Kenai Fjord Glacier and Wildlife Tour Part 1

We settled in yesterday in Seward Military Resort and drove around Seward to get the lay of the land.

Today it is a 6 hour Kenai Fjord Glacier & Wildlife tour We boarded the Aialik, met the crew, and set sail at 11:30 am. We weren’t even out of the Port and look what was there to greet us. Lunch was served shortly after we got under way. By the time lunch was over we were able to see some wildlife. Otters were playing, porpoises ran along side the boat and crisscrossed in front of us having a great time. You could tell they were having a blast. They are incredibly fast. Even when the Capt sped up the boat, they could still out run (uhh swim) us!                                                                                  We were lucky to see blow spouts in the distance. We found Humpback whales, a mama and baby “logging”. This is where they lie close to the surface to sleep. What a treat. Whales don’t sleep like most animals/mammals do since they still need to come up for air. When they sleep, only 1/2 of their brain sleeps at a time. They stay closer to the surface of the water to make accessing air a bit easier. A little later we saw a single Humpback and later in the day we had an opportunity to see Finn Whales – 2 of them. The Capt was so excited to see them. He said they are not sighted often. And more whales were in our future.       Puffins were next.       Cute little things aren’t they? Some eat so much they can’t take flight, they just skim over the water. These adorable little Puffins are divers. They can dive a couple of hundred feet to get food. Yes, a couple of hundred feet! How do they do that? How do they not explode with the water pressure? Mother Nature…she is something isn’t she? It has been a rainy day today, off and on – more on, and by then time we were nearing the Aialik Glacier it was coming down pretty good. I tried to keep the camera lens clear but it was an uphill battle. I had put the camera in a plastic grocery bag, cutting a hole in the end allowing the lens to peek through. The bag helped the camera but no the lens so much.