We spent two nights on the ferry and landed at Whittier, then drove to the little town of Seward (See: Seward), a short drive filled with beauty. We arrived at the Army-operated resort there about 10 AM or so, and miracle of miracles, our accommodations were available. See Seward Resort It's a nice place, with the ambiance level of an NCO club. We had a grilled steak on the deck and I rather felt like I was back at a squadron cookout in Viet Nam. I had a very soft time there as a Saigon warrior, but getting shot at from time to time rather spoiled an otherwise pleasant tour of duty.
The next morning, we took another boat tour. This time I remembered to take plenty of reading material to occupy myself between breath-taking views. And many of them were breath-taking. Others merely astoundingly beautiful. Kate Says: We saw harbor seals, Stellar sea lions, sea otters, jellyfish, humpback whales, Dall's Porpoises, 2 kinds of Puffins, many other kinds of birds. No moose. No bears.
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| Our Boat |
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| Sea Lions (Yes, that white stuff is poop.) |
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| Sea Lions |
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Sea Otter
Momma Sea Lion and Pup
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The pictures above show a glacier we visited. It has a name, but the name makes no difference. We are told there are more than 100,000 glaciers in Alaska. Most of them find their way to the ocean, and when that happens, they "Calf"...or is it calve? I'm not sure about that, but whatever, it's rather spectacular. The pictures above show a glacier standing about 300 feet above the sea it's emptying into. The splashes at the bottom of of some of the photos are just that, splashes made when chunks of glacial ice break off and plunge into the ocean. Some of the pieces (calves?) are the size of pickup trucks, some the size of houses. It's quite a show and very noisy (sounds like thunder).
The trip went on for several more hours. We saw many birds, many seals, many sea lions. It was all a lot of fun. When we got in about 6 PM, I was used up.
This morning, 23 August, we packed up and headed to Anchorage. It's a short drive, only about 125 miles, and beautiful beyond words. Photographs just don't capture it. The air, the sweep of vision, the incredible clarity of the landscape. I mentioned to Kate this afternoon that everything here is in high definition. That's the best way I can describe it. It's great. I don't want to move here and live the rest of my life here, but I can see why some folks might want to. And, I would add, that if a homely woman is looking for a man, Alaska is the place to be. Make of that what you will.
Tomorrow, North to, or at least toward, Fairbanks (via 3 days at Denali NP).
Now I REALLY envy you! The part of the globe you are tracing has always had a profound appeal to my cold-country nature. Your descriptions of it capture the sensations just as I imagine them (and in a smaller way, live them here in the mountains). Sorry about no bears or moose yet - after watching Northern Exposure (one of my favorite old shows), I kind of thought they'd be all over the place. 'Course, you've been out on the big water a lot. Can't wait to read and see more as you go further north. Take care and bundle up.
ReplyDeleteHaha are the men homely or is it hard to tell under the facial hair?
ReplyDeleteIt must be pretty amazing to be at a place that's so close to the end of the world, and watch what you seeing.
The sea lions and otters and seals are all adorable, by the way, although I think they should poop elsewhere. It would be more aesthetically pleasing, is all I'm saying.