not a bad stroll from the resort to the Pier if you are young and ambitious. You can also take a trolley/bus or a taxi. Being on vacation and basically lazy I took a cab. Upon arrival I realized there wasn’t any place to sit unless you wanted to spend the afternoon in a pub or restaurant. After wandering around the pier I found a stone wall to park myself while I waited for the afternoon to pass. Right next to the pier is a lovely little beach. Some outrigger canoes were beached in the sand. There were people snorkeling and even some scuba divers. I began to wish I’d worn a bathing suit. 

outrigger canoes

 

Time to Board

The afternoon passed quickly. Soon I noticed the line beginning to form for the cruise. A tent was set up with rows of chairs. That was much more comfortable than my stone wall so I wandered over to wait there. I didn’t have long to wait.

A Little Sunset Cruise

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A Dinner Cruise in Paradise

Cruise the coast of Maui at Sunset. Dine on prime rib and baby carrots. Drinks flow freely. Live entertainment as if the views aren’t enough. What could be better. How about an escort of humpback whales?

Maui Princess

The Maui Princess

I’d taken the Maui Princess Dinner Cruise before. The previous year my sister, my cousin and I had enjoyed the relaxing sunset cruise along the Maui Coast. It was a beautiful evening and I think its safe to say a good time was had by all. It wasn’t exciting but it was relaxing. So as I considered my options for my last two days in Hawaii, taking the cruise again seemed like a nice idea. My goal this trip was to relax and unwind. Not go on an adrenaline kick.

The Old Lady and the Newly Weds

west Maui Mountains

I had to laugh when I was taken to my table. Single travelers must be a real headache to tour operators. Most of the tables were set for 4 people. What to do with a lone senior citizen? In my case they seated me with a young newly wed couple. The newly weds were on their honeymoon. They were good sports about sharing their table with me. The woman entertainer was quite good but it wasn’t long before she was upstaged.

The Humpback Escorts

This time of year is whale season. We’d just left the harbor when a pair of whales surfaced right next to us. One was clearly a mama humpback and the other was her baby. According to our captain the baby was probably only 2-3 weeks old. Next to Mama it looked tiny. The mama whale was teaching her baby to breach. It’s the way the baby gets in shape for the long journey back to Alaska. The pair stayed close all evening putting on quite the show. The baby never seemed to tire of his breaching acrobatics.

Breaching baby Humpback

A Magical Night

The whale pair stayed with us the whole evening. At times the antics were so much fun even the crew stopped serving to watch. We were all seated on the top deck so there were no bad seats. I didn’t bring the camera so I had the freedom to just sit back and enjoy. Yes, I felt a pang to not be capturing the action but sometimes its nice to just be immersed in the experience.

 

Rating the Alaska Cruise

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How Should I Rate the Cruise?

I’m going to rate the cruise portion of this vacation separate from the land part. I’ll fill you in on the Denali portion separately. I also checked the archives for the model train pictures. I’m not sure if you can see all of the comments but my sister asked if I have pictures of the little train at the Garden Party.

Choo Choo

Miniature train

When we went to the Garden Party the location was not just a little restaurant. It was a greenhouse, garden and glass blowing business. The gift shop was filled with delicate glass flowers and other hand made gifts. Throughout the grounds were lovely glass ornaments and other decorations. One of the most fun was the model train. It actually ran around the gardens. It wasn’t just sitting on display.

Train station in miniature

The Luncheon

glass drageonsI keep referring to the Garden Party. The lunch was actually at Jewell Gardens & Garden City Glassworks. I also looked up our meal. It was tea and salad. The main course was quiche. I’m not a fan of quiche so that was probably why the lunch was “forgettable” to me. I didn’t eat the dessert either  and can’t remember what it was. But I am getting off track. It’s time to rate the cruise.

glass fish

The Rating – 4 Stars

This was a pretty good cruise. Alaska is phenomenal. But I couldn’t give it 5 stars for a few reason.

  1. I got Sea Sick
  2. We went at the wrong time of year-weather
  3. Some of the meals (on the ship) were not up to cruise ship standards
  4. We didn’t see a lot of animals as our travel agent promised

All in all this wasn’t a bad cruise, just not as good as it could be. I was surprised by several of the meals in the dining room. The beef medallions one night were very tough and the American Night, a Thanksgiving dinner with all of the trimmings, was horrible. The lobster night was a huge success and my favorite meal of the cruise. Yes I think a 4 is a fair rating for the cruise portion of the trip.

Finally Some Sun

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College Fjord GlaciersThe Land of the Midnight Sun

As we entered Collage Fjord the sun finally came out. The gray, dreary weather that had been following us since we boarded the ship finally cleared. Without the heavy, gray cloud cover we began to see why this land is known as the land of the midnight sun. Even though we were on an early spring cruise sunset at this latitude was still around 10:30 pm.

Midnight sun

What is College Fjord?

College Fjord

Believe it or not, College Fjord was even more spectacular than Glacier Bay. Maybe it was because we had sunlight and blue sky but I think it had more to do with the proximity of the glaciers. There are a lot of them here and the Fjord is more narrow than Glacier Bay. All of the glaciers here are named after a college. This is just a partial list of the glaciers that line the Fjord.

The Wildlife of College Fjord

marine mammalThere was a Naturalist on board for the cruise through College Fjord. We’d just entered the mouth of the Fjord when they announced that we could see mountain goats on the mountain sides. Although I looked like crazy I couldn’t see anything that I could say for sure were animals of any kind. We kept watch for marine mammals like whales and porpoises but only one unidentified animal showed it’s head. 

Whittier just ahead

Our Cruise ship in Whittier

After College Fjord we cruised into Whittier arriving in the morning. As soon as we finished breakfast we were off loaded. Just look at all that snow! Some of our luggage was taken to the Captain Cook hotel in Anchorage to await our return. A smaller bag of necessities for our 3 days in Denali went with us to the train. The cruise portion of our trip was over.