| The big black and white killer whale --
| |
| | from the skipper's mike. "Flipper in a
|
| his four-foot sail-like dorsal fin erect
| |
| | tux. He weighs about 300 pounds and can
|
| and rising from a long sleek black and
| |
| | travel upwards of 35 miles an hour."Then
|
| white body -- came slicing rapidly
| |
| | - highlight of our trip by any measure -
|
| through the water, seemiingly on a
| |
| | came our romp on the wild side
|
| collision course with our vessel.Sort of
| |
| | with the orcas (killer whales),
|
| a black and white torpedo with eyes, fin,
| |
| | including the eight-ton male who
|
| flippers, and fluke!The Kansas lady to my
| |
| | threatened to
|
| right gave a little gasp. "Might it hit
| |
| | "torpedo" us.Incredibly, during the
|
| us?" she asked
| |
| | course of our cruise not one but two
|
| plaintively.No time for her husband to
| |
| | separate killer
|
| answer. Seconds later, and only a scant
| |
| | whale pods, a half-dozen or so animals
|
| four yards
| |
| | in each group, joined us to frolic close
|
| from our starboard rail, the orca
| |
| | by
|
| suddenly dove, his body and dorsal
| |
| | our vessel.Both groups paced us, raced
|
| disappearing
| |
| | us, and surrounded us when we slowed.
|
| from view. His course took him directly
| |
| | They rolled, sounded, made shallow
|
| under (not into!) our boat. A mad
| |
| | breaches, and approached literally within
|
| scramble
| |
| |
|
| ensued as all of us raced through and
| |
| | inches of our ship.Once, ignoring the
|
| around the ship's forward lounge to the
| |
| | rain and looking straight down from my
|
| port
| |
| | post at the forward
|
| side of the vessel. Most of us made it
| |
| | port rail, I found myself gazing
|
| in time to see the great dorsal
| |
| | incredulously into one creature's "blow"
|
| resurface. The
| |
| | hole! Thank
|
| creature thrust mightily with his
| |
| | goodness he didn't take that moment to
|
| horizontal fluke and sped away at
| |
| | exhale.Another time the voice from the
|
| incredible speed."Oh my," said Kansas
| |
| | bridge announced the presence of
|
| Lady, "that was a sight.""Oh yes,"
| |
| | Steller's sea
|
| replied Kansas Man, "a sight indeed."But
| |
| | lions, the first of several large or
|
| the great thing was, it was only one of
| |
| | smaller sightings. A big bunch of them,
|
| many memorable moments that day
| |
| | maybe
|
| as we cruised the waters of Resurrection
| |
| | three dozen or more, were sleeping,
|
| Bay and Kenai Fjords National Park on an
| |
| | lounging, crawling, and climbing on rocky
|
| afternoon excursion out of the historic
| |
| |
|
| Alaskan city of Seward. Our ship was the
| |
| | beach ledges at the base of a steep
|
| Alaskan Explorer, one of several
| |
| | granite cliff. A few were swimming in the
|
| sightseeing vessels operated by Kenai
| |
| | water,
|
| Fjords Tours.
| |
| | just off shore. Some looked dark gray,
|
| In spite of absolutely rotten rainy
| |
| | almost black; others were light rusty
|
| weather during some portions of the trip,
| |
| | brown
|
| we (wife
| |
| | in color. "Actually," we were told,
|
| Marilyn and I) enjoyed one of the best
| |
| | "they are all the same color. Their fur
|
| waterborne excursions we have ever
| |
| | just looks
|
| experienced. Proof indeed that in Alaska
| |
| | dark when they're wet." Whatever their
|
| one should never forgo the pleasures of
| |
| | coloration, these were impressive
|
| an
| |
| | specimens,
|
| outing just because of inclement
| |
| | weighing in at a ton or more for the
|
| weather; just dress warmly, in layers,
| |
| | bulls, but "only" 650 pounds for the more
|
| for it.The trip began about 11:30 a.m.,
| |
| |
|
| shortly after we arrived in the
| |
| | diminutive females. Even from within the
|
| Resurrection
| |
| | lounge of our vessel we could hear their
|
| Bay city aboard the Alaska Railroad
| |
| | incessant growls and
|
| morning train from Anchorage. After
| |
| | bellowing.Throughout our cruise, in spite
|
| leaving the
| |
| | of the weather, we saw a goodly number of
|
| dock we heard words of welcome and
| |
| |
|
| instruction from not one but two
| |
| | seabirds including cormorants, American
|
| skippers,
| |
| | bald eagles, puffins (with little round
|
| Chris and Roy. They advised us:"Keep
| |
| | "football" bodies and parrot-like beaks,
|
| your hat on your head. We don't go back
| |
| | the most comical-looking bird to fly over
|
| for hats unless you are wearing
| |
| |
|
| one.""If you see any folks in the water,
| |
| | and dive into northern seas),
|
| throw them a life ring - whether of not
| |
| | black-legged kittiwakes, and (my personal
|
| they
| |
| | favorite)
|
| are from this vessel.""A few nautical
| |
| | murres. These incredible alcids can dive
|
| terms: 'Port' means left, 'starboard'
| |
| | while fishing to a depth of 300 feet
|
| means right, 'aft' is toward
| |
| | below
|
| the back of the vessel and the 'bow' is
| |
| | the water's surface or more. Wow! That's
|
| the pointy end of the boat."And, "If you
| |
| | equal to the height of a 30-story
|
| feel seasick, go aft to the rail on the
| |
| | building.
|
| lower deck. Repeat, aft!"Shortly
| |
| | Because of their black and white
|
| thereafter we had a tasty lunch,
| |
| | coloring some folk call them "penguins of
|
| deli-style, consisting of breaded
| |
| | the
|
| chicken or breaded fish (or both), apple
| |
| | north;" I prefer to think of penguins as
|
| chips, choice of light beverage, and
| |
| | "murres of the south."And what would an
|
| cookies.Our meal was interrupted (we
| |
| | Alaska cruise be without glacier viewing?
|
| didn't mind) by the sight of our first
| |
| | The ice river we
|
| critter of the
| |
| | saw and photographed and ogled over that
|
| day, a solitary sea otter who drifted by
| |
| | day was Holgate Glacier. Not the biggest
|
| on the port side of the ship. ("Left?"
| |
| | on the Pacific coast by any means, but a
|
| someone
| |
| | beautiful, classic tidewater glacier with
|
| asked. "Yeah, left.") The creature was
| |
| |
|
| reclining in classic sea otter pose -
| |
| | deep blue colors and an impressive face
|
| flat on his
| |
| | that calved a few small "growler" bergs
|
| back in the water, paws under his chin,
| |
| | into
|
| with lower legs and tail tucked up toward
| |
| | the sea to the delight of all on
|
| his
| |
| | board.Our excursion ended about 5:30
|
| tummy."He weighs about 100 pounds and he
| |
| | p.m., just in time to board our rail cars
|
| has," said one of our captains speaking
| |
| | for the
|
| from the bridge, "one of the densest
| |
| | return trip to Anchorage.It was, all
|
| coats on earth."We heard lots of "Oohs,"
| |
| | agreed, a marvelous tour, one that Alaska
|
| "Aaahs," and "Isn't he darling..." coming
| |
| | visitors can put in their
|
| from all over
| |
| | memory caches as among the best trips in
|
| the lounge. One of our table mates, Pat
| |
| | the north country.Come this spring,
|
| Horner of New Jersey, was enthralled.
| |
| | summer, or fall you could do a lot worse
|
| "Nothing like this in New Jersey," she
| |
| | than book one of
|
| told us. Her daughter, Gayle Newfeld of
| |
| | these tours. More information is
|
| Kodiak, has seen plenty of sea otters
| |
| | available on the internet at Travel
|
| near her Alaska home digs. But she, like
| |
| | Writer Michael Miller lives in Juneau
|
| us,
| |
| | where he writes newspaper and
|
| was thrilled as well.Next on our mammal
| |
| | magazine articles as well as Alaska
|
| list came a Dall's porpoise, about a
| |
| | guidebooks. He also publishes a
|
| hundreds yards to
| |
| | comprehensive
|
| starboard. "He's one of the fastest
| |
| | informational website about Alaska
|
| swimmers in the North Pacific," said the
| |
| | cruising.
|
| voice
| |
| |
|
