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