June 22, 2007
Posted by: Dick Wilson
Posted by: Dick Wilson
Start: Seward, AK, to Kenai Fjords National Park
Destination: Anchorage, AK
Miles traveled: None on two wheels
Destination: Anchorage, AK
Miles traveled: None on two wheels
Last night we stayed at Murphy’s Motel. On awakening today with the cloud ceiling 500 feet off the deck and rain, it appeared as though Murphy’s law had extended to us full force and that our blessings of sunny days were a thing of the past. Steve and I were skeptical as to whether 
the Kenai Fjords National Park boat trip planned for 11:00 o’clock would be any more than a trip through "rain city." This could not have been further from reality. Downtown Seward is actually quite charming, notwithstanding a bevy of tourists fortified by the 2500 persons on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship which had docked early in the morning. One downtown building was painted as if it were a huge aquarium. This caught my eye, and a photograph of it is attached. The boat ride was wonderful. By the time we started out, the clouds had begun to lift. We saw humpback whales, seals, sea lions, a black bear, several bald eagles, and a host of
sea birds, including the cute, stubby, little puffin. The highlight of this trip and an experience both of us will remember for a long time was the Aialik Glacier. The boat pulled in to within 300 yards of the glacier wall which towered 300-400 feet above the ocean. A bed of small icebergs surrounded us. As the boat sat motionless, we could hear ice cracking and occasionally pieces of the glacier breaking off and crashing into the ocean. This phenomenon is referred to as "calving." The process creates a strange booming noise like nothing else I have ever heard. At the completion of the tour of Kenai Fjords National Park, we gathered up our gear from the lobby of Murphy’s Motel and rode to Anchorage for the night.
the Kenai Fjords National Park boat trip planned for 11:00 o’clock would be any more than a trip through "rain city." This could not have been further from reality. Downtown Seward is actually quite charming, notwithstanding a bevy of tourists fortified by the 2500 persons on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship which had docked early in the morning. One downtown building was painted as if it were a huge aquarium. This caught my eye, and a photograph of it is attached. The boat ride was wonderful. By the time we started out, the clouds had begun to lift. We saw humpback whales, seals, sea lions, a black bear, several bald eagles, and a host of
sea birds, including the cute, stubby, little puffin. The highlight of this trip and an experience both of us will remember for a long time was the Aialik Glacier. The boat pulled in to within 300 yards of the glacier wall which towered 300-400 feet above the ocean. A bed of small icebergs surrounded us. As the boat sat motionless, we could hear ice cracking and occasionally pieces of the glacier breaking off and crashing into the ocean. This phenomenon is referred to as "calving." The process creates a strange booming noise like nothing else I have ever heard. At the completion of the tour of Kenai Fjords National Park, we gathered up our gear from the lobby of Murphy’s Motel and rode to Anchorage for the night. 
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