Don and Marilyn had heard about an Alaskan coupon book that was good to get. Sort of an Alaskan Entertainment Book. When we were in Tok, we asked about it and found out that you can buy them in the Safeway grocery stores. Turns out that they cover many of the cruises, site-seeing flights, museums, guided hikes, and a few hotels or lodges.
We did our first 2 for 1 in Valdez. We went out on the Stan Stephens Wildlife Cruise. Wow! It was a beautiful day, very little wind, lots of sunshine, and lots of fun. The boat was less than half full, they made really good clam chowder for lunch, and the captain of the boat was as excited about what we saw as we all were. We picked seats at a table near the captain's bridge area, so we got to listen to all the banter between the captain and his crew besides the information he gave out on the PA.
We weren't very far out of Valdez Harbor when we saw these Sea Otters. They were floating together in a pack just soaking up the sun. These are males, females and young are in more protected areas.
Next was a pod of resident Orca. They are mainly feeding on the fish in the area. It's the transient ones that go after the otters and seals. They were able to identify this pod as the A-I pod by the markings and the fins.
Along the rocks in a cove, there were Steller Sea Lions. Lots of them. Some really big bulls in with the younger males. But on the way back, these were on a buoy. Only a few, but the crew said there are sometimes as many as nine all trying to catch a few rays.
We were headed out to the Columbia Ice Fields made by the Columbia glacier. On this glacier, the parts that have broken off are so big that they have made a log jam of sorts in front of the glacier. It has jammed the front, and you can't get in close enough to see it calve. But it has great icebergs floating off in front. Beautiful blue colors.
There are two eagles sitting on this smaller one.
One of the crew netted a small one and brought it on board to show everyone. Very cold!
On the way out of the ice field it was rather eerie, like some kind of movie music should have been playing. It was really wild being surrounded by all the chunks of ice as we were leaving. The captain's comment as we were finally getting through was "I think I could have looked for an easier way out".
Here is one of the landlocked peaks of ice. The captain said that the outside edge is actually stuck on the bottom and when they break loose, they sink down and then bob up into the air.
It was a fantastic day, and really worth our investment. We've marked several more opportunities to use the book.
Lots of them thought we were pretty interesting!
Next was a pod of resident Orca. They are mainly feeding on the fish in the area. It's the transient ones that go after the otters and seals. They were able to identify this pod as the A-I pod by the markings and the fins.
After the orcas, we saw Fin whales. They were very big, but the pictures aren't as exciting. Even though we all took lots. I think Jim was on about number 300 by now!
But then these guys came along. Outstanding! There were several humpbacks, and they were diving deep to feed. We had to wait in between, but seeing their tails was worth it. A little later, we came on two more that were doing a different feeding method that turned them on the side, and you could catch a glimpse of their mouths.
Along the rocks in a cove, there were Steller Sea Lions. Lots of them. Some really big bulls in with the younger males. But on the way back, these were on a buoy. Only a few, but the crew said there are sometimes as many as nine all trying to catch a few rays.
We were headed out to the Columbia Ice Fields made by the Columbia glacier. On this glacier, the parts that have broken off are so big that they have made a log jam of sorts in front of the glacier. It has jammed the front, and you can't get in close enough to see it calve. But it has great icebergs floating off in front. Beautiful blue colors.
There are two eagles sitting on this smaller one.
One of the crew netted a small one and brought it on board to show everyone. Very cold!
On the way out of the ice field it was rather eerie, like some kind of movie music should have been playing. It was really wild being surrounded by all the chunks of ice as we were leaving. The captain's comment as we were finally getting through was "I think I could have looked for an easier way out".
Here is one of the landlocked peaks of ice. The captain said that the outside edge is actually stuck on the bottom and when they break loose, they sink down and then bob up into the air.
It was a fantastic day, and really worth our investment. We've marked several more opportunities to use the book.
Onward to Palmer and then Seward on the Kenai Peninsula.
Sue and Jim
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