Well my my Mom and Dad left today. It was sad to see them leave, but I think I have them convinced to move up here someday.... or maybe to visit again.
Well during the week we did a couple things. They mostly explored while I worked my butt off at the hospital. But when I finally got off work, we hiked Flat Top Mountain, went to The Bear Tooth (a brew and view), explored the base, drove the scenic byway Seward Highway, hiked a bunch of different trails, visited some local parks, and explored the beach.
Yesterday was the big finale. We went to Seward Alaska for a sea expedition of Kenai Fjords National Park. The morning started off crazy because we pulled out on a main road in Anchorage to head south, and there was a huge bull moose just walking down the middle of the road. We pulled up right next to him and got within 10 feet side by side to take a picture.... probably not the best decision especially since most big game at this time is in rut and looking for a good fight!!
Anyway, back to the expedition. It was an amazing time. The first thing we saw was an extreme close up of a sea otter. We were then served lunch and told the history behind Seward and the Park. The next thing we saw were Orca Whales AKA Killer Whales! They weren't jumping like I hoped they would, but they were surfacing for air all around us. The male Orcas were the most impressive with their 6 foot dorsal fins sticking high out of the water whenever they surfaced. We probably saw a total of 12 different Orcas. Just after we left the Orcas, we saw a couple of spotted seals relaxing on the shore. And further up the coast, a huge group of Sea Lions were lounging among the rocks.
The next thing we saw were puffins, Alaska's penguins. There weren't many around since most already migrated south for the winter. But that reminds me... this place was REALLY cold, especially since we were in the middle of mountains that were dumping ice and glaciers into the Kenai Fjords Bay. And the glaciers were one of the coolest things to see on the trip. We got to cruise right up next to a glacier and just sit and watch it. These glaciers were moving a bunch yesterday. You could hear loud cracks and thuds every 10 secs. But the coolest thing to see was a HUGE chunk of ice spanning the height of this 1000 foot high glacier, falling off into the ocean creating its own tidal wave. It might seem weird but I could sit, watch, and listen to a glacier for hours... something you have to experience to believe.
Well the glacier was our main destination for the trip, and on the return, we came across my favorite part of the tour..... the doll pourpusses (sp?). They looked like dolphins but with the colors of killer whales. Our tour guide said, "let see if we can get these guys' attention." So he slowed down and the pourposses immediately swam over to us. They LOVE to play at the bow of a big boat. It was amazing to see these dolphin like creatures swim and play all around us, trying to keep up with the boat. Disappointingly, we only got to play with them for about 10 minutes before we pushed the boat to full speed again :(
The last thing we saw on our return was a couple of mountain goats. This was a first for me and I doubt I will see many more while in Alaska since they live high in the mountains, especially in the colder areas of this state.
The animal I forgot to mention that we saw throughout the expidition was a bald eagle. There were more bald eagles than I could count. And did you know that it's illegal to have a bald eagle feather in your possession, even if you find it and pick it up for a second?!? Weird!
When we got back to port, we were moseying around the docks and saw some jelly fish. There were a couple of really big jellyfish, probably the size of a football, and then there were hundreds of really small, clear jelly fish, about the size of a quarter.
On our way home, we decided to stop at the wildlife conservation center so Mom and Dad could see the other animals Alaska housed that they did not see during their stay.
Overall, it was an AWESOME week with the parents. They loved Alaska so much, that I think they would seriously consider purchasing a cabin here to stay for summers. I know that any chance they get, they will definitely be coming to visit... and that's alright with me!
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