Seward / Kenai Wildlife Tour
Yesterday, I took the bus down to Seward with my new friend. It was the guided tour bus where the woman or man talks most of the time. I discovered that I really like traveling in Alaska that way because of two reasons: 1. I am an auditory learner and when they talk, I listen and learn; 2. we are traveling one of the dangerous highways and frankly, I don't particularly want to drive. It was about a 2 1/2 to 3 hour drive. I must be getting old! Oh well....so here's goes the geriatric traveling with Ellen. Hey, maybe I should change my blog name! lol
I heard the Captain Cook story and Turnagain Arm many times and many different versions. Eh, its just an ok story. We drove by Potter Marsh which is the place to go birdwatching and where I picked Eleanor up at. Actually, what happened was I had questions and she was photographing birds and she answered my questions, so we walked together for about 45 minutes talking birds and a little bit about ourselves.
Early in my trip, I learned that if I am going towards the Chugach Mountains, then I am going East. That bit of information did me very little good for those who know me, know just how directionally challenged I am! But on our bus tour, we were heading towards the Chugach so I knew we were East.
The guide talked about the bears of Alaska and where they live and this is what I learned: Grizzly bears live above the tree line; Black bears live in the forest and they can climb trees, Coastal Brown Bears along the coast (duh!) because they eat fish and berries and Moose below the treeline (although I think they don't exist because I haven't seen any yet and I have been here for 4 weeks now!) Now I have my bears straight. I actually liked learning this information! So far I haven't seen any Moose or Bears. I hope to change that before I leave otherwise, I will have to return!
They we went through some small towns including Moose Pass and the tour guide on the way back told the story about two college grads petitioning the town to let them put a gas station in Moose Pass. They didn't get a response so they called a few months later to find out that it was voted down because the town didn't want tourists to stop in town just to get Moose Pass Gas. I am not sure if that is a true story or not but I giggled. I saw a small RV camp there and decided that next year when I have my camper that is one place to stay. Population: 200
Only there were NO MOOSE in Moose Pass!
I also learned about the 5 different types of salmon: smallest is Pink Salmon or Humpy which is about 3 to 4 lbs each, next is the silver or coho which is pinkish grey; chum salmon, sockeye or red salmon (this is definitely my favorite) and the king salmon which is the largest salmon. I have tried all but the chum. So that is also on my list of things to do on this trip.
On to Seward (which I pronounced Sea ward for about 3 weeks and corrected each time that it is "SUward". People can go salmon and halibut fishing there. The salmon are slow this year and everyone is worried because everyone puts away enough salmon and other food items during the summer to hold them over the winter. In Seward, my friend showed me where the boats come in with the salmon/halibut come in and where they clean the fish for you.
Then we were off on the boat. We took the Wildlife Cruise and saw Humpback whales, dal sheep, mountain goats, sea lions, puffins and all sorts of other birds. I borrowed my friends camera so most of my pictures are still on there and I will get them this afternoon. This is what I took from the boat. I am starting to feel like Gilligan with my 3 hour tours. Only my tours are 5 to 6 hours long! Only one person got sea sick yesterday and it wasn't me. It got pretty rough out there with a storm coming but it was still wonderful!
I heard the Captain Cook story and Turnagain Arm many times and many different versions. Eh, its just an ok story. We drove by Potter Marsh which is the place to go birdwatching and where I picked Eleanor up at. Actually, what happened was I had questions and she was photographing birds and she answered my questions, so we walked together for about 45 minutes talking birds and a little bit about ourselves.
Early in my trip, I learned that if I am going towards the Chugach Mountains, then I am going East. That bit of information did me very little good for those who know me, know just how directionally challenged I am! But on our bus tour, we were heading towards the Chugach so I knew we were East.
|
The guide talked about the bears of Alaska and where they live and this is what I learned: Grizzly bears live above the tree line; Black bears live in the forest and they can climb trees, Coastal Brown Bears along the coast (duh!) because they eat fish and berries and Moose below the treeline (although I think they don't exist because I haven't seen any yet and I have been here for 4 weeks now!) Now I have my bears straight. I actually liked learning this information! So far I haven't seen any Moose or Bears. I hope to change that before I leave otherwise, I will have to return!
They we went through some small towns including Moose Pass and the tour guide on the way back told the story about two college grads petitioning the town to let them put a gas station in Moose Pass. They didn't get a response so they called a few months later to find out that it was voted down because the town didn't want tourists to stop in town just to get Moose Pass Gas. I am not sure if that is a true story or not but I giggled. I saw a small RV camp there and decided that next year when I have my camper that is one place to stay. Population: 200
"Moose Pass is an unincorporated community of just over two hundred people at the heart of Alaska's Kenai Peninsula. Surrounded by the Chugach National Forest, it is located one hundred miles south of Anchorage, and thirty miles north of Seward along the shoreline of upper Trail Lake." | |
Only there were NO MOOSE in Moose Pass!
I also learned about the 5 different types of salmon: smallest is Pink Salmon or Humpy which is about 3 to 4 lbs each, next is the silver or coho which is pinkish grey; chum salmon, sockeye or red salmon (this is definitely my favorite) and the king salmon which is the largest salmon. I have tried all but the chum. So that is also on my list of things to do on this trip.
On to Seward (which I pronounced Sea ward for about 3 weeks and corrected each time that it is "SUward". People can go salmon and halibut fishing there. The salmon are slow this year and everyone is worried because everyone puts away enough salmon and other food items during the summer to hold them over the winter. In Seward, my friend showed me where the boats come in with the salmon/halibut come in and where they clean the fish for you.
Then we were off on the boat. We took the Wildlife Cruise and saw Humpback whales, dal sheep, mountain goats, sea lions, puffins and all sorts of other birds. I borrowed my friends camera so most of my pictures are still on there and I will get them this afternoon. This is what I took from the boat. I am starting to feel like Gilligan with my 3 hour tours. Only my tours are 5 to 6 hours long! Only one person got sea sick yesterday and it wasn't me. It got pretty rough out there with a storm coming but it was still wonderful!
 |
| Humpback Whale |
 |
| Humpback Whale |
 |
| Humpback Whale |
 |
| Humpback Whale |
Comments
Post a Comment