We left Valdez on July 12, Sunday. We had the most wonderful time there. The Columbia Glacier cruise we took was wonderful. The sun actually made an appearance and it made a tremendous difference in color and warmth. The glacier calved small bits while we were about ¼ of a mile from it. It is one big glacier too. Interestingly, there is an amazing optical illusion that is created by the sound water and the glacier when you are about 13 miles from it. Suddenly the glacier looks to be twice as tall and huge then as you approach closer the vision pops back to reality. The sea otters were out in force floating on the ice bergs. Although they were wary of the boat, they also were very curious which made for great photos.

The pink salmon were just beginning to run and fishing season for the professional fishermen had just started when we took our glacier cruise. It was very interesting to learn what the duties were of the different types of boats. All were using the “purse seining” technique. This was very interesting to watch how the nets scoop up the fish and get them into the fishing boat. Then the tender comes in…these are the big boats you see on Deadliest Catch…and buys the fish on the spot, siphons them up and eventually takes them directly to the processing plant in Valdez.

While in Valdez, we also went to the Solomon Creek Fish Hatchery to see the salmon returning to their birthplace. It was so exciting to also get to see the sea lions feeding on the salmon. Again, because of the confines of the area, we were able to take amazing close ups of not only the salmon but of the sea lions as well. A few harbor seals were also lingering nearby but they never came in close enough for us to photograph them. This hatchery is a good location to see bears at low tide. Unfortunately, we never were able to get back at low tide. We met an interesting employee of the fish hatchery who told us they actually can tell hatchery fish from wild fish by some rings on their ear bones so they have people at the processing plants whose job is to excise the ear bones from the salmon. The bones are then analyzed to see the ratio of wild to hatchery fish which helps the fish and game people and fishermen know what limits will be set on fish catches.

Because we became interested in the history of Valdez post the 1964 earthquake, we toured both history museums then drove out to Old Valdez town site. To see the photos of the before and after just really made an impact. My husband and I were in high school when the earthquake occurred but all we saw on TV or read in the papers concerned Anchorage. Kodiak, Valdez and Seward lost their docks and many people. Whole communities were destroyed if not by the earthquake then by the tsunami that followed. The movie that the Valdez historical society put together on the earthquake and aftermath was extremely well done.

Valdez is by far my favorite ocean town in Alaska. It is not as funky as Homer and is more friendly than Seward. We loved having our camp spot right on the bay front so we could enjoy all the activity. Between fishing boats, the ferry and private boats there is a lot of activity to watch. Town is small enough you can walk everywhere. There were great places to eat and interesting people to visit with.

So when we left Valdez, we drove to McCarthy, Alaska. Now, in all the guide books this road is hair raising and tire damaging but that is not what we found. Unfortunately, it was raining so our views of the scenery were a bit limited but the road was fine, a little narrow in places maybe. When we reached McCarthy we were a little taken back by the “campground”. Now I use the term campground very loosely…80 acres of glacier debris and two out houses, no garbage containers, no fresh water and showers, forget about it. All for a mere $20 per night or you can just park for $5 per day. After finally locating a semi-level, relatively boulder free spot, we set up camp. People were camped all over the place with no organization to the whole operation. It was interesting to say the least. Now we were surprised to discover the Kennicott Glacier dominating the view from the bridge across the Kennicott River. It is massive and the ice comes down the river almost 30 miles from the glacier. Of course by the campground the glacier looks like huge piles of rock and dirt. It is only as you get closer that you understand the rocks and dirt are on top of 300 feet of ice! We did see photos taken in the 1920’s where there was another 3-400 feet more ice on this gravelly area of the glacier.

The walk to McCarthy, which was the bar and red light district when the mine at Kennicott was in operation, is only about ¾ of a mile. There is a footbridge across the Kennicott River. Not too many years ago, you pulled yourself across the river in a basket dangling from a cable! McCarthy is tiny with all its power provided by a generator, summer and winter. Surprising, about a dozen people live there year round. This is a very isolated town. You must have all your food and other supplies on hand no later than the first of October. The road is not plowed in winter. The airport shuts down for winter. You are totally on your own from October until May.

It has a cute little museum and several small businesses including a bar, restaurant, hotel, coffee shop and a couple of backpacker hostels. We supported the tiny general store where we had two scoops of ice cream for $10! The other businesses deal with glacier hikes and rafts trips or kayak trips or with the airport which flies people to and from the area as well as flightseeing tours.

The foot bridge across the Kennicott River is interesting. It was supposed to be strictly pedestrian but people discovered they could squeeze a Subaru or other small vehicle across the bridge. So the bridge was blocked with concrete and steel posts and people came in and cut the posts off at ground level and threw them in the river…twice. Finally, the National Park put buffers that restricted the width that could use the bridge. Well, then came the small ATV’s that can just squeeze passed the narrow points and race right across the bridge. Pedestrian traffic is “supposed” to have the right away but we were nearly run over by two teens on an ATV in a hurry to get across.

Monday morning, we rode the shuttle ($5/person one way) up to the Kennicott Site to take the walking tour of the mill and town. Kennicott is preserved remarkably well. The recreation hall is still used by the locals for meeting and dances as it was when the mine was in operation. Several of the houses are lived in by park staff and the mine’s management living quarters has been turned into the Kennicott Glacier Lodge. I do not know what the rooms are like but the restaurant is excellent.

Our tour of town and the mill was great. The young man who was our guide was knowledgeable and entertaining. Luckily we had a small group so it was easy to see things and hear the comments. The mill is unique and the Park Service is stabilizing and repairing it so it will last long into the future. We climbed through the trees to the top of the mill where the tram cars from the Jumbo Mine and from the Bonanza Mine delivered ore. The mines were 5 miles up the hill…the very steep hill. The miners actually lived at the mines. There were houses up there for them but during the winter they lived in the mine itself because it was warmer than the houses.

This was a unique mining situation. The copper ore was incredibly pure. The chalcocite was 70% copper and there were nuggets of raw copper in the limestone matrix. This was one rich copper mine. At first the mill simply crushed the rock, loaded on the train and shipped it to Cordova where it was loaded onto ships and sent to Tacoma, Washington for smelting. The silver content was pure gravy and paid all the overhead. A railroad track was built especially for the Kennicott site from Cordova to Kennicott. Two thousand employees kept the track and train in repair and hauled the ore out and supplies in summer and winter.

Once the rich, virtually pure deposits were exhausted, then the mill added chemical processes to extract as much copper from the limestone matrix as they could. Besides chalcocite, the mine had azurite and malachite in great quantities. Several different processes were tried with limited success until they began a floatation process which improved the amounts of copper recovered…remember this was all going on during the early 1900’s. The mine finally shutdown in 1938 because the costs were not being covered by product. A contractor was hired to remove all the structures but luckily he did not fulfill his contract. When the National Parks bought the property some structures still had plates and furniture. The Park Service are currently restoring some structures and stabilizing other. It was a wonderful place to visit for Jerry and I since we both grew up in copper mining towns.

One other point of interest is a railroad trestle, the Gilahina Trestle. This trestle is 90 feet high, 880 feet long and was built in 8 days during a January cold spell of -67 degrees. Can you even believe the hardship the workers must have suffered during the building?

On Tuesday, July 14, 2015, we left the marvelous (joke people) campground at McCarthy and headed to the other side of the Wrangell National Park. We had lunch in Glennallen and camped for the night at the Grizzly Lake RV Park. The little lake is lovely.

Wednesday, July 15, 2015 we took the Nabesna Road into the northside of the Wrangell-St Elias National Park. This road eventually ends at the Nabesna Mine. This gold mine was active until 1947 but is still in private ownership and occasionally still worked. If the clouds hadn’t insisted upon hanging so low, we would have had nice views of Mt. Sanford, Mt. Drummond and partial views of Mt. Wrangell. On a clear day, you can see plumes of steam from Mt. Wrangell, the only active volcano in this group.

We camped at the crossing over Jack Creek. This creek is interesting because it flows north into the Tanana/Yukon River drainage instead of into the Copper River drainage as most of the other rivers in the area do. The camp site was quiet and entertaining. While snacking on peanuts, we had a friendly squirrel climb up my chair and sit on my shoulder begging for a handout. Jerry gave him a peanut and had a buddy. The squirrel would sit on his lap. A group of 4 Whiskey Jacks (gray jays) then came up to join the fun. While they were a little more reserved than the squirrel, they were so close we could touch them. Then a mama spruce grouse brought her brood over to show them off. One was a small male who delighted in fanning his tail and parading around. They all took dust baths and rested for a while under the camper. Later we finally saw Dall sheep…only two…high on the volcanic cliffs across from us. It was a delightful camping spot.

This morning, Thursday, July 16, 2015, we drove to Tok along the Tok Cutoff Highway. This is extremely scenic and we very much enjoyed the drive. The chores in Tok were refueling, washing the rig and lunch at Fast Eddie’s. We had wonderful food there when we first hit Tok way back in early June so we really wanted to try it again. The food was wonderful again! Now we are camped at Border City Campground…not a 5 star establishment by any means but we wanted to be able to cross the border early in the day tomorrow and this is as close as you can get without crossing.

Our stop in Skagway was a shocking experience. We never expected to fight our way through streets clogged with 6,000 cruise ship people the first day we were there and 10,000 the second day. Once we accepted that the gold rush was still going on only now the stampeders were cruisers and instead of 38 saloons there were 38 jewelry shops. However, town was quiet once the ships left port in the evening. Everything is within walking distance or there are buses and tour cars to take you everywhere…for a price. It was extremely noisy where we camped on the waterfront with the tour buses and trains moving people and supplies for the cruise ships. The small boat harbor is very small and there is no fishing activities to watch…besides you cannot really see the ocean for the big ships. There is a great little museum and some interesting exhibits if you are willing to make the effort to fine them. A trip to Dyea, the real start of the Chilkoot Trail that the gold rushers used, is interesting and worth the time.

Hyder, Alaska is the "friendliest ghost town in Alaska". Yes, it is. It is definitely worth a visit for the Salmon Glacier alone but when the salmon are running, the bear viewing center is exceptional. We saw two grizzlies and a black bear. The grizzlies were definitely catching salmon but the black bear was more interested in blueberries. After leaving Hyder, we spent the night nearby at Meziadin Lake. We took a stroll through the campground. No sooner had we returned to our campsite than a black bear appeared at our site. Now, was he following us through the park or was it sheer coincidence? We don't know but a couple walking dogs scared him off. In Alaska and Canada as well, if you plan on any backcountry hiking, I do recommend carrying bear spray and be noisy. Black bear are everywhere and while they seem to be wary of humans, it would be much better not to surprise them or get between mama and cub.

And now for some thoughts about the Alaska Trip.

First, all the young people you meet as tour guides are from somewhere else. All of them come to Alaska for the adventure, every summer then travel or work at ski resorts in the lower 48 all winter. All are bright, passionate about the state and love adventure. We had a young National Parks Ranger explain it all to us. She graduated from college in 2007. No jobs were available at all in her field or any other field. The recession was full blown. So she went to Alaska for grins, became a ranger and spends her summers in Alaska while getting her doctorate during the winter. She hopes the economy will be better when she gets her degree.

Most of the travelers you meet are from somewhere else usually Germany. On our boat cruises, we rarely heard English spoken, except by the people guiding the cruise.

The worst campground-Centennial Campground in Anchorage (although Border City is a close second). The best campground was Bear Paw RV Park in Valdez. It was the friendliest with the nicest showers and best washers and dryers. Plus the view was to die for. Oh, I am not supposed to mention that because then the campground will be too popular.

I cannot pick the best restaurant we ate at because most were wonderful. Fast Eddie’s in Tok is worth a stop. Best halibut meal…the Gold Rush in Seward. Best hamburger…Old Town Burgers in Valdez. We even eat at two Mexican food restaurants…very, very mild but good food, just not Mexican as we know and love. Favorite restaurant...Klondike Kate's in Dawson City.

Most fun town Valdez, hands down. The busiest town, Skagway. Take a small town and add 6,000 to 10,000 visitors daily all summer long and you get pure craziness. The cell services is poor but with that many people trying to use it, you cannot even send a text until the cruise ships pull out in the evening.

Now would I go to Alaska again, sure. Certain places deserved more time. I would love to go back to Eagle. It was beautiful there. Valdez, yes. Seward, yes. Homer…the bagels are out of this world and the beach was a great walking beach…maybe. I did fall in love with Yukon Territory in Canada and would like to see more of it. And British Columbia is fantastic, especially in the National Parks.

All the other campers we met along the way were on their second, third, fourth or more trip into Alaska. They fell in love with a piece of Alaska and go back as often as they can.

I do recommend if you decide to do a blog of your trip that it will be difficult to find any wifi service throughout Canada and Alaska. In Canada you will not have much phone service to begin with anyway even with an add-on Canadian plan.

The roads are in a lot better shape than guide books warn you about. You must be patient though because summer is the only time to get road maintenance done. Check with visitors centers if you have any questions about road conditions. Some roads are just not suitable for pulling a long trailer. They are unpaved, narrow with no place to pull over or turn around. We did see novice RVer’s on roads they should not have traveled and they did survive but we also saw them back into trees and telephone poles too.

Thompson Pass going into Valdez gets 50 feet of snow per year not 550...why doesn't auto correct work for numbers? So does White Pass going into Skagway. Now you see why the highways are closed during the winter. The trip was a wonderful adventure.

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Of course the sun is brightly shining because today we plan to leave Homer! Now if we were to suddenly change our minds, would the sun mysteriously create clouds to hide behind? We decided not to take a chance and headed back across the Kenai Peninsula. Our initial plan was to find a camping place around Skilak Lake but this area in still closed to camping after wild fires in the area. Plan B was put into effect, so we moved to the south shore of Turnagain Arm and the Porcupine Campground near the town of Hope, Alaska. Where we spent the next two nights.

Day one was very peaceful but the 4^th of July campers began arriving day two. You throw in a handful of kids and there is no such thing as quiet. This does have advantages though. No bears in their right minds would hang out around a campground full of kids!

When it is quiet and you are very still wonderful little things happen. For example, a stellar blue jay landed not two feet from me. We looked at each other; studied each other and then when I offered no treats he hopped to the ground at my feet and poked around in the grass for food. During all this, where was my camera…in the camper, of course! Later a tiny mouse scampered by my toes from one patch of cover to another then returned by his original path. The song sparrows kept a running musical going and the little warblers chimed in with musical asides. Once I grabbed my camera, all the critters vanished and stayed hidden as long as that camera was out!

We hiked along the coast line of the Turnagain Arm trying to find a good viewing place to no avail on our second day at the campground. The forest is thick with clumps of cow parsnip and Devil’s club which go a long way in keeping you on the trail. Sensitive people break out in blisters just brushing up against the cow parsnip and the Devil’s club is so full of thorns, it is wicked. We did finally get to see a bore tide along the Turnagain Arm. It really very interesting to see this continuous wave of water racing up the inlet. Now the one we saw was now the big one but still it was fun to see. We never did spot any beluga whales though even though we spent hours glassing the inlet for them. We did spot Dall sheep all the way across the inlet on the cliffs on the other side. 

When we left camp on July 3, the inlet was at its fullest. It holds an amazing amount of water. We took a quick tour of the town of Hope before leaving the area. It was an old gold placer mine site and the town has been preserved very well. Jerry tells me the guy running the café looks just like a young Mel Gibson but I will just have to take his word because I didn’t go into the café. As we left the Kenai Peninsula behind, tons of traffic was heading out on to the peninsula.

We stopped in Palmer to shop for necessities with everyone else shopping for the holiday…crowded! After fueling up, we headed out on the Glennallen Highway and set up camp at the King Mountain State Recreational area on the banks of the Matanuska River. The camp host warned us about a troublesome black bear and that they had chased a brown bear (grizzly) across the river the day before. We took her quite seriously when she asked if we had bear spray because she and all the workers were wearing side arms. Another warning was about a mama moose with triplets...two were hers and the third she adopted when its mother was hit and killed by a car.

July 4^th dawned cloudy, again, after we had so enjoyed basking in the sun the day before. We decided to head a few more miles up the Glennallen Highway to the Matansuka Glacier Recreational area. This is a tiny campground with many a dozen spaces but each are very private. After setting up camp, we hiked to the lookout for the glacier. It is very dramatic and although you cannot see all of the glacier, it is very long. It is on private ground so you either pay to drive closer to the glacier or you enjoy it from afar. We chose to hike a nature trail that gave us very nice views of the glacier.

Since the sun made taking scenic pretty bland, I spent the afternoon taking flower photos instead and doing some sketching while Jerry planned the afternoon away so that we will get the most bang for our remaining days in Alaska. The last three campgrounds have all been small but with great privacy for each camping site. Although they were not meant for big rigs, we certainly have seen them in these campgrounds. This one could be quieter though. It is right on the edge of private property so we hear the constant noise of dirt moving nearby and down river a ways the constant shooting of pistols and rifles…must be reloaders! Otherwise, they could not afford the ammo they have used this afternoon. Who knows where we will end up tomorrow but it is nice out in nature. My rating of this campground went south when the guy doing the dirt work right by the campground continued to work until midnight and the private property owners whose land abuts the campground kept coming through the camp area until quite late. That being said, this was a holiday weekend and it may only be that chaotic during holidays, but it was very irritating.

July 5, we continued along the Glennallen Highway. We checked out Lake Louise which is an enormous lake created by glacial activity of the Alaskan Range to the north. It must be a very popular fishing location because the campgrounds were packed as was the boat trailer parking areas. This whole tundra area seems to be extremely popular with ATV owners. Huge groups were camped in areas set aside for ATV use all along the highway.

We had been hearing about the “mud volcanos” along the highway here so we stopped at the Tolsona Wilderness Campground on the Tolsona River so we could hike into the mud springs. These are warm springs that bubble methane and carbon dioxide gas from coal layers deep under the springs. Animals use these as watering holes all winter long when all else are frozen. A couple from Ontario joined us on our hike to the springs. It was more bushwacking than hiking over dead fall, through tussock and muskeg swamps and through thickets of alder and black spruce. It was our first true skirmish with mosquitos too. Once we arrived at the spring, we were a bit let down. They were much smaller than advertised in the travel books. The mud around the springs was filled with animal tracks, moose, caribou, dog or coyote and some sort of cat. We did get bubbles so I guess we got our money’s worth.

As to the mosquitos, I like Avon Skin So Soft Bug Repellant. It works well on everything but flies…why is there nothing that repels flies? Jerry prefers Ben’s 30% deet repellant. I think the smell alone repels the mosquitos.

On July 6^th, we stopped briefly in the town of Glennallen for fuel and ice then headed south on the Richardson Highway toward Valdez. The Wrangell Mountains are stunning. Even though we saw them through clouds, they are still stunning. Between 14,000 and 16,000 feet in elevation, they dominate the landscape. Mount Wrangell is the only active volcano in the range and has a distinctive shield shape of a volcano. They seem to create their own weather systems. Although we were in beautiful sun shine, they were cloaked in clouds. 

At the Worthington Glacier State Recreation Area, we hiked to the terminal end of the glacier. It was so amazing to actually touch a glacier! The ice looked like crushed ice but had no whisper of air bubbles in it. Thompson Pass, just a few miles from the glacier, gets 550 feet of snow per year…yes, feet is correct. No wonder there are so many glaciers around this area. And so we ended the day camped at Blueberry Lake Campground. It is such a glorious view, 360 degree view, from this campground. I bet you can see at least 10 glaciers from the camp. It is beautiful. Now, none of the famous blueberries were even close to being ripe, so we saw no bears.

Once again, rain is falling as we break camp on July 7. If we are going to the ocean, it is going to rain! So Valdez, I hope you need rain because we are heading your way. One thing I have been wondering is how rain effects the glaciers. I have never read anything about rain and glaciers. Once the road drops down to the river level, you enter a deep rugged narrow canyon, Keystone Canyon. Then suddenly, there is this beautiful waterfall coursing down the cliff, Bridal Veil Fall. It is truly amazing. But save a few oohs and aahs because around another corner there is Horsetail Falls. It is very aptly named because it does look like a horse tail blowing in the wind.

As we enter Valdez, the elevation is 89 feet! Tsunami Escape Routes are posted everywhere. In 1964 Valdez was destroyed in a 9.2 earthquake centered not too many miles west of here. Valdez was relocated to this new higher location when rebuilding began. We are camped at Bear Paw Campground right on the edge of the water. At high tide, we sit maybe 4 to 5 feet above the water.

Since it was both foggy and rainy all day, we spent the day watching fishing boats appear suddenly out of the fog as they entered the harbor. About 6 this evening, the fog lifted but the clouds stayed low so we still have not been able to see the mountains that surround the town.

 Homer view

 Ninilchik Russian Orthodox Church

 Matanuska Glacier

 Arctic Squirrel

Iron stained gypsum...Sheep Mountain

Mud spring

 Worthington Glacier

From Blueberry Lake Campground

 Bridal Veil Falls

 Horsetail Falls

Fishing vessels in Valdez thru the fog

Ninilchik with Mtn Iliamna an active volcano in background

June 28, 2015

Homer is a true fishing town. We arrived about lunch time and set up camp on the “Spit”. This is exactly what it is…a spit of land going far out into the bay. During the earthquake in 1964, the Spit dropped over 8 feet in elevation. As is, you are not at a very high elevation here. When the tide is out, you can see that the land drops off steeply but not without mud flats and sand bars. There is lots of activity around the harbor at all hours. Big oil tankers and barges come into the harbor. The ferry lands nearby.

We walked to the point of the Spit for the start of a sailboat regatta. Apparently, there is quite an active sailboat group here. It was fun to watch them jockey for position but it did not take long before they were in a long string heading for the next buoy.

June 29, 2015

I may have mentioned that both Jerry and I got colds in Fairbanks. Well, we still have them. Jerry seems to be getting over his while I have a tenacious cough which is holding me back from the enjoyment I should be having. So other than walking the beach this morning…there are shells here…I pretty much vegged all day. Jerry, on the other hand, visited the marina and hiked around taking pictures. It has been quite cool and very damp with clouds hanging so low you can almost brush them with your fingertips. What I wouldn’t give for some sunshine! Now if Seattle would quite hogging all that heat and send some this way…

June 30, 2015

The sun came out for a bit then returned about 8 pm. So we walked the beach and caught a few flicks. I apologize for my hit or miss technique for this blog. I may just do the blog part and add photos when the wifi is  particularly fast. This has been struggle.

June 27, 2015

We moved down the coast to Ninilchik Overlook Campground. Ninilchik is an old fishing village with a Russian Orthodox Church. It is perched on a steep bluff above the Ninilchik River with a tiny boat harbor before the river flows out to sea. It looks like it would be challenging to get into or out of the harbor at anything but high tide. Several fishing boats had nets just off shore. Even people along the beach had nets out. I am not sure what they were fishing for but several different salmon are running right now and it is important to catch them before they get very far inland.

Up the coast, people were cleaning fish judging by the audience of sea gulls and eagles they had. The eagles actually got into sparring matches over the fish scraps.

June 26, 2015

We drove across the Kenai and turned up the coast. The Kenai is interesting. I guess I thought it would be filled with mountains but it is flat and only about 400 feet in elevation. Unfortunately, the coast was pretty socked in with clouds so we were unable to see the wonderful mountains on the far side of Cook’s Inlet. The ocean here was very muddy and sand filled. Then when we saw it at very low tide, the mud flats extended quite a long way out and were dotted with huge stones making navigation a hazard. Oil rigs, tankers and other support vessels were far out on the horizon. All the big names in the oil industry were in the nearby little towns.

Discovery Campground was right on the bluff above the ocean and had marvelous views. The beach was a good walking beach but no shells were to be found along it.

This was taken at 10 pm!

June 25, 2015

We left Seward this morning after a visit to the laundromat and the grocery store. It was such a nice laundromat too with large machines so your visit was relatively short and sweet. The grocery store was a quick stop too…ice and fruit. On our way out of town, we decided to take the drive up to Exit Glacier. It was pretty amazing to see the markers along the road with the dates that the glacier was at each point. It has shrunk dramatically even in the last 10 years.

While we were hiking up to the moraine end of the glacier, some young men stopped us saying they saw a black bear just up the trail from us. Some German and French tourists were not too sure they wanted to chance a meeting however we all proceeded with loud talking, clapping and laughter and never saw the bear. It was probably heading for high ground! Anyway, as we left the park 45 minutes or so later, 5 Alaska trooper cars with lights, one Seward police car with lights and siren and two Fish and Game trucks with lights all came roaring into the park. I guess they planned on arresting that bear!

We continued on into the interior of the Kenai Peninsula and never saw any of the forest fire. We were, however, the first campers into the Hidden Lake Campground. We followed the rangers in as they removed the “closed to camping” signs. Hidden Lake is quiet and nice. Loons serenaded us all evening. It was finally warm enough to eat outside and enjoy nature for a change. After the chaos of camping along the beach in Seward, it was a very nice change indeed. 

June 24, 2015

A big cruise ship entered Seward harbor early this morning. It was the Seven Seas Navigator of the Regent line. It was a surprise to see it in the harbor where it spent the day.  We headed to the Sea Life Center for our morning adventure. It was much smaller than I thought it would be but it was quite interesting. Not only do they have this center for research and rescue but they have a big research vessel and live TV monitors on a couple of the islands frequented by the sea birds and sea lions. Their major concern is the diminishing numbers of sea lions in the region.

We lunched in town then returned to sit on the beach and watch the sea otters and one lone sea lion in the fjord. It was delightful to have some sunshine for a change and if you managed to find a place out of the wind, it was almost warm!

Late in the afternoon, the Seven Seas Navigator left the harbor. Watching it maneuver out of the tiny boat harbor then spin on a dime and head out to sea was our entertainment for the evening. The bear photo was from our fjord cruise. It posed quite nicely for us.