|
|
The Kenai Peninsula sits just south of Anchorage and at the bottom of
Mainland Alaska. To the west, the peninsula tapers off into the
Alutian Island which resemble the impact of a stone being skipped across
the Bering Sea. To
the East is the panhandle which extends down the Western edge of Canada.
Because of it's accessabiltiy and it's wide variety of activities, we
have passed many days exploring it and it's surrounding waters.
Per square mile, it offers more than breathtaking scenary than almost
anyother place we have visited or lived. From glaciers to fjords,
white water rafting, orcas, grey whales and an otter or two, we have had some great
experiences on the Kenai.
Seward, on the Southern Part of the Keni Pennuisla. Behind us is Resurrection Bay. This is Turnagain Arm which runs along the southern coast of Anchorage. May 18th, Exit Glacier Run... Getting Pumped Ground Zero for Global Warming Along the Winner Creek Trail
It's so named because after persistant futile attempts by Captian Cook to discover a Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific, he and his crew had to "turn again" due to another failure. The Alaskan brown bear. Smaller than the grizzly and found in costal areas, this guy stood about 6 feet and with the tounge hanging out, looks incredibly harmless. His claws are about 3 inches each and after we took this picture, he turned around and gnawed on a moose leg for the next 15 min. The Muskox is, far and away, my favorite Alaskan animal, mainly because it looks like something out of Star Wars. They were hunted to extinction during the late 1800's but have been reintroduced from populations from Greenland and other northern countries. Their base layer under the long hair is said (by people selling it and a pamphlet I read) to be one of the warmest materials in the world. It is known as quivet and they sell all sorts of it up here. Mid April found us back in Seward to go on a Whale Watching Cruise. I was prepared with my camera to capture the whales breaching the surface mere feet from our boat. Flukes slapping the surface and the heart shaped blow from their exhalation. I was going to sell these pictures to National Geographic, identify a new species and start a wildlife photography business. I was Ahab, David Attenbourogh and Jonah all wrapped into one. Here's an otter. This is about as much action as we saw. It's a little hazy but it is a grey whale on it's yearly migration from the Baja Pensula to the Artic Circle where it will feed and mate. It's probably a female due to it's size and was possibly traveling with a calf. We followed it for about a half hour before we headed back to the dock and it met up with its mate and preformed a prefect triple breach just out of sight of the boat (I'm guessing). This is a juvenile humpback whale that has been frequenting Resurrection Bay for the past 2 years. He was suprisingly quick. The hard part about spotting whales is that you hear them breath, then you can spot their blow spray then you see what you see here. It all takes place in a second or two and only about once every 7 min so it's like watching the Superbowl on a scrambled cable channel but it's worth it. We ran the Exit Glacier Run just outside of Seward, it was a 5k which we didn't really train for and finished just behind a guy who was pushing a stroller with two kids in it. I wish I was kidding. The race wasn't named the "Exit Glacier Run" for nothing. After the race we drove up to the race's namesake and took a look around. The ice in this picture is probably thousands of years old moving at a snails pace down the side of the fjord from the Harding Ice Field. There were signs as we approached the glacier marking how much it had recceded each starting in the mid 1800's. And you thought global warming just started 25 years ago. This waterfall cascades down the gorge along the Winner Creek Trail. The trail runs through a temprate rainforest at the base of the Alyeska Ski Resort in Girdwood. Catherine was told bears were common on the trail but (un)fortunately we didn't see any. This hand tram crosses the river about .2 miles downstream. As the name implies, you get in the basket and pull yourself across. While trying not to look down at the 50' drop between you and the river below. Commonly known as the killer whale, the orca is actually the largest member of the dolphin family. These social creatures travel in groups known as pods. This is a resident population found in Resurrection Bay and feed primarily on fish. It's genus name Orcinus means "from Hell and which is telling of it's place in maritime lore and it's reputation. Each individual can be identified by distinct markings on it's back and doral fin which makes transient individuals easy to spot to the trained eye.
That should help to justify a degree in marine biology. This is Six Mile river where we ran about an 11 mile stretch of class 3-5 rapids in late July. These pictures were taken much later.
Seward, on the Southern Part of the Keni Pennuisla. Behind us is Resurrection Bay.
         |
|
