Seward, Alaska! Unforgettable Memories!

THIS WEEK

This week we traveled to the east side of the Kenai Peninsula, with an overnight stop in Moose Pass, then on to Seward where we explored Kenai Fjords National Park.

SEWARD

Seward is a port city along the beautiful coast of Resurrection Bay.  We had a campsite overlooking the bay and mountains!   We enjoyed walking along the waterfront seeing eagles, especially this one being chased by seagulls, and watching salmon in the streams.

Getting around Seward is very easy.  We had a favorite stop in old Seward, the Resurrect Art Coffee House & Gallery.  The venue was perfect and so was their coffee.  

Seward is also the gateway to Kenai Fjords National Park where glaciers flow from the Harding Icefield into coastal fjords. 

MAJOR MARINE TOURS

Next we set out on an 8.5 hour Major Marine Tour to explore wildlife and tidewater glaciers in remote areas of the Kenai Fjord National Park.  We started in Seward and went as far as Northerwestern Glacier.  The wildlife was amazing!

NORTHWESTERN FJORD

As we moved into the Northwestern Fjord we could see Northwestern Glacier in the distance.  There are seven glaciers that pour from the mountains here.  The area is beautiful.  The Northwestern Glacier is an active tidewater glacier.  It has been steadily receding over the past century.  We watched for calving and then it happened.  

HUMPBACK WHALES

Our hope of seeing Humpback Whales was upon us.  It was amazing to see their backs arch and their fins rise but what was ever more incredible was when one flew out of the water!  Unbelievable!  

We also witnessed bubble-net feeding.  Bubble-net feeding is a cooperative feeding method used by groups of humpback whales. This behavior is not instinctual, it’s learned; not every population of humpbacks know how to bubble feed.  To bubble-net feed, whales dive deep below schools of fish and use bubbles blown from their blowholes to stun and trap fish closer to the surface.  One whale generally leads the effort followed by the rest of the group.  We were told the chances of seeing this on a tour is not very high!  

Male humpbacks reach an average of 46 feet and 25 tons, females an average of 49 feet and 35 tons.  Each day they eat approximately a ton of food.  They can hold 500 gallons of seawater laden with prey in their mouth.  

Humpback whales spend their summer in Kenai Fjords National Park and their winter in Hawaii and Mexico.  So glad we could experience this.

Our next two stops were Exit Glacier Hike and Lowell Point…

ENJOY THE VIDEO!

Travel Update:

We will be back in the lower 48 late September!