- Packing
- A week of extremes
- Preparation
- Dress Rehearsal
- H6, #13, and Bo
- Vlotho
- Stockholm
- Tallinn
- Helsinki
- Helsinki II
- St. Petersburg
- St. Petersburg II
- Moscow
- Beijing
- Beijing II
- Beijing III
- Beijing IV
- Xi’an
- Xi’an II
- Shanghai
- Nara – Halfway plus one day
- Kyoto
- Back in the (Former) USSR
- Muroran
- 180th Meridian
- Seward
- Ketchikan
- Vancouver
- St Paul
- Chicago
- New York City
- North Atlantic
- 78 Days and 9 Minutes
- London
The ship docked in cold, snowy Seward at about 7 this morning. Even when we left the ship about 10am, it was still very cold and snowing consistently. Clouds blanketed the harbor. We watched a handful of otters swimming around, having their breakfast.
Due to the weather, we chose to do indoor things first, stopping at the Sea Life Center. This center was created with some of the settlement money from the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989. There were a lot of hands on displays dealing with conservation and rehabilitation of sick and injured sea animals found in nearby waters. In addition to harbor seals and sea lions, the center also had a two-story glass tank with diving water birds, so you could watch as they dived under the water and swam about hunting for food. Binoculars were mounted outside so that visitors could scan the bay looking for killer whales and other animals that inhabit the waters.
After we left the center, the weather had changed dramatically. The jacket which barely won the battle against the elements an hour before was suddenly too much. The sun became visible. The temperature rose about 8 degrees Celsius. Mountains materialized around the bay as the veil of clouds parted. In a word, “Wow”.
Had a short stop in Dutch Harbor a couple days ago to re-stock and re-fuel the ship. Although the weather was also unpleasant, it was nice to get out and walk on dry land after several days at sea. As we were walking, we looked up to see a bald eagle practically hovering in the strong winds just 20 feet overhead. It stayed there for about a minute, indifferent to us, before gliding off.
Dutch Harbor we also saw what must be the last drive-through coffee shop between the US and Japan, if not further.
There was a very interesting seminar on glaciers that we hope to put to good use over the next couple of days. There have also been sightings of humpback and killer whales from the ship. Although we have not seen any yet, we are told the best chances for sighting are yet to come. Hoping for clear weather to improve our sighting chances.
This entry was posted in Around the World
