Fantasy Caravan Day 36 - Resurrection Bay lunch and cruise

Fantasy had arranged for us to take a Resurrection Bay cruise on Saturday. The forecast was for rain and cold, but we were still hoping to enjoy the trip...

A shuttle picked us up at the campground and took us to the area where the cruise would be leaving.

We were going with Kenai Fjords Tours.

Our vessel: the Nunatak

As we were leaving Seward, we went by an area along the coast where there are lots and lots of campers parked. The captain said that, when the 1964 earthquake happened, this area had lots of businesses and housing, and it was impossible to get things moved out. The RVs and tents can move out quickly.

On the boat -- we were sitting inside -- it was cold and raining outside.

A map of the area where we would be cruising -- Resurrection Bay

The inside of the first deck

Carl went out to the bow...

a view of some of the mountains around the bay.

Looking into the pilothouse

Open seating on the stern on the upper deck

Looking out the back when we were going slowly

Cabin area on upper deck

Inside the cabin on the upper deck

Where food could be purchased on the upper deck

When the boat sped up, it created quite a wake!

Video of the view out the back:

We stopped on Fox Island for a buffet lunch...

Heading up to the dining room...

... we had reserved seating for lunch.

There were wood burners in multiple locations around the dining area.

Lake behind the dining room

Our boat tied up at Fox Island

There were these very thin flat rocks...

... all along the beach. Some of the crew members were collecting rocks with specific characteristics - evidently, there is to be a rock-skipping contest near the end of the season. Some of the boat passengers were getting rocks to skip 10+ times!

Supply boat coming to the island as we were leaving.

Some views of the mountains and rain

Beautiful yacht out on Resurrection Bay -- I think it is for sale! https://www.denisonyachtsales.com/yachts-for-sale/forty-niner-70-viking

We stopped at an area where we could see sea birds...

Some puffins in the water...

... another puffin...

... and maybe another one, or the same one again!

These were seabirds along the cliff -- our boat captain said that they look like penguins... I think the name is Common Murre...

...the picture above was taken at the crack where I've marked with an arrow on this picture. I don't know how the captain saw them... he probably had binoculars and could use them from the pilot house.

I ended up going out on the bow too (it seemed like everything he was telling us about was at the front of the boat) -- I didn't take my outer rain jacket to begin with -- I soon went back in to get my outer jacket.

I think this was Emerald Cove.

Another view of mountains and clouds

We were looking for whales -- can you see them just under the arrow?

It was two or three killer whales...

Here it looks like we could see a couple of blows as well as the back of one.

The captain told us that killer whales got that name from when whalers would take a catch, and the killer whales would be along trying to steal their catch. They would not take other whales in the wild, but they are opportunistic.

There was also a humpback whale in the area, and folks on the other side of the boat saw it, but we did not, and I haven't found any pictures from others on our tour.

Other folks on our tour got some other pictures:

Three young bald eaglets in a nest

Stellar Sea Lions hauled out on a rock

 We were either on the wrong side of the ship or too lazy to go outside to get those shots!

Heading back to Seward

It was rainy, and it was cold, but we still enjoyed our trip -- it would possibly have been nicer with sunny weather (and the pictures would have been better), but we saw quite a bit of wildlife, and our captain said that was more than he has seen the last few weeks. I don't think the weather would have impacted that, but we did get to see a lot despite the poor weather!