Alaska Bound Days 35-37

Day 35 Seward Gunnel and Judy brought their breakfast over about 7:30. We headed for the tour office on foot. Seward has a wonderful walking path along the water. Not sure if I mentioned that our campsites front on the water as well. Cruise ships and freighters pass by heading to docks and sailboat were out yesterday. The walk was about 15 minutes. After checking in we perused the gift shop and then boarded at 9:30. It is such a nice boat, well appointed and very comfortable. We choose seats at a table on the upper deck. There were only 37 passengers on a boat that could take well over 100. Captain Chris was a wonderful guide and the 3 mates were always ready to help particularly in pointing out the wildlife as well as seeing there was plenty of coffee and hot water for tea.
We hadn’t gone far when Chris pointed out 3 separate pods of Orcas also known as Killer Whales. These are in the dolphin family and follow boats more like dolphins. They were very active all around us. He cut the engine so we could just drift and watch. It was an incredible experience. We turned toward the glacier area where we could see two glaciers before arriving at our destination, the Alialik. These glaciers are part of the Harding Icefield as is Exit which we saw last night. At the glacier Chris also cut the engine so we could hear the sound of the glacier. He said though that the sound would come after the sight of the glacier calving so we all kept our eyes on the massive ice right in front of us. There were also harbor seals about. We witnessed a number of incidences of calving, one piece of which Chris said was the size of our vessel. He had anticipated this and moved the boat a bit further out. His years of experience showed throughout the trip.
Reluctantly we had to leave but we saw sea otters, humpback whales, Stellar sea lion (now considered endangered species), and Dahl porpoises. Among the birds we saw two types of puffins, horned and tufted, in the water and nesting, eagles, Cormorants , Murres, Artic terns, Black Legged kittiwakes also nesting, and gulls. The rocky cliffs were filled with birds as was often the air around and above.
Dinner was at a lodge owned by the tour company which also houses overnight guests. A park ranger presented a talk on the park while we ate. We returned to Seward awe struck by this incredible opportunity to see so many species up close and personal in a phenomenal setting not to mention the glacier . What an experience of a lifetime. Anyone visiting this area should be sure to do this tour.
Our walk back to the campground was in a light rain which changed to a steady rain as the evening wore on. We sipped some of Judy’s port while making plans for tomorrow. “Don’t you ever take a day off?” Gunnel asked. Of course today we didn’t drive at all which was like a day off!
Day 36 Miles 185 Seward to Homer I am writing this from Homer spit Campground overlooking the rocky beach and water as the sun is starting to lower in the sky at 10:10 p.m. it will rise again about 4 a.m. The tides tonight will be about a 20 foot range and I’m hoping to view some tide pools at low tide in the morning. Homer is on the west side of the Kenai Peninsula and Seward on the East. To get from one to another you must first travel north, then southwest and finally southeast.
We began our day with a visit to Seward’s fantastic Sea Life Center. In addition to being a great interactive mari facility, they do research and rescue of sea life as well. It was particularly interesting to learn more about some of the species we saw yesterday and even see a live web cam of the Stellar Sea Lions on the rocks with their young, some of which were new born. We were also able to see the Puffins as they swam underwater. Part of the cost for the facility was from the Exon Valdez settlement.
After a few gift shop purchases we headed to Safeway for some foodstuffs including lunch supplies. Our departure from Seward was about 11:30. Around 12:30 we stopped in the Russian and Kenai Rivers area. This is supposed to be great salmon fishing. The season will not begin until June 11 and will be very limited in time and allowable catch. There were also signs regarding the deterioration of the shoreline and how that was detrimental to the salmon “fry” which I gather is the young. They have provided metal stairs to get down to the water without walking on the banks and request the fishermen wade into the stream rather than fish from edge. There were also instructions on proper catch and release.
The sun was in and out and we elected to eat in Judy’s trek but had a good view of the river. There was more traffic on the road than we’d seen in a long time. This peninsula is very popular for weekend visits by those living in Anchorage. A number of the vehicles were motor homes. School is now out in Alaska so vacations are probably starting. Many people rent RV’s in Anchorage, 225 miles north of there (which is probably more sensible than driving from Florida!) and come here at the beginning or end of their trip.
We made a mid afternoon stop for ice cream. This drive seems much longer and not nearly as scenic as the one to Seward. We even passed a town with multiple stoplights and national franchises. That hasn’t been the case in a long time. However as we approached Homer we followed the water and came down a long hill overlooking the entire area including the “spit” where I am tonight. We first stopped at the home of friends of Judy’s. They live in a very high area. Judy and Gunnel are staying there tonight. I begged off as I had guaranteed this campsite and was looking forward to being on the water. It will probably be my last waterfront campground at least for a while. After enjoying my leftovers from the other night I walked along the boat harbor and took some photos. I have not had time to put any photos on the computer in a long time. I am hoping I can devote some time to that this weekend and secure a strong enough internet site to post them for viewing. It will be difficult to cull them out. I appreciate hearing from some of you on email. I am sorry that I can’t seem to have time to answer but know that I am enjoying hearing your news and will reply eventually. Now I’m going to try to see a sunset!
Day 37 Homer Spit RV Park I didn’t make it until sunset which was after 11 and by 4 it was light again. Amazingly I slept until almost 8 so not much luck with the tide pools either. I did walk the rocky beach and collected some rocks. Judy and Gunnel picked me up and we headed into Homer to see the Pratt Museum. Their featured collection is in memory of the 1989 Exon Valdez Oil Spill the consequences of which are still very evident in the area as stormy seas and tides bring up the oil that sunk and the disruption in peoples lives continues. Works of art depicting the grief and anger were part of the presentation as well as recorded voices of local people. Other exhibits included life at sea, early homesteaders, local wildlife and sea life and some local art. Weather was also featured as was volcano and earthquake activity which play a major role in the life here. A nearby volcano on Mt. Redoubt has been active since spring and ash is still evident in places. The 1964 earthquake did major damage including destroying the area on which I am camping. As we paid our admission, the woman at the desk knew Stuart because she lived in Jensen Beach for a couple of years. The woman in the gift shop is of Russian heritage and lives in a Russian dominated village on the east end of the area. Another volunteer was interpreting in a pioneer cabin and told of her life in such a cabin in the 1980’s. I suspect a lot of these are still inhabited now.
A delicious lunch at Fat Olives followed by a Mead tasting at a local producer, Ring of Fire, mellowed us for the afternoon. We also enjoyed some fascinating exhibits at an art center and additional ecological information at Islands and Oceans visitor center sited on a hill and reached by a footpath. A brisk cold wind chilled us but otherwise it was very sunny.
We met Judy’s friends for a great fish dinner at Captain Pattys here on the Spit. The plans for tomorrow are to begin to work our way to Anchorage.