Seward (Monday, June 9)

Our last day began with another big breakfast at the Sunshine House… biscuits, sausage gravy made from homemade chicken sausage, scrambled eggs, bagels with lox (from Mike’s smoked salmon) and cream cheese, tomatoes with mozzarella & fresh basil, fruit, etc. 

Getting the last of our stuff (well at least MY stuff) crammed in to the luggage was no easy feat. As we dragged the bags down from our second floor bedroom I had a sinking feeling that there were going to be some "weight issues" once we reached the airport later that evening.

The four of us said our good-byes to Mike, Marsha and their dog, Butchie, and then loaded the luggage into our two rental cars and drove to the Sea Life Center...all of two blocks away!

The Sea Life Center, an aquarium and wildlife rescue center, is located right on the shores of Resurrection Bay. The facility was built primarily from money that came from the Exxon Valdez oil spill settlement.

The displays were interesting, especially one that had a sign that said “DO touch”. The shallow, open tanks were filled with urchins and other sea creatures and you were encouraged to reach in (with one finger) and feel them. 

 

We spent a long time at a very large open tank that housed all sorts of sea birds. The birds were not caged and would sometimes fly right by your head! Laurel and I both took many, many photos of the sea birds (but mostly puffins!) They were so cute!

No...it wasn't raining inside...one of the birds decided to do some shaking right next to where I was taking a photo!

From the level below you could view the underwater portion of the same tank through a window. It was so interesting to see both the fish and the birds as they would dive and “fly” through the water. The birds went so fast that I wasn't able to get any underwater photos!

A statue outside the Sea Life Center. 

From the Sealife Center we made a quick stop at Subway to pick up some sandwiches and then drove to the Exit Glacier, a few miles outside of town. There are regularly scheduled ranger-led walks, but our timing was off so we just hiked on our own.

Part of the trail is paved and wheelchair accessible and leads to an observation point where you can see the Exit Glacier, but we continued on and the trail became gravel and got fairly steep. The National Park Service website describes the trail as “moderately strenuous” (which I would like to point out is a very subjective evaluation!) I struggled when the trail began going uphill and debated about going all the way. Bob ended up carrying my backpack for me (along with his!) and I did make it. Bob on the other hand said he would rate the trail very easy and had no trouble whatsoever. 

The trail makes a loop and is a little over two miles long, but you can not get right up next to the glacier. To do that you must take a much longer and much more strenuous trail to the Harding Ice Field (no chance!!)

On our way...

Once I got close enough to "see" the glacier, I was ready to stop, but I felt like a quitter. Bob had already reached the glacier and waved at me trying to encourage me to come all the way.

If only he had been as close as what my camera zoom made him look! In reality I still had quite a distance to hike to reach where he was standing!

But...finally I made it...and my reward was seeing the glacier up close...very close!

Exit Glacier is receding at quite a rapid rate. And although it is still a pretty big chunk of ice, the "toe" of the glacier is much less impressive than what it must have been in the not so distant past.

Following our hike, we spent a short time in the Exit Glacier visitor’s center and then it was time for us to say goodbye to Kent and Laurel. Although our trip was ending, theirs was going to continue on for a few more days. As we left to make the drive back to Anchorage, they were headed to a dog sled tour at Seavey’s Ididaride…just a few miles down the same road as Exit Glacier. Once their tour was over, they were going north…eventually ending up at Denali National Park. 

We would have loved to have visited Denali, but the two weeks that we had already spent traveling was the most we could do this time. Maybe on a future visit we will be able to see and do more!

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!