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Seward is situated at the head of Resurrection Bay on the Kenai Peninsula. It is one of Alaska's oldest and most scenic communities. Life is full of experiences to remember and today was one of those days. We began the day with grey skies and showers as we boarded the Orca Voyager for our 8 hour cruise of the Kenai Fjords along the Aialik Peninsula. Not even before we left the harbour, we sighted a sea otter frolicking in the water. The wildlife continued with humpback whales, seals and prolific birdlife abounding. Our first sighting resulted in the whale breaching itself in front of the boat. Fortunately we were in a position to see it. We slowly passed an island where Horned Puffins were perched on rocky outcrops. Continuing on, the mist was not abating but wildlife spotting continued. The cruise ventured into the open sea (Gulf of Alaska) with the boat crashing through waves with the resulting sprays covering the windows. Proceeding into calmer waters the cloud began to lift revealing a massive glacier, the Aialik Glacier. Chunks of ice could be heard crashing into the side of the boat and all around made a spectacular sight with different shapes bobbing up and down in the water. If we thought the Worthington Glacier was magnificent then this one was spectacular to say the least. Sitting about 300 metres off the face of the glacier we could hear the creaking and groaning of the ice before witnessing the glacier "calving" that is, great chunks of ice falling off the face and into the water. The noise of this was like thunder echoing. Seals and otters happily played, rested and fed on the many large chunks of ice at the base of the glacier. The colours of the glacier were unbelievable. Differing shades of turquoise, blue and white dotted with the browns of the boulders carried by the Glacier. Again words and pictures cannot do justice in describing it. Leaving the glacier we sighted at least 20 kayakers making their way along the ice flow. Further sightings of humpbacks, seals, otters, birdlife and mountain goats on the way back added further excitement and satisfaction to the day. One humpback "tail flopped" while another was seen skimming along the water with its mouth open feeding. We stopped at Fox Island and enjoyed a salmon and prime rib meal whilst we listened to the NP Ranger chat about the history of the Kenai Fjords NP and learning about the ecosystem surrounding Fox Island. The cruise ended with the sighting of a pair of bald eagles perched on the buoys at the harbour entrance and then a final sea otter, on its back, eating a fresh mussell. An Alaskan Experience never to be forgotten.
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Sally & Bill Just magic. Beautiful. Not enough words to describe the beauty and wildlfe.