Injured Coyote |
On the Seward Highway, and all through the Keni Peninsula, there is a Russian presence. Orthodox churches abound like this one in Ninilchik.
Mountains like this encircle Resurrection Bay |
Glaciers large and small, working their way to the streams and the sea |
Resurrection Bay |
Here are just a few sea critter views we had on the cruise we were reluctant to take!
Marlee, our B&B hostess. Thank you!
Robin and I were reluctant to take the boat out into Resurrection Bay, mistakenly assuming the days ahead on the Inside Passage would be enough boat. Out B&B hostess, Marlee, had discount tickets and some great arguments that got us on board the Star of the Northwest for a five hour lunch exploration of the bay. This was less a glacier tour and more an attempt to find critters, and critters we found. Humpback Whales, Orcas, Harbor Seals, Eagles, Sea Otters, Sea Lions, Porpoises, Puffins. . .oh my! The Orcas showed up in force, ready to play under and around our boat. Neither Robin nor I had seen Killer Whales in the wild so that was a highlight but the whole trip was great. In the mean time, Marlee did our laundry, later loaned us her car, and loaned us extra clothing for the cool outings. She was the most caring and supportive B&B hostess I've ever met. The Ballaine House, a modest older home, deserves a place at the top of the list of places we have stayed on this or any other trip.
Capt. Jay Foust, a cyclist, invited me into the pilot house during the trip. Mostly, we talked about bikes. He has a Trans Alp here in Seward and an R650 BMW in Arizona.
A productive day of fishing!
Bears at the Alaska Center for Injured and abandoned animals. Bears, moose, and even Musk Ox are occasionally left by parents before they are ready to fend for themselves. This place had an amazing collection including these Brown Bears.
We left Seward by way of the Salve Center where we stayed until about noon. This is one of those places you can revisit. . .maybe because all the really cool exhibits are alive and do amazing and interesting things. Back on the Sward Highway, we headed north back toward Anchorage with a stop at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, a non-profit facility for injured and abandoned animals. Bears, moose, eagles, musk ox, bison, reindeer. . .oh my! After a stop at Girdwood, a ski resort, for lunch, we rode on to Takeetena.
Glad you got to the Kenai peninsula...it was a favorite of our trip...We loved the Seward highway views too...We stayed in Millers Landing campground ( a cabin) in Seward for 3 days and took an all day boat ride out of Seward harbor to see the Harding Icefield and Northwestern glacier... we saw tons of marine life too, but wished we had brought mittens and warm hats...
ReplyDeleteI stayed at Ballaine House in 2004 and your pics are making me want to go back! You are right that Marilee is a treasure. We were scheduled to take a day cruise but the employee gave us the wrong time to show up! We would have missed the cruise and what a downer that would have been! Marilee knew when the boat left and since we were almost too late, drove us to the dock so we wouldnt have to take the time to park and walk. She is as good as hosts get. I loved Alaska, especially that day cruise, and my hike up the Harding Icefield Trail!
ReplyDelete- Phil