This morning we awoke at Dawes Glacier in Endicott Arm for a morning zodiac ride to see the glacier up close, and my goodness the day did not disappoint.  You could see mother harbor seals with their newborn pups floating on some of the large pieces of ice that floated past the ship, and the sun was shining bright with fabulous temperatures.  Once we were on the zodiacs our Lindblad naturalist Justin took us around the large chunks of ice and drove our zodiac right up to a beautiful, indescribably blue iceberg (at a close but safe distance); there are possibly no words for the intense blue we saw, other than maybe "iceberg blue".  In the distance loomed Dawes Glacier, rising over 150 feet in height; our zodiac guide was able to take us just half a mile from the giant glacier, and it was a moving experience.  The glacier would calve over and over again as we watched it, with giant chunks falling into the ocean below; when a piece of the glacier fell off it looked like an avalanche hitting the sea, with all the birds in the area suddenly flying away and a noise much louder than thunder sounding through the glacial valley.  Measuring the distance to a glacier is similar to measuring the distance of thunder in a lightning storm; Justin explained that you simply count the seconds after the ice falls until you hear the thunderous sound, and the number of seconds you count is the number of miles away the glacier is.  To be only half a mile from Dawes Glacier with the sun shining through the icebergs that floated around us was wondrous, spectacular . . . everything you could ever imagine.  Just before lunch some people did a polar plunge, but I decided that simply feeling that water from the zodiac was just as fun.  After lunch I sat on the from deck of Quest, enjoying the beautiful sun and temperatures that were well into the 60s.  We have had absolutely perfect weather today.  From the front deck I watched as Quest went past topography carved by glaciers, countless waterfalls came from far above in the mountains, ice floated past us, and the sun shone down on a glacial valley that holds so much history and so many stories.  I am continuously in awe of the natural world and the vast land of Alaska.    

In the afternoon I presented to the ship's passengers and crews about Ozark and my students; Rebecca did the same.  It was wonderful to hear everyone be so passionate about education, and I am thankful for the opportunity to talk about my community with everyone on Quest.  Right after the presentation, numerous humpback whales were spotted. and many of us went outside to watch the whales.  One whale breached four times in a row and was continuously slapping the water.  Later in the afternoon there were SO MANY whales everywhere we looked!  From the back to the front of the ship, from the left to the right to the ship, there were humpback whales everywhere; it could not have been more fantastic.  One in particular was incredibly close to the ship.  It was once again an amazing view of nature.  Tonight is our end-of-the-trip slideshow so we are off to view memories of this monumental journey.