• Escape the Heat (August ‘26)
    Mountains and clouds en route to Øksfjord.
    Mountains and clouds en route to Øksfjord.Mountains and clouds en route to Øksfjord.2Mountains and clouds en route to Øksfjord.Mountains and clouds en route to Øksfjord.Sunshine! ... mountains and clouds en route to Øksfjord.

    SB Day 8: Øksfjord Bound … Mountains & Clouds

    August 15 in Norway ⋅ 🌧 55 °F

    With our late departure from Hammerfest, our scheduled arrival at the next port — Øksfjord for 15 minutes — was pushed back as well. More time to relax.

    At one point, I noticed that the clouds in the distance looked so fluffy and soft. Like bowl full of whipped cream. I approached the window. And just at that moment a surprise sighting made my entire afternoon. A whale surfaced right in front of the window, showed its dorsal fin, and then slipped back below the surface. It happened in the blink of an eye. No time to do anything but record it in my brain cells.

    The funny thing is, when Mui and I find ourselves contemplating the sea while we cruise from one place to another, we say something like … “All we need is for a whale to pop up.” Well, that’s exactly what happened with this whale. When I called out the sighting to Mui, however, he thought I was kidding him. He wouldn’t have made it to the window in time to see it anyway.

    Mui did make it up to deck 8 aft for the complimentary moose sausage tasting a bit later. Sorry … he left his phone behind, so no photos.    Read more