Wednesday was a beautiful day – a few clouds in the morning made way for a clear blue sky for most of the day. We left the pier just about 10 am on a double-decker tour boat.
The water was calm and we had incredible sea life views. We saw several pods of orcas (killer whales). Generally there were 2 together, but in one case, we saw 6 in the pod of varying sizes (including a young one born this season). The naturalists here study them and know by various markings which ones are native to this area and which ones are “passing through”. The group of 6 is native here, known as the A6 pod. We also saw 2 humpback whales, a sea lion colony on a protected area, numerous seals and sea otters. Many of them have their babies as well. We also had an opportunity to see many of the native birds including puffins and 2 bald eagles in their nests.
The captain of the ship also was our guide. He had a wealth of knowledge about the wildlife as well as the environment around us – including the rocks, trees and glaciers. When he got word from his colleagues out on other boats of sea life, he would alter his course if possible to go check it out. If someone on the boat saw sea life, he would turn the boat around while we checked it out.
We saw several glaciers throughout the day and one very large glacier where pieces of it were calving off. We saw a few pieces come off, but it wasn’t as active as some we have seen in the past. However, the clear blue sky with the white glacier below it made for some beautiful pictures.
On the way back to port, we stopped at Fox Island for a salmon and prime rib buffet dinner. It was a private island and only this particular cruise line uses it for dinners. It was a nice way to end the day – after our meal we had a short cruise back to the pier and a quiet evening sitting outside, enjoying the nice weather.
Tomorrow morning we’ll head out for Homer and see if we can find a campsite before it gets too busy for the weekend!
Following Joyce & Paul's Travels in Retirement 