Looked like another beautiful day! This was the view as I stepped out of my cabin:
Yep. I got used to this quick.
The day had a lot planned! Zodiac tours around the Inian Islands, a mecca for wildlife, in the morning, and then afternoon hikes at Fox Creek and kayaking at Shaw Island if the waters weren't too rough. We were crossing through Icy Strait from Cross Sound to the Gulf of Alaska, along Chichagof Island, to get there. The expedition leader told me at morning brief that if I wanted to do both zodiac tours that morning I was welcome! Well, my lecture was on the schedule for that evening, so I know I had some work to do. But how could I pass this up?!?
Heading north and west....
Better detail.
So my second bed became a staging area. On the left are my tour materials--passenger forms, my lists so I can keep track of with whom I've already had dinner, invitation cards, follow-up notes, etc. Next is my journal and my map. Beside that, the ship's binder, my waterproof bag for my iPhone, usually my waterproof camera, and my binoculars and sun glasses. (My SLR camera also stayed home. Grmph.) Next to that, my rain jacket and fleece. The big orange thing is the bulky abandon-ship life jacket that we all hoped we wouldn't wear again. (You have to put it on at the emergency drill upon embarking.) The lifejacket we wore in the zodiac was in the closet, and the one for kayaking was with the kayaks. But this way, in theory, I could open the door and quickly grab whatever I needed, no fuss. Hey, it worked for me.
Since I was a single, the purser loved that if he had a space, he always could call my name and fill it up! I ended up in John's boat for the morning, as I set off with the "odd" cabins for a change.
And bald eagles in the tress, right away. Southeast Alaska has so many eagles, yet we'd seen relatively few on the trip thus far. But we saw several this morning, including a juvenile, which was great. Great blue herons too! They always make my day.
The Fairweather Range, so called because they aren't seen very often. But we had glorious views this morning, truly spectacular.
The islands are rocky. This is tough to see in the small photo, but that island is covered in birds.
Stellar sea lions out cruising.
Sea otters playing and feeding in the kelp beds.
Ooh, a lion's mane jelly! Cool.
And big beds of bull kelp.
And many sea lions hauled out on the rocks. This fellow is badly wounded. We thought probably a propeller strike, because of the symmetrical cuts. But when I blow up the photo, and after I'd seen one by a passenger who had an incredible camera lens, I can see wire or string, so instead it seems to be from a net. It looks like it's healing, but it really doesn't bode well for him. The naturalist I was talking with tried to console me, because there's nothing I can do. I appreciate that, and understand it, but as I said, I don't have to like it.
See? Many sea lions. This was a bachelor colony.
Me being me, of course I wanted to see the kelp. I think John would have pulled up a piece anyway, as Emily did in my second trip. The whole piece came up though! This the base, little suction-like cups, that help the kelp anchor to the bottom.
The tube is hollow and carries carbon monoxide so that the plant stays upright and floats. It makes quite a horn if you blow through it. The leafy parts at the end are the leaves. Sea otters will tie themselves into the leaves so that they can sleep and don't drift away. The leaves make the chlorophyll and provide the nutrients for the plant. They also are what gets harvested. So of course I ate some when John passed it over. For a change, I wasn't the only one this time.
On my second trip, with my usual "even" cabin group, I was in Emily's boat. She told a story about the graffiti on this rock face. It was tradition, until one of the boats didn't come back.
And we passed a long-line growler, probably after salmon. It was beautiful, with the mountains in the background. I have some that are straight, but I like how this one shows how much the small boats do move in the waves.
And as we came around, we found a feeding frenzy!! There was an upwelling current and clearly schools of small fish. So the birds were going bananas.
Most were black-legged kittiwakes, like these.
But there were also glaucous gulls, mew gulls, common murres, guillemots, and pelagic cormorants. And, truly amazing, we saw a sea lion with a fish. This was a large flat fish, possibly a small halibut. So you might wonder how he eats it, since he can't swallow it whole.... We watched him smack it repeatedly against the surface of the water to break it apart. He'd swallow the pieces, then dive after the rest and repeat. The birds, of course, followed him and grabbed any stray parts.
Hmmm I like this photo.
After another good lunch (such wonderful soups every day, plus more), afternoon activities got underway. Kayaking was on! I partnered again and we all set out, this time from the beach.
Shaw Island is on the left. The plan was to circumnavigate it. Until they cut us off and told us to go back because we couldn't go between the islands owing to regulations. Once we were halfway back they told us, oops yes we CAN go that way. So we turned around and headed off again.
The leeward side was very calm and tranquil.
We took photos, especially when we could see the Fairweathers again.
But then we crossed over and the waters changed. They weren't super rough, but it was definitely harder and we did get wet. But it was so much fun! No, I'm not in distress, just playing around. And then, when we were nearly back to the beach, a harbor seal popped us right next to us! There was a whale off in the distance when we first started out, but we didn't catch a glimpse from the kayak.
Back on the beach, the zodiacs got a little out of order so I gave up my place for a guest so he could make the hike. I wanted to go, of course, but I had had an extra zodiac tour already, and I really did need to do some final prep for the lecture that evening. Trade offs....
My lecture was after dinner, which is always hard, but there just isn't always an option because the days are so packed; the photographer had the same challenge with his. However, the lounge was still about two-thirds full, and a number of other folks listened in their cabins. I spoke on the Smithsonian generally and then my museum in particular, highlighting work that we've done with Alaska Native people. I'm never ready for these things, but I think it went well. Except for one question which completely threw me and I feel like I bungled. But, many good comments that night and the next morning, and actually for the rest of the trip, so that was lovely. Then, I had a drink with a couple of the guide staff and off to bed. It had been a full day, after all, and the next was Glacier Bay National Park.
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