Wildlife Cruise

I am finally getting settled in Alaska. Since there are only a couple weeks left in the summer tourist season, I am trying to do as much as I can while I still can. Saturday I drove to Seward about 125 miles South of Anchorage to go on a wildlife cruise in the Kenai Fjords National Park. I made it to the terminal 5 minutes before the ship left….whew.

It was a pretty day when I left Anchorage, but it was mostly cloudy by the time I made it to Seward. As soon as we got out of port, we stopped because there was a pair of sea lions wrestling with each other. We watched them frolic for about 5 minutes then continued on our way. The next hour or so was pretty uneventful, we saw a few horned puffins, but they weren’t all that different from normal birds except that they spend almost all of their lives at sea and only come inland to nest. The gluttonous bird we saw couldn’t take flight because the fatty ate too many fish and was too heavy. I wouldn’t want to be under that bird after digestion.

We stopped at Fox Island for lunch. Apparently, this island was once used to raise foxes for sale to the wealthy in the early 1900’s. We ate grilled salmon, rice, and corn on the cob. This area is also known for having some of the best “skipping” rocks in the world. The “beach” is a variety of very thin and flat rocks, many of which are shale. Even the large rocks skipped a couple times. But the smaller, more circular yet flat rocks were literally perfect for skipping. I think I got one to skip 10-15 times before it stopped. Ah, the smaller things in life. I stuffed 5 of these rocks in my jacket to bring home. Among the rocks were extremely clear, round, jelly-like things. These were referred to as moon fish and are basically completely clear jellyfish. I included a picture of one below. Speaking of clear, the water in this park is really clear considering how cold the water is. You can definitely tell the difference between Alaskan water and Gulf Coast water. I also saw a small, dead octopus washed ashore.

We left Fox Island and headed further away from land. About 30 minutes later the captain of the ship spotted a bald eagle perched on a rocky mountain nearby. Back in the day, these bald eagles ate so many salmon that the fishermen began complaining that the eagles were taking too many fish from them. At one point, there was actually a two dollar bounty per eagle talon. I tried to take a few pictures, but it was too far away for my camera to get a clear shot.

The ship moved on and wove its way through several more islands. We started our way back to Seward because a storm was coming and the waves were getting pretty big. But then the captain spotted two humpback whales in the distance. Naturally I, along with everyone else, rushed outside with cameras ready. Unfortunately the whales dove under water and stayed there for quite some time. All the while, it was 40 degrees outside and the rain was pelting me in the face. Finally, about 15 minutes later the whales resurfaced about half a mile away. So we headed towards them and yet again they dove back under the water. I think they were mocking us. About 10 minutes later, we were about to head back for good. But the mother whale showed about three quarters of its body about 100 ft from the boat. It was huge. We watched the whale and its baby for about 10 minutes, but I never did get a great picture of them because they didn’t show much of their bodies the rest of the time.

The rest of the ride back was uneventful, and I was soaked, cold, and tired. So I went back to the heated cabin and took a nap. Unfortunately, this tour only showed a couple of land glaciers, not any of the large glaciers in the water that you typically think of. But I guess I will have to settle for seeing whales, bald eagles, and sea lions. There were a lot of good views as well, and the drive to Seward is pretty amazing.

Ryan will get a kick out of this last story. I went to the restroom after the cruise before getting back on the road home. When I walked in, a small child was walking up to the urinal; he dropped his pants to his ankles….bare behind. I considered taking a picture, but I didn’t want anyone to “mistake” me for a pedophile. After he was done, he turned around and faced everyone before pulling up his pants. Then he washed his hands, but he couldn’t get any paper towels because you had to wave your hand in front of it to get the paper out. He jumped several times, but couldn’t reach it. Ahhhh, nothing like a 3 year old to make me feel tall. Instead of helping him, I laughed. I know, I’m an awful person. But I figured, if I can’t laugh at a 3 yr old trying and failing miserably, who can I laugh at. It’s called a good sense of humor right?

Today (Sunday the 6th) I am planning on going hiking and next weekend I am planning on going to Denali National Park. But first, GO BILLS!! Alaskans are seahawks fans, so I have the game on tv.



Moon Fish




Beach at Fox Island






Massive Dog




Rainbow


Port of Seward


Sea Lions Wrestling