I think it was 45 degrees when we left our room this morning. We had to be at the dock at 7:00 AM to check in for our Kenai Fjords boat tour. It was cloudy and overcast, too. This is normal weather for Seward. I know my Mom would FREEZE, but I love it.
Would I miss sunshine? Maybe. It does get sunny here occasionally. Like the deckhand on our boat said, when it does get sunny it makes it all worthwhile.
It is just so gorgeous. I was worried that today’s boat tour would be a lot like the Glacier Bay tour because they are both tours with a goal of seeing glaciers and wildlife. But it was different. We weren’t in a protected bay the whole time like at Glacier Bay. We started out in Resurrection Bay, but to get to the other bays where the fjords are, we actually went out into the Pacific Ocean. Not far, but far enough to experience 4-foot seas in water that is 1,500 feet deep!
The deckhand said they were “only”4-foot swells. They felt a lot bigger. We were on a smallish tour boat — about 48 or 52 feet — but it rode well in the water. It was lots of fun. Although I kept thinking of my Aunt Bertha who would really have enjoyed the wildlife, but would have totally hated the waves.
Anyway, the Kenai Fjords Tour was AWESOME. The glaciers were cool — Holgate Glacier is 600 feet tall at the face and 3/4 mile across — but seeing at least a dozen orcas (killer whales, like Shamu) rocked. There’s just something about seeing them in the wild that is hard to describe. At one point after the whales submerged, the captain was ready to leave the area. Then we realized the whales were on a direct path for the boat. And I was right in the middle, facing the whales, as they swam toward and then dove under the boat. It was so cool I almost cried.
The best part of that is, I had my camera set for continuous shooting mode, so I got the entire sequence in pictures. You can see for yourself on my Picasa page.
It is hard to believe we have only been here a week, we’ve seen so much. And we still haven’t gone to Denali National Park, which I thought was going to be the highlight of the trip. I really don’t think it could possibly get better.
One final note… Mike and I may now be addicted to Halibut. I am not sure if it because it is so fresh, or if it is just the way they cook it, but the Halibut has been delicious. We already know we’re having Halibut and Chips for lunch tomorrow before we leave!
A couple of things:
First, I went out to dinner the other night and Alaskan Halibut from Sitka Bay was on the menu. I said out loud “Hey! My parents are there! Cool!” My friends were totally confused and I had to explain to them what I was talking about and that I had just been looking at pictures of Sitka Bay. Oh, and yes, halibut rocks.
Second, the pictures are blowing my mind. You almost cried as the orcas came toward you and I almost cried reading that you almost cried (get that?) because I can only imagine what it must have felt like seeing that. So, so cool.
So the next TTT we need to find a place that serves Halibut! Amy would love it, too.
Glad you liked the whale pics. I have been taking tons of pictures, of course, but can’t upload all of them. I, of course, upload the “must sees”!