Hi, I'm on a cruise from Valdez in Prince William Sound (remember the Exxon Valdez oil spill) to the Columbia and Meares Glaciers. The trip was going to be about 9 hours. Our tour guides said it's always great weather but it wasn't this year. Jack decided to stay on land, which was a good thing. We spent about a hour in rough water on our way out to Columbia Glacier. This is one of the first Icebergs I've ever seen with Sea Lions on it. The Captain cut the trip short and we made it about nine miles from the Columbia because of the Iceberg flows and he couldn't find an opening.
Thats the Iceberg flow in the background. I haven't been this cold in 7 years but it was so cool!!!
To the left of my head, way back in the distance is Columbia Glacier. We had to navigate between the Icebergs and big Ice chunks. I got to hold a piece weighting about 10 pounds. Going back to Valdez we hit some more rough seas. By this time everyone on the caravan said it was a good thing Jack stayed on land. I really had a wonderful time and saw Otters, Sea Lions, Whales, Dolphins, Bald Eagles and other birds including Puffins.
On our way to Anchorage, via a stopover at Mendeltna Lodge Campground (in the middle of nowhere but a cool lodge and great pizza), we stopped at a Musk Ox farm. They comb the Ox for their hair and native american women weave scarves, sweaters and hats. This is an 11 week old Musk Ox named Storm. When he wasn't eating the grass, he was trying to eat anyone's shoes laces he came close to.
After a tour of downtown Anchorage, which has about 300,000 residents we took a tour bus to the Alaska Wlidlife Conservation Center about 50 miles south of Anchorage, near Portage. It's a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving Alaska's injured and orphaned animals. Most cannot be released back into the wild and live at the center for the rest of their lives. Now we have seen about 6 Moose and this one was the friendliest. It didn't hurt that there the fence was between us. There were Bears, Elks, Musk Ox, Reindeer and baby Moose.Tomorrow is a free day in Anchorage but we are pulling away from the pack and going to Whittier so Jack and I can go on another Glacier Cruise, where the waters are calmer. It's is 8:17 pm, the sun had finally come out after about 5 days, so hopefully we will have a little sun on the western side of Prince William Sound. We will be in Homer on Sunday. It's as far west one can drive on the American continent.
Happy Birthday, Kelly.
Later, Love Gail
Hello from the northern peninsula of Newfoundland. We are in St Anthony near where the Vikings came to North America 500 years before Columbus.
ReplyDeleteI just caught up with your latest blog postings and had to laugh. I was stuck in Tok at the Tok RV Park for 21 days last July when the truck blew up at the Alaska border. Truck and camper were towed to Tok and then the truck on to Fairbanks.
On our Prince William Sound cruise the captian said we had the only nice day they had seen all season. Makes you appreciate all those warm sunny rainless days in KW.
Have fun.
Chris and Patricia