SEWARD AND THE KENAI FJORD CRUISE

After a few days of rest and recreation in Anchorage we drove down to Seward to spend a couple of days and take a Fjord cruise.

No pictures to share because it rained pretty much the whole way. We know there were big mountains but they were all hidden in the mist.

We got to Seward early so we went to the aquarium before checking into our "hotel", which was a collection of old military buildings that got moved to Seward by truck after the 1964 earthquake and tsunami destroyed the town.

The aquarium, on the other hand looks brand new even though it's celebrating it's 20th anniversary.
From Wikipedia: "The Alaska Sea Life Center, Alaska’s premier public aquarium and Alaska's only permanent marine mammal rehabilitation facility, is located on the shores of Resurrection Bay in Seward in the U.S. state of Alaska."

Birds greeted us.

Then we saw a Mama seal nursing her baby.

And a beautiful starfish.

Carol REALLY has a thing for otters. River otters, sea otters, doesn't matter. Even though the Park Rangers had made it very clear that they are pretty nasty little creatures, "Kind of like a cuddly looking wolverine in water", she still loves to watch them. And she had never seen any in the wild.

Got a taste of things to come at the Sea Life Center. They had a nursery - with a one month old rescued sea otter.

That is NOT Carol. She did seriously considered applying for the job. But, as cute as he was, he still wasn't free. That was still to come.

I guess there isn't an up and down when you're buoyant.

I don't think Finn understands.

Lots of other wonderful creatures.

Pandora's cousin ?

"Deadliest Catch"

The next day sort of dawned. It was another rainy day in Alaska. Low clouds and steady light rain punctuated by heavy showers.

What a great day for a sightseeing cruise. Oh well, we'd had perfect weather for our first tour and saw lots of mountains and glaciers and wildlife, so this just is what it is.

Fortunately I had booked a larger enclosed boat. So we'd at least be warm and dry.

If you ever plan an short Alaskan cruise, there is one critical detail you need to ask. "Does the boat have outside viewing along the sides of the boat". We weren't informed enough to ask but fortunately our boat did not. It had lots of outside viewing but it was on the bow and at the stern. The difference? If there are walks along the sides, and you want to sit at your window seats, warm and cozy inside, you will see nothing except the backs of other people's heads.

Our boat, on the other hand, allowed great sightseeing from our booth. So we all settled in to enjoy the ride.

Although we had a catamaran and the seas were only 5' or so, the ride wasn't as pleasant as we had hoped. All of us took a couple of seasickness prevention pills and all of got queasy.

Even Finn.

The views kept us occupied and somewhat distracted.

FINALLY ! Carol saw a sea otter.

As we headed out to sea there were a few hardy people on the bow catching the breeze and the heavy mist.

We all ventured out at some point during the 7 1/2 hour cruise.But those on the aft decks weren't there for the view as much as the fresh air. Which didn't help many.

The first interesting sight was a reminder of WWII and how close to Japan Alaska is. This is a  bunker. I've not been able to find any history referring to their purpose. Japanese submarines were spotted twice in or near the entrance to Resurrection Bay.

We also saw Orca - "Killer Whales". They are not whales but they do kill prey.

Click on this picture to see that the white spot on the rock is a seal. Probably climbed onto this point to escape. You can also see a lone Orca fin. But several Orcas were patiently circling, waiting for high tide and lunch. Our captain said the boat that came through here just before us saw Orcas catch and eat a seal. I know it's "the circle of life" but we're just as glad we missed that.

We went way back into a couple of fjords. Here is our first view of ice, not quite "icebergs" from an as yet unseen glacier.

Oh, there it is. Carol was willing to step outside for this. Aialik Glacier.

On the way to the next glacier, Carol got to see some more otters. This time a pair.

The Harding Icefield sits north and west of Seward and is the point of origin for 40 glaciers. Many of them end at the ocean, usually in a fjord.  Holgate was next on our list.

We missed getting a picture. But while we were sitting looking at the glacier the was a major calving. It was more like several avalanches rather than one large iceberg, but the sound and view were unforgettable.

The birdwatchers got their money's worth too.

And then there were whales. We watched them for 15 minutes or so but these were the only pictures we got.

Stellar Sea Lions are an easier target.

Finn was a big attraction, especially to a Japanese family.

The people at Major Marine Tours were simply wonderful. Everyone from the Captain to the Park Ranger to the crew members really did act like we were the only reason for their existence. Highly recommend them from the many companies available.

After we left the boat, another otter appeared near the docks. Here are some of the pictures Carol took. I thought she overdid it a bit, but what could she do? He was 20' away and obviously not worried about people.

The next day we headed back to Anchorage with a stop at Exit Glacier along the way. We took the easy 20 minute walk to the view of the glacier. It's a beautiful walk through birch forests and along a gravel river bar. There are signs marking the location of the glacier face as it receded over the past 120 years.

The glacier is smaller than others we'd seen.

But it was the first one where the incredibly clear blue ice was visible.

 Valley glaciers don't calve like the ocean ones do. They melt. Here is the stream coming out of the bottom of the glacier.

 Sisters.

Another wonderful outing with Kris and Finn.  We'll have a few more days in Anchorage for sister time and then we're heading back home.

MATANUSKA GLACIER

Our plan to get up and out early to find someplace for breakfast changed when, during dinner at the Long Rifle, we received a text from Beatrice, "Why don't you join us for breakfast tomorrow?"

When we got back to the cabin, Carol, Kris and Andrew had a game night, playing Yahtzee and Scrabble. I went up and asked Jim if his invitation to join him in the evening was still open.

We sat and talked aviation for several hours. I just realized that in my bio of Jim's life in my last post I forgot to mention that he flew single engine charters on floats, wheels and skis. Cubs, Maules, Beavers, and the biggest, by far, the Noorduyn Norseman, a 7,500 lb. monster. He logged 13,000 accident free hours. In 30 years I logged just over 3,500. I wish I could have just spent a few days hearing his stories.

Before I said, "Good night" he said, "You did get Beatrice's message about breakfast, didn't you? I hope you like sourdough pancakes."

After a wonderful night's sleep which was not interrupted by bears, we packed up and went to their cabin for a delicious breakfast.

Then it was off to the Glacier. I'd been meticulous about scheduling all our activities because everything I'd read said that the popular tours booked up way in advance. Only one of the three tour companies welcomed Finn, so we signed up with Matanuska Glacier Park who are the owners of the only land with access to the glacier. I checked my emails the night before to confirm that I had booked the 4:30 tour. There was no email. Oops.

We arrived at the office just after a busload of unruly teenagers. They completed filled the office/store. Although the owners had set up a separate area for their registrations, they made it impossible to even get to the regular check-in counter. When I finally pushed my way through, the young lady told me I would have to wait and talk to the lady registering the teens. I joined my gang back at the truck and waited until the group headed out to the glacier.

When I went back in to see the lady, who it turns out was an owner, she looked like she needed a break. She tried to smile and said, "Can I help you." I said, "I hope so. But first, take a deep breath and relax. I've spent my entire life in retail, starting at 2 1/2 when my parents bought a country general store. I understand what you just went through with those kids. Just take another deep breath and relax. I booked a tour for today but I screwed up and didn't call  you back to schedule a time. And I've spent years telling people, 'Bad planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part. So I know there is no emergency."

She said, "Thank you for your understanding. I needed that. What can I do for you?"

"We are a group of four plus a service dog who would like to take a guided tour today. Any time will work. After this we head back to Anchorage." By this time it was about 1 o'clock.  She said, "I can put you in our 1:30 group. It currently has 8 and we take up to 12." That was a bigger group than we had hoped for, but the other tours were booked up so it seemed it was the best possible arrangement.

Maybe, but things got worse first. We drove to the starting point and met our guide who STRONGLY suggested we not take Finn. "I'm a dog owner and I'd NEVER take my dog onto the glacier." After much discussion, Kris went to the truck to make him comfortable for his 2 1/2 hour confinement. While we checked out the other 8 people on our tour. Sparing you details, I'll just say that it was obvious to us that we would not have picked them as our tour companions.

Then another young lady, Erika came up to us and said, "Are you the Cook party?"

Oh, no. What now?

"Another group of 4 just called and signed up for the 1:30 tour so we've split things. If you don't mind waiting a few minutes for them to arrive, you and they will go with me. And I heard what Amanda said about dogs. I have no idea what her problem is. We take dogs all the time. All sizes and kinds. Yours will be fine."

15 minutes later, "The other group of four just called and they're running late so I'll just be taking the four of you."

I confirmed when we returned from our private tour that the owner that I'd been nice to when I checked in,
1. decided that we would be the 4 split off from the bigger group and,
2. then decided that she would not put us back with the group of 8 when the others were late but would let us have our own guide for a private tour.

Tinkerbell Jerusalem comes through again.

So on to the Glacier with Erika.

There it is, 1/2 mile or so away.

15-20 minute hike over the moraine.

Erika shows us that we are walking on several hundred feet of ice covered by a thin layer of glacial silt.

Easy to see the layers in a small crevasse. Also a good look at the footwear fashion of the day, slip on crampons. The "access pass" people, on their own, do not get crampons. More about them later.

Even more obvious in a larger crevasse.

Getting closer.

Onto the glacier.

Finn isn't really sure this was a good idea. He didn't get crampons.

Flowing water does really weird and beautiful things to the ice.

A shelf.

A big shelf under a bigger shelf.

Crevasses getting bigger.

The gang.

It seems to go on forever.

Here are a couple of pictures with people to give an idea of the enormity. 

YES, there ARE people in those last two pictures. Click to enlarge them.






Collecting glacier water.

Headed back. Stay out of the crevasses.

No. Really. Stay out of the crevasses.

Geezer break. As Carol reminds me, "You have to remember. You're not 70 anymore."

Back across the moraine.

Erika, our wonderful guide.

The guided tour takes guests much further and higher than the access pass people are supposed to go. Not surprisingly, the access pass people do not stay "within the cones" even though they signed a four page release saying that they would and detailing likely death or dismemberment if they didn't.

We saw people WAY past where they were supposed to be, including a lady in open toe sandals. When I mentioned this to the husband-owner he laughed and said, "She was relatively well equipped. We see them in flip flops all the time but the standard for stupidity is still the lady last year in high heels."

Safely back in Anchorage, looking back -

What an incredible day with Beatrice and Jim. Totally unexpected. And awesome.

Then, I screw up reservations and we get a private tour - with Finn.

For the umpteenth time - Thank  You Lord. Nothing as we planned and all better than planned.

If you are looking for Faith, Show Up and Pay Attention. You will see the in-betweens. Simple really.