On the way to see Glacier Bay National Park, one has to navigate through the Alexander Archipelago. The archipelago is 300 miles long and is made up of about 1,100 islands. The islands themselves are really the tops of submerged coastal mountains that rise from the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. Between the islands and the Alaska mainland there is a series of channels, fiords and straits that are collectively known as the Inside Passage. It was so cool to be standing on the deck of our cruise ship and realize that we were sailing between mountain tops. This particular stretch of water is known as the Icy Straits and is near the entrance to the National Park.