Great Endings

We left our anchor this morning for a day of whale watching. And we weren't disappointed. On the way to Adolphus Point, we saw several whales and sea otters. Did you know sea otters can get up to 6 feet long and 120 pounds? They're huge. Once we got to the Point, it was easy to see why we came. A group of 12-15 whales were swimming together, probably fishing. They broke into groups after quite a while, then several of the whales began to breach. Oh my goodness. I've never seen breaching in person. It was unbelievable to watch these enormous creatures lunging their bodies clear out of the water. I was able to get a few photos, but nothing as astonishing as being there in person. We also watched some of the whales smack their pectoral fins against the water. Kimber indicated they may have been stun feeding or just playing. After a while, they slept on the water in little groups, then it was back to activities. Breaching, smacking, and diving. WOW. Unfortunately we ran out of time and sailed back to the park station.

We unloaded the boat, then were informed that our flight had been canceled. Instead, Alaska Air had arranged a float plane to pick us up at the park's dock. I haven't been in one of those since I was three or four. Deb was a little apprehensive but was a trooper. Since we had some extra time, we had dinner with Kimber, Linda, as well as Chris and Betty, who were on our flight, too. The park lodge overlooks the bay, so we ate on the deck and had a nice good-bye.

The float plane provided fantastic views of the mountains, glaciers, and sea. We landed on the water air strip, which is parallel with the paved landing strip at the Juneau airport. We got out of there late, arriving in Seattle about thirty minutes late. Tomorrow we will leave for Denver and the end of a terrific trip. If you're ever wanting to experience Alaska, make sure you enjoy with Kimber and her crew. What a trip!Read more