Northwestern Fjord and more!

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Let me get this out of the way, I did not puke on the boat! Several others did, I did not.

Got your attention there. Today was spent in the very capable hands of Captain Kaylee and First Mate Tammy on board the Viewfinder, a small vessel that is part of Major Marine Tours. Our destination today was Northwestern Glacier and all the sites along the way during our 8.5 hour tour. I chose to sit outside so I didn't have to wear a mask the entire trip (although the mask did double as a way to keep my face warm later in to the ride) and so it would be easy to step to the side of the boat for photos. I took 437, plus several videos on my phone. Tammy started us out with all the safety information and Kaylee explained what to do if you started to feel a bit off. It was actually pretty funny when she started talking about moving to the back of the boat, make sure the wind was blowing out and then lean over and aim far. I smartly took a motion sickness bill and had my sea bands on my wrists. This would come in handy later.

We made our way out of the small boat harbor and into Resurrection Bay. The morning started off drizzly and all the mountains had wisps of mist across them. I thought it was fitting for the area and the scenery. I can't even describe most of it other than breathtaking. Soon we heard "we are slowing down as there are reports of a humpback whale" and sure enough, we found it! This time of year there are very few left in Alaska as they have begun their 6 week migration south to Hawaii. So it was very exciting to see one of the few that remained. What I, and my fellow travelers, really appreciated was Kaylee moved on after a short amount of time. They are not allowed to stay with one animal longer than a certain length due to the fact that they are protected and cannot be harassed. We witnessed this several times during our tour.

We moved through the bay and past Bear Glacier which is the entrance to the national park in this area. In one spot we were lucky enough to spot 4ish sea otters, one with it's pup on it's belly. Super cute! Once we moved out into the Bay of Alaska is when the fun really started. Today was pretty calm compared to yesterday but the boat was really moving and the swells were fairly high. I kept my gaze fixed on the land and made it through. Others were not so lucky. Eventually we moved into the calmer waters of Northwestern Fjord. This is the furthest any boat tour goes and it was so worth it to take this full day tour. And it was time for lunch. Due to Covid the lunches are pre-ordered and everything is pre-packaged. I chose the salmon spread for my sandwich (It's Alaska, I don't want turkey!) and also got chips, an apple, a brownie and a drink. A pretty good lunch for the price!

We ambled into the fjord, past several glaciers until reaching Northwestern Glacier. Here, the boat was turned off and we spent 20 minutes in silence watching the glacier, catching several spectacular calvings and just being in nature. A small group of harbor seals was doing the same thing, except they were laying on the cold ice chunks and we were on the boat. It got colder by the minute and I was glad to have on several layers, a hat and gloves. Eventually we had to leave and head out on the rest of our tour.

One particularly nice spot was Cataract Cove. This is an area with a sunken glacier that you can't see and multiple waterfalls. We got right up to the rocks and had some great moments in this beautiful spot. Then it was back out into open water heading back to Resurrection Bay. After a bit we slowed down for a juvenile bald eagle and some Stellar Sea Lions. Also saw some tufted and horned puffins. Such cute little birds! And then we slowed down again for reports of TWO humpback whales. It was a mom and calf and we waited a bit and finally she surfaced very close to our boat! Amazing to watch!

And then it was back to Seward as our time had come to an end. I have so many photos and memories of this day. The glacier alone was worth the price of admission. Everything else was a bonus!

I was lucky enough to sit next to a couple ending their visit to Alaska and another solo traveler about halfway through hers. We solo ladies got some great tips on Denali from the couple. They stayed at the same hotel I will be at and they really liked it. They also let us know about a delicious food truck and a good place for breakfast. The lady traveling solo is a minister and has been to 58 countries and all 50 states. We talked about some of the places she loves and I talked about places I love. I usually don't go out of my way to chat with strangers but they were so friendly and the couple was from South Barrington so small world! I'm glad I chose to sit outside as it made the trip the best it could be.

If in Seward I highly recommend a boat tour. I only did the 8.5 hour one so I can't comment on the others but if you have the time, and the money, I would strongly suggest the full day. But please take your Dramamine/Bonine/whatever else is available and don't be shy if you don't feel well. Tammy was so helpful and checked on everyone often to make sure we were all feeling ok. And paid special care to those who were not. She and Kaylee provided the right amount of commentary and were available to answer any questions along the way. Major Marine is the tour operator I used and they work out of the Hotel 360 so just a walk downstairs for me. Wear layers, bring a hat and gloves as well as extra camera batteries, a fully charged phone and, most importantly, your eyes to take in all the beauty along the way.

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Photos

Fjords Tour
Stellar Sea Lions

Comments

[Mom]

Otters
I see otters!