FJORDS AND BLUE GLACIERS
Holgate Glacier
The Kenai Fjords welcomed me with a roar from a blue glacier crashing into the dark black ocean. It was an awesome scene that will never fade from my memory. I will long remember the fjords that are southeast of the mountainous Kenai Peninsula. There the glaciers flow directly into narrow inlets of the sea. The peninsula has become a wildlife sanctuary known as the Kenai Fjords National Park.
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| Bald Eagle |
The Harding Ice Field covers much of the peninsula and forms eight glaciers. In earlier times a glacier had entirely covered the mountainous peninsula and had carved inlets or fjords between high narrow cliffs as it flowed into the sea. Fog often hides the fjords though on a clear day the surface of the sea is like a mirror that reflects glaciers beautifully. Wild animals abound around Prince William Bay on the east side of the peninsula.
Prince William Bay is relatively accessible. It is not very distant from Anchorage. Here the town of Seward serves as the gateway to the Kenai Fjords National Park. Sightseers flock to the town and take cruise boats to view the glaciers. Although Seward has numerous cruise ships, I decided to ride the ferryboat operating between Valdez and Whitter because it is less expensive. The ferryboat also carried my car and gave me my first look at the glacier flowing into Prince William Bay.
This ferry route is very popular. Already by seven o'clock in the early morning, the pier has a long line of sightseers waiting to board with their cars. When the sky has overhanging dark clouds, it is still possible to see the Colombian Glacier. Also it is possible to see cloud-enshrouded icebergs floating in a dark sea. The only visible animals are the lovely sea otters swimming and watching the ferryboat. After becoming chilled on the deck, I went inside the cabin to warm up.
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| Sea Lion |
I was soon overwhelmed by a strong drowsiness, and I fell asleep. Suddenly I awoke, dreaming of the scene where crude oil had spilled from a Exxon Valdez tanker in 1989. The spill was the worst tanker accident in history. It was a pitiful scene with sea otters and other small animals covered by heavy black oil. Now the sea has recovered around the site and has regained its beautiful quietude. As time passes, people will probably forget the horrible accident. While musing on the oil disaster, my ferryboat arrived in Whitter. There I picked up my car and drove southward to Seward, passing through a long new mountain tunnel.
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| Humpback Whale |
Seward is a quiet port on Resurrection Bay whose water surface mirrors the snow-covered Chugachi mountain range. The port town has an old warehouse built at the beginning of the twentieth century that still survives as a reminder of the gold rush era. Because it is summer time, visitors crowd the port to see glaciers as well as to dine on fish. As soon as I registered at my guesthouse that faces the bay, I went immediately to the local seafood restaurant. Since coming to Alaska, I had planned to eat Alaska Salmon until my stomach became full. Luckily John also operates a restaurant where one can eat the fish without any limit. It was the tastiest salmon that I have ever eaten.
After breakfast it was time to begin my cruise around Kenai Fjords National Park in a small fishing boat operated by John. Even though Resurrection Bay was foggy, bay, his other passengers and I could eventually see fjords along the coastline as their rocky walls kept disappearing partly under water. Hundreds of sea bird flew overhead as John guided his boat well, weaving in and out of the fjords to avoid the cliffs. He managed to steer his boat to the area where the sea lions congregated and the Puffins nested. When we made out last stop at Holgate Glacier, the ice was breaking away and falling into the ocean with a deafening roar. It was the moment for a crescendo of cheers from passengers on all the ships watching the glacier with us.
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| Holgate Glacier |
And the highlight of my cruise was watching humpback whales. All cruise boats like John's communicate with each other by radio to report any spotting of whales. Soon John reported that our boat would pass a school of humpback whales further out in the sea. When we reached the site, visitors on other boats were yelling as whales approached them. These animals are known as the most curious and playful whales. They show off their flippers as they float on the water's surface and also raise their tails in making dives. When going under water, they make a big splash and sound like the large one that came near our boat. It was as though a submarine was going under our boat. But the whale was only teasing the passengers onboard.
Kenai Fjords National Parki907-224-3175j
Visitor Center: 907-224-8051, www.seward.net/chamber