Friday, September 10, 2021
We started this morning a hair earlier than we have been getting up. With the postponement of our halibut we decided to still drive into Seward and take a 6 hour glacier and wildlife tour. The tour left at 11:30, but we needed to be there an hour early so we left Dan’s about 8:00.
The drive to Seward is beautiful. It goes through the mountains and around the bay. On our drive we saw beluga whales! We arrived in Seward about 10:30am and found our check in area.
It was packed with lots of people waiting in line for the various tours. After waiting about 10 minutes a woman came out and announced that the 6 hour tour had a 90% chance of not making it to the glacier because of a storm that came in last night. They were offering free cancellations and rescheduling. Neither of those options worked for us so we took the chance and went on the tour- worst case scenario was that we would only get a shorter tour of Resurrection Bay. Either way, we figured we’d see animals and we had no other plans, so why not.
The waters were relatively calm as we got out of the bay. They offered lunch and we ate as we exited the bay. We saw a couple sea otters on our way out. About 15 minutes in the captain got on the speaker system and announced there were killer whales ahead of us. Everyone went to a deck and started looking. There were probably 5 or 6 orcas that would show their fins. One baby even went breech and did a little splash. They were so majestic and amazing to see in their natural habitat.
As we exited and went into more open waters the swells got HUGE— our guess was about 12 foot swells. Luckily, Dad brought some Dramamine and I had two before we got on the boat. Many people around us were not so lucky. The crew was sooo good about helping people who were sick. They had barf bags, offered ginger candy and ginger ale. Each puke they’d replace the bag for the individual and throw the puke bag away.
Our next stop was the glaciers of Kenai Fjord National Park. We went to Holgate glacier and Surprise glacier. It was absolutely beautiful. You could see the gorgeous blue tints throughout the glacier and hear as a crack was created. It was sad to see how far back they have receded. They had a picture from 1909 that showed how the glaciers once touched, but now they were probably over a mile away. There was a seal out in front of the glacier. We also saw some mountain goats on the side of the mountain. The boat slowly spun to give everyone good views.
Scott, a boat hand, used a net to scoop up a chunk of the glacier. It was crystal clear. He said that scientists can take the chunk and study the bubbles in the ice to determine gasses in the bubbles that can give insight to years and years ago. There were also two types of jellyfish in the water. One had tentacles and one did not. Inside, we enjoyed some hot chocolate- thanks, Ryan!
After the fjords we we headed to some islands. I fell asleep on the ride because het big waves and rocking was so calming. Our captain saw some stellar sea lions on a rock and went over close to them so we could see them. They are on the endangered species list and there were probably 10 on this big rock.
Along the way we saw seagulls and puffins. It was said it was odd to see puffins because most had left to migrate a week or so ago, but we were able to see a couple of them. By this point it was getting a little more windy, rainy and cold so most people were hanging out inside. Then the captain made an announcement— tour boats were gathering because there was a humpback whale. Everyone gathered quietly outside to wait for the blow. The other boats were giving updates on how long it had been. Humpback whales usually stay underwater between 5-10 minutes but can stay underwater for up to 45. Because they are mammals, they have lungs and need to come up for air. The whale would blow a few times and then arch their back. Usually a tail would flip or a jump would occur, but this was a lazy whale we were watching—it did neither.
It was just so cool to see one in person. Within a couple minutes we had two porpoises swimming with us and jumping with the boat. It was so cool! I got a couple good pics and video of them. They are like dolphins but have more of a black color to them.
Back inside they offered us brownies and we headed back into the harbor. There were many fisherman because the red salmon were swimming. We checked out a few gift shops before hitting the road.
On the way back we stopped in a town called Gridwood for dinner at a restaurant called the Double Musky Inn. It had such a neat atmosphere. We waited in the bar for a table and ordered an appetizer of hot crawfish dip. Many of the dishes had a Cajun feel and there were many Mardi Gras masks throughout the restaurant. Once we got our table we were able to order. While the restaurant was rather expensive, it was also very good. I ordered the crab stuffed halibut with a glass of Sauvignon blanc while dad had the seafood pasta with a cider. The food was delicious. It was served with a baked potato, salad and jalapeño bread roll. Others ordered steaks and they were HUGE!!
Back and Dan and Nicole’s we headed to bed because we knew we would have an early morning tomorrow.
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