jpalbny

We went to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons about 15 years ago. Beautiful landscapes and some great hiking. We had a great time. We waited until the week after Labor Day so the crowds weren't as bad. And we had some beautiful crisp cool mornings where the hot springs were really steaming! Have a great time. It's an iconic place.

Tuesday evening on board. The last night is a time to thank the expedition staff, and to see the video which the photography staff has put together. The video was nice, as always. And the expedition crew received some well-deserved applause. Off to the MDR for one last dinner. I had been wanting to try this wine all trip, and it didn't disappoint. The menu. Chris had mushroom soup and I had the barramundi for a starter (I had some white wine with that). We both had the pork schnitzel. Not a classic match for a full-bodied red, but there was plenty of fruit in this one so it worked. Plus the schnitzel was rich. We had the chocolate trois-feuille for dessert and the wine went well with that too. We were full so we didn't miss the 997 other sheets which they lost somewhere in the kitchen. We finished packing and put our bags out. Bed time! Tomorrow we're hoping to meet our friends from Brisbane, who are boarding Silver Cloud tomorrow. Both embarking and disembarking guests will be at a hotel in town to await the next step of the journey. So, fingers crossed that the timing works out!

Tuesday June 18th. Talbot Bay. Here are a few videos from riding the current in Horizontal Falls. 20240618_125033.mp4 20240618_125210.mp4 20240618_125552.mp4 Later that evening while we were on deck doing laps, I heard a splash. I looked around and caught this happening! 20240618_170537.mp4 For tonight's sunset, I tried a time-lapse video. Pretty cool, though it doesn't capture the color quite as well as a still shot. 20240618_172024.mp4

Today was our last hurrah. We just dropped off the rental car and we're at Perth Airport waiting for check-in to open in 30 minutes. So, back to the last day of the cruise! Tuesday, June 18th. Talbot Bay Today we were going for our last zodiac ride, at Horizontal Falls. Because of the tides, we didn't start until 10:30. So we got up around 7 and had breakfast at LT. We watched the sail-in through the narrows. The water was still. Nice scenery! We arrived at our anchorage, near Slug Island. So named because of its shape. Eventually it was time to load up had head out. Ponant's Le Jacques Cartier is here too, but we'll be going first. Then they'll have the afternoon time slot. Both ships look tiny next to Slug Island. We approached Horizontal Falls and gawked at the red rocks. There wasn't much water flow at the moment. That will start soon, and gain in intensity as the tide keeps falling. We took a look from partway up the first narrow point, and could see the inner falls. Half the width of the outer falls. You can't get there in our zodiacs. More beautifully shaped and colored rocks. To pass the time, we went up Cyclone Creek to look at mangroves and hunt for wildlife. We saw a black-tipped reef shark! The rocks go in every direction here. Serious plate tectonics at work! This sillstone is twisted beyond belief! And somehow these few mangrove trees survive in this harsh environment, growing on rock, and subject to immense tidal variation. Nature is impressive! More mangroves. At the end of Cyclone Creek, another narrows. Some current is generated here but not as much as Horizontal Falls. Now we have to speed back to the falls so we don't miss the show! I'll post some videos in a bit. Here's a picture of the inner falls again, with more flow than 2 hours ago. We had a few rides through the falls, and the current feels strong! It was exhilarating. Then, back to the ship to let the Ponant folks have a go. Last trivia, where we tied for first. And our last Kimberley sunset on board! I liked it so much, I took its picture twice. A great adventure is drawing to a close. At least we have some time in Perth to wind down (ha ha, Chris has several weeks worth of stuff planned).

Rachel, we never encountered anything. Ann did her due diligence and warned us too, so we brought along our good bug spray. But we never needed it. Can't say whether that's typical, or an anomaly.

Monday, June 17th. Evening on board. We enjoyed another beautiful sunset from the deck. My favorite spot is up front on deck 8, where you can take advantage of the Observatory Lounge for some fun reflections. I am going to miss these sunsets very much. Now we had to clean up for the Captain's farewell. As always, there was much applause for the crew, who we had come to appreciate very much these past 10 days. Tonight we dined with the Captain. With us, we had another couple from Sydney, but the gentleman had been born in Ukraine just before WWII. He had fled as a young child, and eventually emigrated to Australia. The Captain is also Ukrainian, as is Chris, of course. Much animated discussion of current and past events took place. Lots of Ukrainian was spoken. And we didn't finish the last toast until long after 10PM. Off to bed after a very long day!

Monday, June 17th. Montgomery Reef This reef is underwater at high tide, but rises from the water as the tide falls. It's a pretty amazing place. We were here during a neap tide so it wouldn't rise as much as it would during a spring tide, but we were still happy to have a chance to see it! We had a relaxing late morning on board as we cruised from Freshwater Cove. Soon we were at the High Cliffy Islands. A quick lunch before setting out at 12:45 on zodiacs. We cruised the perimeter of the reef, searching for waterfalls. When the reef rises out of the sea, it holds lots of water atop the rocky mass, which runs off for quie a long time. 20240617_130337.mp4 Now it was time for a "river" cruise, via zodiac. There are deeper channels in the reef where water remains even at high tide, and the maps refer to them as "rivers." This gives you a good view of marine life in the channel, and the reef on both sides. And we saw lots! Many sea turtles. They looked so graceful in the water. More waterfalls. And a great sighting of a sea snake! A beautiful day to be out on the reef! Gorgeous blue sky and water. Even though we have to douse ourselves in sunscreen, it's been worth it. The True North vessel was here with us. They were doing helicopter flyovers. I think we need to talk to our EL! That's OK, we saw a second sea snake, and caught a glimpse of a third! Can't get that from a helicopter. Back to Silver Cloud. What a great day! Time to rest up before trivia. We tied for first again.

Monday, June 17th. Freshwater Cove and Montgomery Reef. Today we had another rock art site to visit, at Freshwater Cove. And it would be a bit of a hike, so we wanted to start early, before it got too hot. We were up by 5AM and got to see a beautiful sunrise! Back to our usual routine of coffee in the Panorama, then we hopped on board a zodiac at 6:30. This is how we vacation! Silver Cloud was aglow in the morning light. But it was still pretty warm, despite the early hour. We had a wet beach landing after a very short zodiac ride, then changed into sneakers for the hike. First, we met the original owners of this land and they welcomed us with a ceremony where we all got little dabs of ochre on our faces. We also heard a few of their dreamtime stories. We set off at a fair clip, climbing a slow and steady incline. Not hard going but occasional sketchy footing. A rest stop. We continued on and the terrain got a little rougher. Some rocks to climb over, and one passage called "dessert pass" which was hard to pass through after all of the desserts we'd eaten! The guide stopped to call out to his ancestors, and let them know that he was bringing guests to the cave. Then we climbed down a rocky ramp to the site. There were some good pictures of humans, fish and other marine life, cyclones, and even a map of Montgomery Reef! Pictures were allowed, but we were asked not to post them to social media given that this is a living site belonging to the inhabitants. So instead, here's a nice spider who was also visiting the site! Afterwards, a nice scramble back to the beach, with good views to be had. Just watch that footing! We could also see the High Cliffy Islands off in the distance, where we'd be going this afternoon. As we returned to the beach there was a smoke ceremony for us, to cleanse away any spirits that we might have picked up at the site. So we headed back to the ship, happy with the chance for a proper hike and for the original owners who shared their heritage with us. And since it was still early, we went to LT for a proper breakfast!

Wow! The 2018 was $135 on board. Quite the bargain I guess.

Sunday, June 16th. Evening on board. We walked the deck and enjoyed the beautiful sunset colors. The rocks were aglow, like the sky. Such pretty colors! Now time for recap and briefing, before dinner. We went to the MDR and luckily, had an attentive waiter. The menu. Chris started with the warm duck pancakes and I had the Singapore noodles. We got a Châteauneuf-du-Pape from the wine list to go with our mains. Chris had the beef tenderloin and I had the lemongrass pork. The wine went well with both. Crème brûlée and banana turon for dessert. We skipped disco night in favor of sleeping. Another early start tomorrow.

Sunday June 16th. Afternoon trip to Lambarni Island for rock art. There was a second set of zodiac cruises this afternoon, at high tide, for those who wanted more time on the river, or a different look at the river. We went with the second option for something different. Off we went, for a 15-minute zodiac ride at full speed. A wet landing on the beach. Then a quick few steps to a cave, where there was art on the ceiling of an overhanging rock. A nice show for two! The Wandjina were powerful creation spirits who also controlled the weather. This was a young one who was still learning his trade. They have eyes and a nose, but no mouth. Their voice would be too powerful, were they to speak. On the beach, some nice rocks with an osprey nest. We soon saw the birds, circling overhead. This one had a morsel of food for their chick. And lunch was served. The other parent had an even bigger meal. But we left them alone for now. There was a cave to explore, right near the beach. On the other side, lots of mangroves. The balls of sand are leftover from the crabs. Apparently they chew through the sand and extract any organic materials, then spit it out when they're finished. A whelk, clinging to a mangrove leaf. Craving salt? Or escaping predators? Beautiful weathered sandstone. Back out to the beach. And back home. The return journey was directly into the wind, so we zigzagged to avoid getting a soaking. So it took about 35 minutes. So pleasant out here on the water!

Well, disembarkation is also turning into a cluster. There is a P&O ship here next to us and they are disgorging 2000 passengers. This has commandered all.of the available busses so we're sitting here on board, waiting. It's good to still be here, except that one of our friends from Brisbane is flying in today to embark. We're hoping to see her at the hotel...if we ever get there!

A few videos from Hunter River. As we set out, there were some jumping tuna near our zodiac. 20240616_090949.mp4 Our first crocodile sighting was actually this little guy in the water. He was enjoying the surf. 20240616_100601.mp4 Some little mudskippers were hopping about on the muddy riverbanks. They move very quickly! 20240616_101920.mp4 A fiddler crab, strutting his stuff. 20240616_103146.mp4 All for the moment. We're in the Observation Lounge now... Wednesday morning 9AM, and sadly waiting for our dark blue tags to be called. We'll be taken to the Mangrove Hotel to kill some time before our 2:30PM flight to Perth. The adventure continues!

Sunday June 16th. Hunter River region. A mercifully late start this morning, 9AM, for our zodiac exploration of the Hunter River region. Those taking the helicopter tours to the falls were starting as early as 6:25! We slept in until 7AM, and had an actual breakfast in LT, before dousing ourselves in sunscreen for the excursion. A stinkwood tree, so named because it stinks quite badly when burned. There is a more descriptive local name for it... Still, I thought it looked beautiful against the stark rocky landscape. We stopped by "Ice Cream Beach" to see if the resident crocodile was there, but no luck. He's supposedly a 4-meter large male. The beach got its name because another cruise line used to stop there and set up an ice cream station for their guests. Once they discovered the crocodile, that practice obviously came to a swift halt! Further along, "Indian Head" marks the river entrance. We didn't think that it looked much like an Indian head, but someone did at one time. I liked this balanced rock And we're off, hunting crocodiles! We saw more colorful red rocks, and the green mangrove trees contrasted nicely. An apple mangrove, with countless pneumatophores protruding from the ground around it. These "snorkels" allow the roots to get oxygen when the ground is flooded. Mangroves are impressive in their adaptations to their harsh environment. Further along, a smaller craft from True North expeditions. They have their own helicopter! We turned off the river into a side branch and kept exploring. The scenery is amazing. Here's a giant mudskipper, partially out of the water. And some very brightly colored fiddler crabs. But this is who we were here to see! This big guy was keeping a close eye on us, but he didn't seem too bothered by all the people taking pictures. In fact, he smiled at us! We were warned not to smile back... Not too close, and we didn't feel unsafe as he was pretty chill. We were quite toasty though, and in fact all the photo and video work with my phone caused it to overheat! Time to move again and get some breeze. Luckily my phone cooled down in time for another great crocodile sighting. Nicely posed with a backdrop of mangroves. This one got a little wary of us. When his head came up, we headed out. Back to the ship for lunch!

Yes, service is definitely not seamless. The number of waitstaff seems similar to the past, but they seem to spend lots of time milling about their stations, and not much time paying attention to what's going on at the tables. We didn't go hungry, but there were some waitstaff who we desperately tried to avoid...

We've been OK with the F&B offerings, though service has been spotty at times. I do miss the more extensive pasta menu. Was looking forward to the pansotti with walnut sauce but halfway there will have to do. We're at the Captain's table tonight so hopefully they will send the A team. I've had too many empty glasses this trip. Some of the waitstaff seem very good at looking around but not seeing. They said that the paintings are impossible to date precisely. The people currently living there did not paint them, and therefore don't know the history of the paintings. Lots of guesses out there.

Saturday June 15th. Dinner in LT. We'd made this reservation before we knew we'd eat there yesterday, but we kept it anyway. MDR service had been so-so and we were happy to have this menu again. Chris had the pesto and I had the lasagne We both had the beef. Cooked as we like it, just barely! I splurged on a tasty red. Joanna did a fun show after dinner. She sang and told us a bit about her cruising history. Then bed time.

We've been busy! It's already Monday and I'm starting to fall behind here. Anyway, back to Saturday... Saturday June 15th. Afternoon visit to see rock art. Once more into the zodiacs, with sun protection and water at the ready. Not a bad ride to Jar Island. It was toasty ashore though! The moon is in first quarter which means that the tidal variation is at its minimum. Neap tide. A short trek to the first site. Dancing figures, some with elaborate tassels and headdresses. Some kind of ceremonial headgear. It was hard to see, but this figure appears to have polydactyly (extra fingers). On to the second site where some of the figures are called "clothespin" style because their legs resemble a clothespin. A snake. Luckily that's the only one that we saw. More human figures. Here we had some art on the ceiling of an overhanging rock. We had to lie in the dentist chair one at a time, to see it! Tristan had to explain it, in detail, to each person. Poor guy! Two nice fish, and a crab to the right. Now back to the beach. And Silver Cloud. Trivia vas challenging today. She used visual clues which were either famous landmarks, album covers, or sports-related logos. We did badly, but still well enough for 3rd.

Saturday, June 15th. Vansittart Bay. Two landings today - the first on the Anjo Peninsula for a short hike. We were in the last group, starting at 9AM, so we had time for a few laps on the deck while we watched the preparations. Seabourne Pursuit was here with us again. A short ride to a wet landing. We didn't linger on the beach. Inland, a salt flat. Dry now, as it's neap tide time. But the ground was a little squishy. Lots of cool rock formations. And many fiddler crab claws. This is a mangrove seedling. It falls off the parent tree, fully formed, and takes root. It's called viviparous seeding. Cool stuff. We soon found the WWII era C-53 crash site. Apparently the plane was flying from Perth to Broome, but missed Broome. The pilots realized the mistake too late, and didn't have enough fuel to get back to Broome, or to get somewhere else. So they did a belly-flop emergency landing on the salt pan, then skidded to a stop in the woods. All survived. The plane is relatively intact. Many parts were taken for spares. The structure of the plane is easy to see. And aluminum is so durable. No rust. But the materials are so thin and fragile! Where the wing came in contact with a tree, it crumpled like tissue paper. In the cockpit. All the instruments were reused elsewhere. The wings looked like you could just put them back together. Next we had a chance to hug the Boab tree. And to hear about the mystery of how it came to Australia. We don't actually know. The Pied Butcherbird has a nice pleasant song. But its eating habits aren't very pleasant. We walked back across the salt flats and climbed the dunes back to the beach. I found this hermit crab on the path, and moved him out of harm's way. Back at the beach. Red-crested plover. On her nest, right by the zodiac staging area. Back to the ship for lunch and some AC!

Same Harry, I think. Definitely from NZ. Because of our Silver Suite upgrade, we have the premium Wi-Fi included. It's pretty quick, and the uploads have worked well. I did a speed test this morning.

Thanks everyone for following along. Enjoying ourselves immensely, and we're getting busy to the point where it's hard to keep up. Trying to finish up yesterday's activities... Friday June 14th, afternoon and evening. We had an optional short zodiac ride this afternoon, after lunch in LT. Of course, we did that. Here we go! More rock cliffs. They must be stable, if trees can grow there. We visited Tranquile Cove, where the crew of the Koolama sought shelter after abandoning ship. It was tricky to navigate in, due to shallow areas. We followed the coastline and the weathered rocks. This beautiful beach looked great for swimming, but probably not a good idea! Unless you can fly away at the first sign of an approaching crocodile...like these oystercatchers! That was all for now, so we made our way back to Silver Cloud, where another beautiful sunset awaits. Venetian Night! They announced the top.five cruisers on board. We were shocked that #4 and #5 had less than 100 days. And somehow, our modest total of 165 days was enough to win the coveted prize of "top cruisers" for this journey! What a pleasant surprise! Dinner with the VS representative in LT tonight. I had penne with walnut sauce and Chris had lasagne to start. Mains were lamb chops for me, and shrimp in a creamy sauce for Chris. I'll post the menu tomorrow, as it's the same as tomorrow's dinner.

It was fun! I had brought my waterproof camera for snorkeling, but I brought it along yesterday and took a bunch of selfies as we went under. A few of them came out ok... Ok, we're soaked now! What a great cruise it's been! Incredible scenery - so glad to be here, and glad you're along with us!

A few videos. This is a long video, but the sunlight reflections off the water, against the rock walls, were magical. A great show! 20240614_091253.mp4 A quick shot of the falls as we arrived. 20240614_091910.mp4 Right-side waterfall. 20240614_093157.mp4 Left-side waterfall. Very powerful! 20240614_094927.mp4

Friday, June 14th. Koolama Bay. This morning, the highlight was to be the twin falls on the King George River. It's a decent ride, more than 10km from our anchorage. There are two options this morning. An express trip to the falls and back lasting 2h15, and a long trip with interpretive stops along the way. Any guesses which one we chose? We were up by 6AM and had some coffee. Espresso, to minimize the volume taken in. Nice view from the walking deck. The zodiacs were getting ready! So, we got ready and headed down. We managed to get in the first zodiac. Off we went, with Harry keeping up a good commentary along the way. Seabourne Pursuit was here too, but their zodiac trips didn't start until 9AM. We headed upriver, passing red rock cliffs which glowed in the early morning light. Lots of beautifully weathered rocks. Tafoni makes such interesting patterns. Some local wildlife was out to greet us as well. In addition to the shy rock wallaby, who would not pose for a photo, we saw several egrets. And this fellow. Not shy at all! As we went further upriver, the water became calmer and the reflections got even better. More tafoni. What beautiful scenery! So many photos! What a gorgeous place. Finally we arrived at the twin falls. At the beginning of dry season, there was still some flow. Not sure how much longer it will last. Time for a quick shot before everyone else gets here! The right-hand falls was a twin falls itself. We all squeezed into the front of the zodiac, removed our life jackets, and Harry maneuvered the zodiac so we got a shower. He stayed dry, and took pictures. Now over towards the left side, where there was a single forceful waterfall. No shower possible here, unless you wanted to be washed out of the zodiac. We enjoyed the scenery for a while then started the long journey back down the river There was evidence of fallen rock here and there. Good thing we didn't have to drive too close to the edge! A few cool formations. Crocodile first, and I think the second one looks like a nesting bird. And some carefully balanced rocks. We returned to the river mouth, where Silver Cloud awaited. What a great morning! Time for a brief rest before lunch. And another excursion this afternoon.

Thursday June 13th. Evening on board Silver Cloud. We left Wyndham and they cleaned up after us straight away. First they took away the gangway. Then they took up the huge bumpers. After recap we signed up for tomorrow's excursions, then went to dinner in the MDR. Chris started with the linguine alle vognole and I had the open faced shrimp ravioli. Mains were lobster tail, and swordfish. Tasty preparations. The included wines were an Alsatian chardonnay, which was a surprise to us, as we'd never tried one. It was lightly oaked and went well with the heavier dishes. The red was a Chilean Carmeñere. Wine service was again erratic but eventually sorted. Food courses were not delayed at all. Desserts were the Black Forest cake and the mille-feuille. Latin dance night in the bar was very sparsely attended. We were in bed a little after 10PM for our early tour tomorrow.