eward and 
nchorage 
acation 2003 Page 2
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| Monday we left Anchorage early and drove down along Turnagain Arm (of Cook Inlet) then through the Kenai Mountains and Chugach National Forest to Seward. We had a good time visiting Seward - except that it was SO unseasonably HOT we thought we would die from the heat!!! It was in the 80's. Normal Seward temps are around 65 degrees!! We had already been hot here at home and we were looking forward to cool ocean breezes.... HA!!! So we also had a hard time sleeping in Seward as well as Anchorage! (Needless to say we were glad to get back home to Fairbanks out of the heat! It rained when we got back. And it felt really nice!! Hahahahah)
You can find out more about Seward at their Chamber of Commerce; also the Alaska Internet Travel Guide for Seward, AK. |
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| Major Marine Tour Boat "Star of the Northwest" | Distinct change in water color in Resurrection Bay | Glaciers in mountains above Resurrection Bay |
| We had a nice cruise - okay - sing the "Gilligan's Island Theme Song" along with me. "Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale... aboard a tiny ship... a 4 and-a-half-hour cruise...." (SMILE)
The shoreline consistes of glaciers in the hills, tall spruce trees, waterfalls and lush vegetation. It was really beautiful. There are few beaches but it's mostly rock faces going straight down into the water. We saw two bald eagles nests in trees right on the cliffs and saw a LOT of Bald Eagles flying around. They are huge and so beautiful. I'm not sure how many people were on board, but the meal deck was stuffy and hot and Don felt nauseated and didn't eat. Grace and I ate and it was okay, but if we take a cruise again we will skip paying for the meal!! (SMILE) It was better to get out on the deck into the ocean breeze and watch the beautiful scenery. Grace ended up on the top deck right next to the Captain's window. (Well, in front of his window, that is!) She had a great view. We left the boat harbor at Seward and headed south along the eastern edge of Resurrection Bay. At one point the captain pulled the boat into a cove and went right up to the face of the rock to show us that the Kenai Fjords are DEEP. They were glacier-carved out of "pillow" basalt that was once at the bottom of the ocean. Alaska is on the "Ring of Fire" and that part of the Alaska coast is moving inland and gets pushed upward. (tectonic plate movements). |
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| "Cirque" or bowl glaciers in the mountains above Resurrection Bay | Interesting rock formations above Resurrection Bay | Scenic view from Resurrection Bay |
| Then we headed South again along the coast and saw a Steller Sea Lion "haul-out." The "calving" or birthing areas are farther away and no one is allowed there as Steller Seal Lions are endangered here. (BUT you can watch the Sea Lions and their pups on a local TV channel - 24 hours a day!!) There were several Sea Lions interacting and laying on a big rock of pillow basalt - remember I told you we were on the "Ring of Fire?" It was cool. (SMILE)
Then we saw Seabird rookeries where they raise their young - right on the cliffs and rocks! There were cormorants and murres, Kittiwakes and Glaucous Gulls - as well as Horned and Tufted Puffins. The seabirds are pretty neat - the Park Ranger on our boat said that the Puffins would never come in from the ocean waters if they could figure how to build their nests on the water!! They love to swim and dive for the tiny fish they eat! You can read more about our Alaska wildlife and birds HERE. |
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| A cliff where sea birds nest in every crack | Steller Sea Lions at their "haul out" area on pillow basalt | Sea Lions and Sea birds on the rocky coastline |
| Finally we arrived at Cape Resurrection and the Captain said because it was a beautiful calm day he would go out a little further into the Gulf of Alaska and see if we could find some whales - AND WE DID!! We saw some Humpback whales and some dolphins! They were still a ways off, but we saw the whales spout and I managed to get pictures of their backs and fins as they went back down in the water!! They look small and far away, but we know what they are!! Hahahaha |
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| Cape Resurrection, going into the Gulf of Alaska | Humpback Whale (back and fin) in the Gulf of Alaska | Harbor Porpoise (fin) in the Gulf of Alaska |
| Finally we turned and headed back to the west coast of Resurrection Bay. We headed straight to the harbor, as we had been out farther and longer than they normally go on this cruise. On this side of the Bay we could see more glaciers, including Bear Glacier - a finger of the HUGE Harding Ice Field in the mountains above. Bear Glacier has receded to the point that it doesn't quite reach the bay anymore. All the glacial water that runs off into Resurrection Bay makes a path in the seawater that is almost milky white. It is very clearly seen when you go out into the bay. There is a distinct line where the cold glacier-melt water meets the ocean water. One side white, the other blue!! The white color is the fine rock "flour" that gets ground up by the weight of the glaciers and floats suspended in the water. |
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| Heading back into Resurrection Bay | Another scenic view in Resurrection Bay | Almost back to Seward |
| We made it back to the Harbor just as some fisherman came in with a couple of tubs of fish - huge orange rockfish and also big halibut - they just don't seem to realize the fish tastes better if it's smaller.... (SMILE)
We all felt tired so we checked into our motel, ate a little dinner and then drove to Exit Glacier, about 10 miles up the road in Kenai-Fjords National Park. It is nice as you can walk up to the terminal face of the glacier - well close but not all the way if you don't want ice to crash down on you!! They have signs about 100 feet back warning of the falling ice. We watched water showering from the face and felt the cool wind that blows down over all of the Harding Ice Field. There were chunks of ice in Exit Creek coming from the glacier - recent "calving!" Then we went back to the Motel and tried to sleep. Tried being the key word. We had to ask for a fan as there was no "air conditioning" - we didn't sleep well.... also, we were ALL sunburned!!! Grace was the worst - windburn as well. So that made us all feel sick!! (SIGH) |
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| A fisherman's haul of Rock Fish and Halibut | Exit Glacier | Blue Glacier Ice of Exit Glacier |
| The next morning we went back to see Exit Glacier and could see where there had been ice "calving" off the face of the glacier and washing away down the Creek during the night. Several people were going right up to the glacier to touch it, despite the "danger" signs warning of falling ice. I went a LITTLE bit beyond the signs, but nowhere near the glacier! I just wanted to get a better "closeup" photo of that blue glacier ice! (SMILE) |
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| Exit Glacier terminus before calving | Exit Glacier terminus after calving | Check out the scale of people (on the right) to glacier |
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| Exit Creek with chunks of ice at terminus of Exit Glacier | Exit Creek with chunks of ice from Exit Glacier | Exit Creek colored gray-white with ground up rock "flour" |
All photos � Barbara Logan 2003
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This page was last updated 24 December 2003 � Barbara Logan
URL is http://freepages.family.rootsweb.com/~soakbear/seward2.htm