North to Alaska - Abridged Version - Day 21 (June 6)

Sunday - The next morning at the downtown boat harbor, we boarded the cruise ship "Alaska Explorer" for the Kenai Fjords Tour. What a day! At one point we could see 6 shining, blue-white glaciers coming down into one fjord. The canyons were filled with waterfalls. High on a cliff 3 adult mountain goats and one kid made their way across an sheer-appearing rock face. A mama sea otter floated by rocking gently as she cuddled her baby in her arms. We could hear a large colony of sea lions long before we saw them lounging on the rocks of their private cove. Seals floated on ice floes, peering sad-eyed as we approached, occasionally slipping into the blue-green water. A brown bear appeared on the shore of an island to which, according to an onboard naturalist, he had bear-paddled to steal bird eggs.

While the boat floated near the biggest glacier, Garrett chose this setting to propose marriage to Sherilla. Ben took pictures while the other passengers "ooohed," "aaahhhed" and applauded enthusiastically. It was very sweet. We were on the tour from 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM and were served our lunch choice of fish (fresh halibut) or chicken and chips while on board.

Back in Seward we walked around the harbor watching the fishermen and women cutting up the day's catch for sale right there on the dock and looked at the colorful scene (boats, Prince William Sound and mountains). Later, after Margaret and Ben ate chili, Sherrila served roasted corn-on-the-cob and we sat, VERY carefully this time, on the bench by the bay. Soon 3 bald eagles circled overhead, one landing on a piece of driftwood near the water's edge. A raven became upset with the eagle's behavior and began complaining loudly, along with making an occasional dive at the serene, much bigger bird. The eagle basically ignored the pestering, posing majestically for the row of admiring, camera-clicking campers. Another memorable day.