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Published: August 9th 2010
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Sea Otters - 1
Sea otters greeted us just outsidee the Seward breakwater. Dick Eveson’s Alaska Tour - Resurrection Bay and Kenai Fjords National Park
Alaska is famous for many things including great scenery, glaciers, mountains, bears, moose, caribou and mountain sheep. It is also famous for its seashore and sea life. One way to see the sights is to tale en excursion boat to the places you can’t get to by car. From Anchorage we have a choice of Prince William Sound or Resurrection Bay. It is a hard choice to make. On this occasion we chose Resurrection Bay and the nearby Kenai Fjords National Park. The next choice was which excursion boat to take. There are several companies offering service from Seward, Alaska, at the head of Resurrection Bay. I haven’t heard anything bad about any of the companies. So, it was route selection and amenities that guided the selection. As a note to future visitors to Alaska and Anchorage: Convenient package combinations of railroad transportation to Seward and excursion boats are available. However, without an overnight stay in Seward, your excursion routes and length of the tour choice will be limited.
The longer tours, excursions that include Kenai Fjords National Park and glaciers, leave mid-morning from Seward. The 8-hours
Sea Otters - 2
The sea otters bobbed in the swells seemingly unconcerned about our boat that was drifing close by. cruises feature meals. We chose the Kenai Fjords Tours (a private company with a name similar to the National Park) because it has a stopover, a chance to get off the boat and stretch your sea legs, at Fox Island for a grilled salmon and prime rib dinner. With that settled, it was early to bed. Wake up was early in the morning in order to make the three and one-half hour drive to Seward and make our 9:00 AM check-in time.
It had been raining for several days prior to our planned tour. Oh well, its Alaska! If you don’t like the weather just wait five minutes. It rained almost all the way to Seward. By the time we parked the car and grabbed our gear, the rain had stopped and the sky remained darkly overcast. We got our boarding passes from the office. That left just shy of an hour before boarding the MV Tanaina. That gave us an opportunity to visit friends Dale and Bobbi on their sailboat, the Cirrus, berthed in Seward. Dick, a powerboat owner, and Dale hit it off. Sailor to sailor, the two of them disappeared below deck and gave the Cirrus
Humpback Whale - 1
A young humpback whale breaches close by the boat. a complete going over. The two old salts enjoyed their visit, talking about their boats.
The Tanaina has two passenger decks. Each deck has a section of open deck for al fresco viewing of the scenery and a cabin section where café-like booths provide seating and a table next to large windows. On this particular tour, The National Park Tour with Dinner at Fox Island, an eight and one-half hour tour, the tables are convenient place to eat the tour-included lunch snack. Aft on the lower deck is a refreshment center that offers complimentary coffee and tea. There is a charge for sodas but they will refill your cup as many times as you like.
Seward is a nice, neat little port town. With a vessel the size of the Tanaina the operative word is little. The captain literally makes the boat go sideways to clear the berth and turn in the channel. His maneuvering of the boat in confined spaces certainly instilled confidence for the remainder of the voyage. At slow speed we cleared the harbor’s breakwater and started picking up speed. Almost at once the engines idled. On the starboard side there was a trio of
Humpback Whale - 2
A young humpback whale breaches and rolls before splashing down. sea otters gently bobbing in the swells. They eyed us warily but didn’t seem overly concerned as the boat drifted closer. The captain explained over the PA system that there are rules to protect the wildlife. Gentle applications of power kept the Tanaina at a safe distance from the otters but we were close enough to get a good look at them. They are amazing animals. A mammal without blubber to insulate them, they rely on their thick fur to keep warm. Our otters were busy grooming their fur to maintain its insulating qualities. The otter’s rich fur made them prime target for hunters and nearly caused their extinction.
The crews of the tour boats make the voyage, rain or shine, all season long. They get to know where to find the sea creatures. I have a hunch that they also talk back and forth with the other tour operators letting each other know where the whales are. In a cove with sheer granite walls, we found humpback whales. It was a mother whale and her nearly grown calf. The calf was energetic and seemed to perform for us. The whale breached, rapidly swimming up and nearly out of
Three Hole Rock
The outer arch has broken off and the once three hole rock is now two and one half holes. the water, several time quite close to the boat. Once, the juvenile whale completely cleared the water, rolling on its back, before splashing into the sea. As much as the whale seemed to be performing for us, it also seemed to be toying with us. After a breach, the whale would swim to a different location and then jump. We had to be quick to catch the frolicking whale on camera. A second slow and all you recorded was a splash in the ocean.
The rugged coastline has many distinctive features. One of these has been known for a long time as three-hole rock, a familiar landmark for many excursion boat passengers. Not too long ago the outermost arch collapsed and three-hole rock is now just two and a half-hole rock. The surging surf, repeated freezing and thawing with the seasons continue the process of erosion that has already presented us with such scenic beauty. The sheer cliffs descend quickly under the water. The steep terrain provided a depth of water the permits the captain to bring the boat close to three hole-rock for our photo opportunities.
For awhile we were worried about the increasing fog. We would
Aialik Glacier - 1
Aialik Glacier - Chunks of the glacier falling into the sea is called calving. A small event resulted in this cascade of falling ice. soon be near the Aialik Glacier. We feared that one of the highlights of the tour would be shrouded. Slowly proceeding up the fjord, the Tanaina mad a wake across the smooth water. In the distance two kayakers emerged out of the fog. The captain slowed the boat to minimize the wake and not endanger the occupants of the tiny craft also headed for Aialik Glacier. Soon there were little pieces of ice in the water. The fog thinned as we exited the bank and ahead of us in glorious glistening blue was the glacier.
The glacier is a moving thing, so big and huge, the movement is almost imperceptible. You need time-lapse photography to show the motion. But the huge block of ice does move over the uneven ground. That strain, the up and down motion over the ground, causes the glacier to crack. When a quarter-mile thick piece of ice cracks, there is a loud noise. When the crack is far down under the mass of ice it is muffled and becomes a low rumbling boom. When the crack suddenly opens near the surface there are loud pops much like the crack of a rifle shot. Aialik
Aialik Glacier - 2
Blue ice is the signature of the glacier. Aialik Glacier is a tidewater glacier, ending in the sea. Glacier is very active and treated us to a symphony of glacial sounds that echoed across the pale blue waters of Aialik Bay.
When a glacier ends on land, its melt water forming a braided stream, it is called a piedmont glacier. Aialik Glacier ends in the sea and is called a tidewater glacier. The toe of the glacier, once supported by the ground under, now begins to float in the seawater. That additional strain of floating causes pieces of the glacier to fall off the ace in drop into the sea. The process is called calving. Sometimes the whole face of the glacier will fall away with tremendous roar and an ensuing wave spreading across the calm waters. We were not fortunate enough to witness such a large calving on this day but we were able to witness many smaller calvings. Smaller is a comparative word. A falling block of ice the size of two or three houses is small compared to the mass of the glacier, and we were able to catch some of the activity on film. Documentaries, photos and travelogues can report on visits to glaciers. But you almost need a visit to one of
Aialik Glacier - 3
Dick, now dressed in his parka, taking photographs of Aialik Glacier. these ice giants before you can truly appreciate the scale and attune your perceptions.
The visit to the face of Aialik Glacier was the farthest extent of our travels aboard the Tanaina. It was time to return and head to Fox Island for dinner. Along the way we had encounters with Steller sea lions. The large marine mammals ride the high tide surges to the tops of large rocks and stone abutments. They bask there during the day to absorb as much sunlight and warmth as possible. With the coming of night they will slide down the rocks into the sea and seek schools of pollock, salmon, herring or cod to feed. Again, the rules of wildlife encounters required the captain to keep a discrete distance from the animals. The Steller sea lion is a threatened species and has suffered an unexplained (although human overfishing of their principle food source species, pollock, cod and herring may well be a important contributing cause) significant decline in numbers during recent years. We were close enough, however, to hear their guttural vocalizations. Cameras with telephoto lenses could center on individual animals. We could appreciate the size of the animals. Among pinnipeds, the
Aialik Glacier - 4
Quiet waters and floating ice in front of the blue face of Aialik Glacier. fin-footed animals, only the walrus and elephant seal are larger.
The captain made an announcement over the PA system. Another excursion boat had spotted a pod of hump back whales engaged in cooperative feeding called bubble netting. It was a distance away and outside of the normal our area but he said we would spend a little extra time on this cruise and try to see the rarely seen activity. The nose came about and the deck rumbled with high cruise power. We were on our way around the point that normally separates Resurrection Bay from Prince William Sound. Further adventure awaited!
Humpback whales are filter feeders. They have baleen, fringed plates in their mouth, to filter the food from the water. With open mouth they gulp in large amounts of water. The jaw closes and the water is forced through the baleen and the retained krill, plankton and small schooling fish are eaten. Such feeding activity requires a high concentration of food in the water. The humpback whales have developed a cooperative feeding behavior that increases the concentration of food in the water. When krill and plankton are found by the whales, they will take in breaths
Aialik Glacier - 5
A small tour boat gives some size perspective of Aialik Glacier. of air, submerge below the food source. Then circling around the krill, plankton or fish, they let out a stream of air that makes a curtain of bubbles. Working together, the whales herd the small marine creatures to surface in the center of the bubble net, concentrating their food source. Once the bubble net has been completed, the whales come up from below, gulping gaping mouthfuls of the concentrated food fish. Feeding in this way, the 30 to 50 ton humpback whales can eat 4 to 5 thousand pounds of krill, plankton or small fish a day.
We soon arrived in the area. About 200 yards off we could see the activity. From across the surface of the water you can see the whale heads as they take gulps of water and food. They then dive showing the hump and fin on the back, sometimes the fluke or tail will flash in the air. After a flurry of activity, the whales are off seeking more schools of food fish. Everyone on the boat scan the surface, in all directions for the next bubble net to appear. Once, the whales surfaced right next to the other side of the boat.
Aialik Glacier - 6
Dick reflecting on his first encounter with a glacier and he majesty of Aialik Glacier. We had to be content with listening to the oohs and aahs of the delighted passengers on the other side of the boat. Oh, well. The luck of the draw, I guess. The sea birds, gulls and the like, with an aerial view, are quick to spot where the whales are blowing their bubble nets. The concentrated fish on the surface are irresistible o the birds and they flock there. It is a quick way to predict where the whales will surface next.
Soon it was time to turn yet again and had for Fox Island. Along the way, a group of Dall sheep were spotted high on a ridge to starboard. The rocky shore line also provided secure nesting sites for birds. We saw colorful puffins, long-necked cormorants, and penguin-like mures. The mures kept well back in their little cave like nesting areas because a hungry bald eagle perched on a craggy limb just above.
In the era between the two World Wars, the high cost of furs made fox farming a profitable venture. Many islands in South Central Alaska were turned into fox farms. The Great Depression and the falling prices for furs resulted in fox
Aialik Glacier - 7
Sea kiakers give some size perspective for Aialik Glacier. farming disappearing from Alaska. That was long ago but for this island, the name stuck. Kenai Fjords Tours operates a day lodge and some overnight accommodations as well. The lodge is where the Fox Island salmon and prime rib dinner is served. The only access to the island, for passengers or cargo, is by boat. There are no electric or telephone lines to the island. Most of the electric power used on the island is provided by solar cells or wind power. In spite of the constraints just mentioned, the young men and women produce working at the island lodge created a wonderful meal. The first two times I ever took the tour the menu was grilled Alaska salmon. Not really my favorite, it was however a treat for each of our guests to Alaska I have escorted. This time they have added prime rib to the menu. For an additional charge Alaska king crab can be added to your dinner tray. And added bonus missing from the past was a benefit for big appetites like mine. You can go back for seconds! There are help-yourself dispensers for coffee, tea and lemonade.
While you dine a US Park Ranger
Steller Sea Lions - 1
A steller sea lion on top of a large rock in Resurrection Bay. gives a presentation with projector graphics and picture. The history, development and wildlife of Resurrection Bay and The Kenai Fjords National Park are covered. A good meal shared with good friends, an interesting and informative presentation by a Park Ranger, all in the comfort of a warm lodge made for a great close to a wonderful day. The rain of the early morning held back and the skies partially cleared. Most of the day it was light sweater weather, well, except for the time spent below the glacier when it was parka weather. A few blasts of the ship’s horn called us to board. While we rode in comfort back to Seward, the staff of the lodge prepared for the next boatload of tired and hungry passenger. I want to extend my thanks to a lot of people worked very hard to make our day exceptional.
For more information about Kenai Fjords National Park and Kenai Fjords Tours see
http://www.nps.gov/kefj/index.htm
or
http://www.kenaifjords.com/ .
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