Alaska days 3-4

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Alaska Day 3-4



Day 3 is a day in Anchorage so we took the shuttle to the downtown area and wandered around admiring the flowers. Made our way to the Anchorage Museum and enjoyed the art but especially the hands on science exhibit probably engineered for children. We tried our hand at many of the exhibits with mixed success but thoroughly enjoyed it. After scones and tea we went into the Planetarium for a Aurora presentation. I actually fell asleep. Not the most engaging film.



Then it was a walk back for a rest and more luscious King Crab. I will be growing spiny legs soon.



Our first train day arrived early. We were at the depot at 5:45 am for a 6:45 departure. I am so glad we bit the bullet and went Gold Star Class. Our seats were in the first domed car just behind the engines and we had our own dining room below. The service was wonderful and the views from the train.........OMG. We enjoyed a great breakfast and settled in for the five hour ride to Seward. The train follows Cook Inlet then took us inland through the mountains, over swollen rivers, past raging streams and hanging glaciers. There was an outside observation deck and though cold it was great for photos. The scenery was so beautiful but the train ride was so soothing that it was hard to keep from napping. We saw a couple of bald eagles and some saw a moose, not us. At 11:30 we arrived at the Seward Depot. Here we boarded a shuttle to the Kenai Fiords National Park Cruise, and what a cruise it was.



Initially I was a bit disappointed not to get a window seat but we were seated with a great family from the San Francisco area and they helped make our day. Mom, Dad, Dad's fishing buddy, 2 daughters and two cousins, the kids all in their late teens, were great travel companions. Not only that but they were musical too and entertained us with four part harmony.



We headed for the rookeries where Puffins and Gulls and Kittywakes and Murres soared and dove and circled and made a huge racket and did their bird things. An eagle preened on the his perch on the cliff and watched the action for any sign of food. These birds are fun to watch and there were just so many of them. Every perch-able spot on the cliff had a bird on it. After a while we moved on to an area where Steller Sea Lions were hauled out for a bit of sun and rest. These blond sea lions were mostly in groups although occasionally we spotted a loner.



We bounced our way out of the bay and into the Gulf of Alaska and stopped to observe a mom and baby Humpback Whale. The calf was frisky and mom was content to feed. Just ahead was a pod of Humpbacks and they made their way towards mom and baby. As if on cue they put on a show of spouting and tail wagging and just let us know that they were happy to be in Alaska.



We headed to a tidal glacier and floated quietly not far from the face. It was awesome to be so close to such a massive work of nature. We could hear glacier noises and the ice shifted and watched as parts of the massive edge calved into the sea, creating a wave and many bergie bits (small icebergs). A group of Harbor Seals and some sea otters rested in front of the wall of ice.

The crew netted some of the glacial ice and passed it around. It was strange to think that what I held in my hand began as snowflakes many hundreds or thousands of years before. On our return to port we spotted a pod of Orca including one very frisky baby who showed off all the tricks of breaching that it knew. Mom and the rest of the pod just hung out. We sere escorted to shore by Dall's Porpoise, a relative of the Orca and the same coloring. They love riding the boat wake and stayed with us for a while before returning to feed. We were diverted to come to the aid of a vessel in trouble. When the word goes out, all boats in the area respond. This was a case of fire on board and three people were engulfed in flame and jumped into the icy water. Before we arrived they were rescued and a boat with fire hoses was on the scene. What a terrifying experience that must have been.



Returned to port at 5:30, a good six hours after embarking. What a great experience. Headed to the hotel, a hot meal of Alaska Salmon and a hot bath before bed.

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Photos

Alaska Railray
Train view

The engin that could
Coming round the bend...

Aialik Glacieri
Just after calving