The National Geographic Sea Lion tucked into a beautiful bay this morning just after 6:00 a.m. People sleepily put on jackets, grabbed coffee, and made their way to the decks to experience patchy clouds mixed with rays of sun shining through the high trees enclosing Red Bluff Bay. Magnificent waterfalls spilled down the steep forested walls, and the Captain nosed the ship into the face of one. What a gorgeous backdrop for the dedicated exercisers on the back deck!
The morning was dedicated to looking for wildlife. We also had a guest speaker come onboard from the Alaska Whale Foundation, and our photo instructor began a talk on photography with the iPhone, but got interrupted by humpback whales lunge feeding. We stop for whales! We got good looks at their mouths from all angles… the bumpy hair tubercles on top, the pleats on the bottom, and sometimes the pink roof and white baleen on the inside. A cow/calf pair lunged in synchrony. Wow – amazing and beautiful to watch these magnificent creatures going about their daily business.
During lunch we sailed into another beautiful bay and anchored for afternoon activities ashore in Kelp Bay. We landed in a huge meadow with grasses and sedges, and several streams with tributaries. The meadow yielded to forested slopes. Naturalists led walks of various paces and distances along the saturated landscape. Some groups were fortunate enough to see a bear and her two cubs. Meanwhile, others took to the water in kayaks, delighting in the many breathing heads of harbor seals swimming around, fishing for salmon. Birds flew in close, and I watched one try to snatch bits of fish out of a seal’s mouth. The weather was perfect overcast with intermittent sun breaking through, and a gentle breeze on the water, enough to drift my kayak without my putting in much effort. I heard eagle cries in the distance, and found my mind downshifting into a peaceful communion with nature. One of the bear cubs came into view across the stream as the last of the kayakers and groups made their way back to the shoreline, putting a little excitement into our departure.
Back onboard we convened in the lounge for cocktails and recap, and again were interrupted by lunge-feeding humpback whales. We clambered on deck for a quick look before dinner, and realized it was the same cow/calf pair we had seen earlier, along with another pair nearby, and several more further away. We got some more great looks at these amazing giants, and then came back inside to feed ourselves. As I write this, it’s kids movie night in the lounge, and who knows what will happen between now and full dark…?! Another beautiful rich day in Southeast Alaska.
