Cruising Seward Style

I almost did not go on the boat tour of Kenai Fjords Park.  The last time we went it was miserable, with a capital M.  But the day was gorgeous, the kids were going, Bart and Jerri would be there, so I decided to join them.  Good decision.

Leaving the harbor, we saw the requisite sea otter.  Isn't he cute? 

As we went to sea, we knew that finding the wildlife was a day-to-day thing, some days better than others.  This one was going to be great; we just did not know it yet.  

Bear Glacier was in full spectacular view.  One of the larger glaciers, it glistened against the blue sky.

Throughout the day, we observed Harbor Seals, Stellar's Sea Lions (the bulls are huge, by the way), puffins and other birds, humpback whales and fin whales.  This humpback whale was very content just to calmly go up and down, spouting numerous times for us.

The fin whale is a little less often seen, which made it a thrill for everyone, including the captain.

The final excitement was the group of Dall's porpoises that played in the ship's waves, jumping and swimming to the delight of all on board.

We also saw some lovely spires in the water and beautiful rock ledges.

The ship traditionally glides into the fjord where Holgate Glacier's tip is.  The captain turns off the engine and for about 20 minutes, the passengers can listen to the groans and heaves of the glacier.  We were lucky that it calved twice while we were there, emphasized by the resounding crash heard four or five seconds later.  I was lucky to get a few pictures of the first calving, which was the more spectacular of the two.