We
woke up with a huge, excellent breakfast prepared by Marsha the owner who kept
apologizing that her husband David (who wasn't there) is the real chef… I can't
imagine how much better it could get!
 |
Kenai Fjords
|
We said goodbye and were sorry we could
only stay for one night. We drove to the harbor and by 9AM picked up our
tickets for the 10AM Kenai Fjords Tours cruise. We chose the 8.5 hours National
Park cruise with a dinner stop at Fox Island. We reserved the tickets back in
November and got a very good bargain as part of their Black Friday sales. We
boarded at 9:30 and sailed exactly at 10.
 |
Seward Harbor
|
Weather was cloudy and the visibility
in Resurrection Bay was poor.
 |
| Resurrection Bay |
 |
| Mist at Resurrection Bay |
We saw more sea otters on the water.
 |
| Otters in Resurrection Bay |
The captain also slowed down and allowed us to view a large eagle on a tree top on shore.
 |
| Eagle, Resurrection Bay |
As we reached the barrier islands
at the mouth of the bay and passed into the open sea, weather deteriorated even
further, the fog closed in and the sea became very choppy.
We didn't get sea
sick but I didn't like the boat rolling and spent most of that time inside
(there was no sightseeing or wildlife to talk about any way). My wife on the
other hand set at the bow the entire time and enjoyed every minute in the wind
and fresh air. Go figure!
The crew passed around trying to help those who got sick, with advice and some medications. The captain reassured us over the
PA that this kind of sea is perfectly normal and that once we pass the Aialik
Cape we will feel better.
Indeed once in Aialik Bay the waves calmed but we
still could see very little around us. Suddenly the boat started to slow down
and the captain announced our arrival to the Aialik Glacier.
 |
| Aialik Glacier |
This
was our third tidewater glacier in this trip and it was very impressive. It is
also very active and we witnessed several calving, one of them the biggest we
saw so far.
 |
Aialik Calving
|
There was a lot of ice in the water with many seals lying around
(this time we could see them). There were also tons of sea birds.
 |
The Seals at Aialik
|
 |
Landing Zone
|
There
were several other boats in near the glaciers, as well as a group of sea kayaks
– definitely something to consider for next time!
 |
Kayaks at the Glacier
|
Overall
we spent about an hour near the glacier. As we started the trip back, the
weather suddenly improved, the clouds lifted and the sun came out. This was as
if we were in a totally different place!
 |
| Leaving Aialik |
We could see the beauty of the fjords
and the landscape surrounding us.. The boat stopped near beautiful rock
formations, waterfalls wildlife concentrations, and other points of interest,
and the captain, who was probably busy fighting the waves in the morning,
started to narrate the trip full-time.
Sometime
after 4PM we reached Fox Island and went ashore for our buffet dinner of salmon
and prime rib. We didn't have too many expectations, but the food was
excellent, especially the prime rib, and the king crab (we ordered it in
advance as extra). After dinner there was a short presentation by a National
Park ranger who told stories about some of the famous pioneers and settlers of
Resurrection Bay.
After that we strolled a bit on the island shore. The sun was
out and it was as if the island sparkled in beauty – truly perfect moment!
Overall out of an 8.5 hours trip we spent 1 hour on the island and 7.5 on the
water – this was perfect for us.
 |
| Fox Island |
 |
| Fox Island |
We
boarded again and cruised our last hour in Resurrection Bay, with perfect
weather and visibility. The captain stopped from time to time near several more vantage points, including a lone house on the lake shore, with 2 large eagles on a nearby tree top. Imagine the view they have when they wake up in the morning!
We also heard some
last stories from the captain, and even a poem he wrote himself dedicated to
this beautiful area. We never saw the captain – only heard his voice – but he
really made this cruise into a trip to remember.
We
reached Seward at 6:30 PM, got to our car, and left on our way to Soldotna. It
took about 2 hours, without no stops or delays. We drove again along the
Seward Highway, but this time with much better visibility, somewhat
compensating for our experience yesterday.
We passed Cooper Landing and drove
by the beautiful Kenai river, making a note to return some day and spend some
time there.
Finally we reached Soldotna. I must admit that I expected a sleepy
fishing town, but was surprised to see a modern, sprawling community with many
restaurants, services, and large supermarkets (and even a Starbucks!).
Our
destination for the night at an apartment rented by the owner of Silver Salmon
Creek Lodge, to where we were flying the next day. We were still full from our island dinner and didn't feel like going out again. It was nice and cozy and we fell
asleep, all excited towards our next day bear encounters.
No comments:
Post a Comment