Well, I’ll be honest…. This is my least favorite patch of photos. It was our second to last day and the weather was crap. On top of that, I’ve learned that whales are pretty challenging subjects. It wasn’t for lack of trying, but the whales were fairly distant and honestly, they stay under water most of the time. And sadly, I missed an amazing photo opportunity when three humpback whales all breeched simultaneously. I caught the last one’s splash.
All that said, we still had a great day. Departing around 9am from Seward, we boarded a Major Marine vessel bound for the Kenai Fjords. We choose the seven-hour tour, which truth be told, is probably around two or three hours too long, but it’s packed with sites to see. Heading south through Resurrection Bay, we entered into the Gulf of Alaska, with only about 2,000 miles of the Pacific Ocean separating us from Hawaii, due south.
Among the wildlife, we spotted bald eagles, puffins, sea lions, harbor seals, humpback whales, orcas and otters. The boat was filled to the brim, but comfortable, nonetheless. As was the case throughout our visit to Alaska, we enjoyed conversation with the locals (our captain, who actually came from Connecticut) and our tablemates, Ed and Linda Fox, from Phoenix, AZ. Impressively, Ed and Linda were on their 57th National Park with only seven remaining. We shared margaritas made from the shed ice from the Holgate Glacier plucked from the icy waters of the Holgate Arm.
After six days of travel and nearly 2,500 pictures, I finally put the “real” cameras away during the last hours of our cruise. Mike and I did a little touring of Seward and then enjoyed beers afterwards at the Tidewater Taphouse while chatting up another couple from Georgia, who were also on our tour. We capped the night with dinner at The Cookery and a healthy discussion of politics over cocktails at The Flamingo Lounge. If you ever find yourself in Seward, I highly recommend the Flamingo.
