We had slightly underestimated how cold it would be when we went bear-hunting, so for whale watching I wore everything I had packed. Like everything.
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| ...and the new Alaska hats we bought yesterday... |
Although we had been up since verysillyoclock for the scenic sail up Tracy Arm Fjord that morning there was no danger of us falling asleep... we had to keep our eyes open for whales.
We had been told we would only see humpback whales and sure enough we did spot mother and baby fins a fair way away from the boat, but then came the shout that orcas has been spotted nearby (!!!) and the boat sped up to that area...
...and sure enough, in the Lynn Canal, we saw orcas.
They came right up to the boat!
This was my best attempt at getting a photo of one breaching... you can just see the tail!
...and one blowing...
It was both exciting and amusing... every time you pressed click on the camera, the whales had gone under or the boat moved! .... we were all leaning on each other trying to hold our cameras steady.
What a great afternoon. ORCAS, folks, ORCAS!
Juneau is only accessible by air or sea. Although it is the capital of Alaska there are no direct roads leading to it. Juneau sits at sea level below steep mountains and at the top of these mountains is the Juneau Icefield, a large ice mass from which 38 glaciers flow. After an exhilarating whale watch we were taken to one of these glaciers, the Mendenhall Glacier. Very impressive but the Mendenhall glacier has been generally retreating; its front face is declining both in width and height- the visitors centre had some alarming photos to illustrate the fact.
WHEN WE GET HOME,WE ARE GOING TO RECYCLE EVERY POSSIBLE THING.
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| The Juneau Icefield from above |
Glacier ice is much much much MUCH denser than ice cube ice.
WOW! 200 years old. AMAZING!
And look what we saw on the way out of the coach park!!! A black BEAR up the tree!!!
We had had a full day but when we got back into town we made time for a visit to the RED DOG SALOON to sample some local ale. Oh my goodness. I've never been anywhere like it! I felt like a proper cowgirl. Sawdust all over the floor, animal skins, graffiti, stuffed bears, it was fantastic.
We were back late so quick change for dinner and dog-sledding tomorrow in Skagway.
2 comments:
Orcas, bear in the tree, sawdust on the floor but that last picture is pretty rare too - Ali in a dress!!! :-) How can you look like that after getting up at 5.30am?
This was SUCH a good day and so funny, trying to photograph those whales. Great fun but also a priviledge really to see the orcas in their natural habitat. FAB FAB FAB.
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