2019 Trip 5: Alaska: Sept. 6

Leaving Seward for a 5 hour cruise of Resurrection Bay

Seward, AK. Friday September 6

Orcas!! Zounds. There must have been 15 or more of them hunting in several pods within viewing distance of our cruise ship. We were mesmerized watching them. They started out farther away, we were just slightly able to see their tail fins periodically. Our boat inched closed and the sharks hunted closer to us; the boat captain supposedly following the strict guidelines to be used when viewing wild animals by official tour operators.

Orca pods seen along Resurrection Bay

With several pods, there was no need to jostle for a certain position. There were pods in several directions, we all got front row seats. Even for me, after a while I could stop taking photos and just enjoy the view.

Our ship, Star of the Northwest, is run by Major Marine. MM offers several boats and tour lengths. As mentioned yesterday, the five hour tour we selected seemed long enough, served a buffet lunch, we had $20 off coupons, and a National Park Service ranger was on board to provide commentary and education. The cruise did not disappoint.

The ranger covered numerous topics from geology to birds to history to climate change. Some information was known to us, much was new or enhanced previous knowledge. We had met the ranger earlier in the day when we visited the visitor center. She was a new seasonal ranger but lives in the area. Her commentary confirmed our decision to choose a tour with a ranger on board.

Animals and birds seen during cruise

Kenai Fjords began as a national monument authorized by President Carter in 1978 to protect the Harding Icefield and marine mammals. Alaskans in general and the people of Seward were upset and did not want it. Within five years, tourism was booming and the town of Seward put Kenai Fjords at the top of its marketing material. We have seen this type of public reversal repeat itself at many national park units over the years.

Resurrection Bay

Resurrection Bay

The Harding Icefields are an area up in the mountains which can receive up to 100 feet of snow in higher elevations. This snowfall feeds 38 glaciers. This area is generally not open to the public. Through run-off from the glaciers, necessary minerals are deposited into Resurrection Bay, feeding the phytoplankton and zooplankton at the bottom of the food chain. In other areas, where rain rather than snow falls, a temperate rain forest exists. Thus as we traveled up and down Resurrection Bay we frequently saw mountain sides covered with trees, not snow.

Bear Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park

The five hours went quickly. This cruise was maybe not as overwhelming as the cruise out of Whittier, but still very enjoyable and we would definitely repeat it on any future trip.

Back at Seward dock

Ed and Chris Seward AK Sept. 6. 10:30 PM