Kenai Fjords Tour, Part 2 (Sunday, June 8)

Part 1 of the Kenai Fjords Tour blog post covered the beginning of our tour...mainly traveling to and viewing the Aialik Glacier. The glacier was the furthest point the tour reached and the rest of the day was spent seeing all of the wildlife as we sailed back toward Seward. And although the wildlife viewing was spectacular, the surrounding scenery was equally amazing!

Several times whales were spotted and the captain would stop close by so we could get a better look. Once we got to see a mother and her youngster. Mom was showing off and kept slapping her fin on the water.

Another whale gave us a good look at the markings on his tail.

I will admit that it was quite cold being outside as the boat raced across the water and also difficult to walk! Going inside wasn't even an option I considered however. I just held on tight and had the time of my life! And other than being a bit chilly (we were in Alaska for gosh sakes!) the weather was absolutely perfect!

"Rookery - the breeding place or large colony of sea birds." A new word for my vocabulary! Several times Captain Chris pulled up close to the cliffs (the rookeries!) where thousands and thousands of sea birds were nesting. What a sight!

As we approached one cliff, hundreds of birds all took flight at once...it was incredible...and extremely noisy! Turns out one of my photos caught the culprit that caused the comotion...an eagle!

The birds I was most anxious to see were the puffins...and eventually we found some! Unfortunately seeing them and photographing them were two totally different things. As the boat approached the birds, they would appear to start running across the water and then take off flying. Or...they would immediately dive, disappearing below the surface of the water. Regardless...my photos mostly consist of black and white blurs!

An interesting fact about puffins...when they dive, they are actually "flying" through the water and can go as deep as 250 feet! With persistance, I did get a few photos that were OK. First off...the horned puffin...

...and then the tufted puffin...whose feathers look a bit like a mullet hairstyle!

Puffins are some of the cutest birds ever...their colorful beaks almost make them look like a cuddly stuffed toy animal! I was thrilled when eventually we pulled up next to another rookery where I was able to photograph some puffins standing still!

Along the base of the cliffs were red starfish, exposed by the low tides.

In amongst the birds were large groups of sea lions that make their home in Kenai Fjords National Park. They spend their time sunning themselves on the rocks...and trying to irritate other sea lions nearby.

An eagle kept watch from above the sea lions...

Our all-day tour was not cheap...but it was a highlight of a pretty remarkable week. A prime rib and salmon buffet dinner was included in the tour and for that we made a stop at the Fox Island Resort. 

The food was ready when we arrived and a park ranger gave a presentation while we ate.

Afterwards there was time to explore around the lodge before we boarded the boat to sail back to Seward.

The dead trees were left from the tsunami in 1964. (The ocean water killed the trees, but the salt left behind in the wood keeps them from decaying.)

It was around 6:30 p.m. when we made it back to the marina in Seward. We walked around a bit and watched as fishermen cleaned their catch from the day.

Another fishing boat had just returned and one of the deck hands struggled to wheel the day's catch up the steep ramp. (The ramps rise and fall with changing tides.)

He worked hard to get the larger fish hung in just the right order...and the smaller fish spread out into a fan shape on the ground...ready for photos with the fishermen & women who had caught the fish.

We watched as he weighed the largest halibut...now that was a catch!

We did a short driving tour through the small town of Seward on our way back to the Sunshine House B&B.

Throughout the city were murals painted on the sides of the buildings.

And the very interesting public library was located right across the street from the Sunshine House B & B.

A long and tiring day, but one full of memories! Before going to bed, I grudgingly spent time packing and rearranging my luggage, trying to get everything “airline approved” for our flight home. I know it was past 10 p.m. when I took one last photo from our bedroom window…and could still see the sun shining on the mountain tops!