We just keep having highlights. This trip will have to start calming down soon, not that we want it to. To remind you we went on a small boat cruise, 58 passengers and 20 crew for a week in the inside passage of Alaska. We had geology, glacier, flora and fauna experts taking us on tours. The first arvo we went to a glacier up close, photo. While we were close a big piece broke off, and caused a white capped wave to come toward us. The noise and the sight of this wave coming was VERY impressive and a little scary but by the time it got through the broken ice it was a swell. Cold and rainy that day then sunny rest of the week. SO lucky. Then back to the passage and in our view must have been 30 humpback whales. THEN they were bubble netting. Adele you would have been beside yourself. They circled underwater blowing bubbles to force fish or krill to surface then 3or 4 at a time came up with their mouths wide open. Most amazing thing to see these huge animals working together like this. All the crew were out watching, that was how rare it was to see. Normally they hunt independently Saw orca too. We must have floated and watched all this for 2 hours. Next was a woodsie!! BBQ on beach and they poured beer out of a growler, a flagon bottle. And had Smore, marshmallow on a stick cooked over fire, then squashed between chocolate and wheat biscuits. So it makes you want some more, smore. Met a farmer from Iowa and we are getting in trouble, too much together, from his wife, not mine. Sally walked a river where the salmon were running and evidence of bears biting and discarding the males but eating all the females. All the way from the pacific to the last 50 metres then chomp. Next we did a side trip for a best adventure photo. They had a viewing platform where we were 20 meters from where black bears were catching salmon at the base of a rapid. Classic fish jumping out of water trying to get up and spawn. One female walked past the deck 5 meters from us. On the way back to the boat we saw a big brown bear with her cub, fishing, at a safe distance thank goodness. On all our walks all the guides carried bear spray in case we stumbled across a bear. Yikes. When we went to the bear viewing above, the guide carried a shotgun with a big pellet. They take the bears very seriously. The rest of the trip was bush whacking, kayaking and skiff rides. Heaps of seals, bald eagles, dead salmon after spawning etc Could not fault the boat, staff and passengers. Would recommend it to anyone. Now getting ready to catch ferry south into Canada. And yes, there is now more of both of us than left Aus!!!
Posted on: Sat, 23 Aug 2014 23:03:08 +0000