2012 July 6-20 Alaska Land and Cruise Adventure Review with LOTS of photos!

[WalleyeLJ]

We checked out a couple of more shops on 4th Avenue before looking for something to eat. I asked around for some recommendations, with an eye towards some halibut for my Mom. Everyone I asked said go to Thorn's for great halibut burgers - so off we went!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thorn's was a place with LOTS of character. I'd best describe it this way - if The Godfather, The Sopranos and a late 70's Charles Bronson movie were blended together and set up shop in Seward, Alaska, you'd find them all in Thorn's. The bar was stuck in the late 70s/EARLY 80s in terms of decor, but it was charming. They are renowned for a world class Jim Beam bottle collection, which covered the walls of the bar/restaurant behind aged Plexiglas with a film from decades of smoking that you probably could write "wash me" in if you felt like taking the chance. The stench of decades old and brand new smoke (smoking was prevalent there) filled the lungs. When Phil Collins wrote "In the Air Tonight", it HAD to be right after stopping into Thorn's for some Jim and Halibut...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Despite the smoke, Thorn's was a very cool place all things considered. All the hype was due as my Mom thoroughly enjoyed her halibut burger. I had a regular burger, Bev had a chicken bacon ranch sandwich, and my Dad had a Rueben. He & I both got onion rings. The onion rings weren't a normal serving - it was more like we each got an ENTIRE plate of onion rings! Some of the seats were a hybrid loveseat with leather/pleather covers and big rolling wheels. Thorn's certainly had PERSONALITY!

 

While we were checking out 4th Ave, I also grabbed a shot of The Apollo where we had dinner the first night...

 

 

 

 

 

 

On our way down to our 3pm tour at the SeaLife Center, we checked out the bay one more time, hoping for another shot at seeing some wildlife. Not wildlife - again! - but the landscape was very cool with what I call the Gorillas in the Mist effect...

 

 

 

Motorboating Resurrection Bay...

 

 

 

 

 

Sailboating Resurrection Bay...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then it was off to get an inside look at the SeaLife Center!

 

 

L.J.

[mapleleaves]

The first time I saw photos of the Seward waterfront campground, I decided that we would camp elsewhere. It just didn't look attractive; gravel parking lots with RV's all crammed together. But when we arrived and saw that view.... oh my! We camped there for 3 nights. It was so peaceful to walk along that trail, watch otters playing in the Bay and bald eagles flying overhead. In the evenings we sat in the RV and watched all the fishing boats come in. In the mornings we enjoyed our coffee watching all the boats go out again.

And we walked downtown to enjoy dinner at Thorns. It's definitely a busy, smokey place but such great food. We had their famous bowl of 'but.

[WalleyeLJ]

The SeaLife Center opened in 1998 primarily with funds from the Exxon Valdez settlement. Started to assist with the rescue and rehab of injured animals and provide education about Alaska, its ecosystems and the myriad critters that live there, it has now branched out into other areas of scientific study.

 

 

 

The gift shop in the SeaLife Center lobby

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our tour started in the lobby and headed upstairs to the office areas. The first thing we got to see was the remote viewing set up transmitting live video feeds from the Sea Lion rookery on the Chiswell Islands. They have a number of video cameras setup around the haul out/mating area on the main island, and they can remotely control all the cameras to watch the animals and chart what's going on.

 

 

 

The video charting team observing the sea lions live...from 35 miles away

 

 

 

 

 

 

A chart outlining all the males breeding zones where they collect their harems...

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the coolest things was seeing the little baby Sea Lions making their way in between all the adults. After a few minutes there, we headed down to the basement. Our tour guide was a college student from SUNY Syracuse, and our first stop in the basement was to show us the board documenting all sorts of animals that had be rescued, both the types of animals and where they were brought in from.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some posted on the board had been rehabbed successfully, while others were still in process. Sea otters, Sea Lions and Harbor Seals were the most common mammals, along with all sorts of sea birds. They take great pains to try and minimize the handling of the animals do as to reduce the chances of them imprinting on humans, thus rendering them impossible to release back into the wild. Baby/young sea otters are the exception to the rule as they usually spend a year with their mother learning to feed and groom themselves. When orphaned, they require constant attention from their human caregivers, so once healed and/or grown to sufficient size, they'll either stay at the SeaLife Center or be transferred to another facility, which could be anywhere around the world.

 

Next up - the kitchen!!!

 

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

The first time I saw photos of the Seward waterfront campground, I decided that we would camp elsewhere. It just didn't look attractive; gravel parking lots with RV's all crammed together. But when we arrived and saw that view.... oh my! We camped there for 3 nights. It was so peaceful to walk along that trail, watch otters playing in the Bay and bald eagles flying overhead. In the evenings we sat in the RV and watched all the fishing boats come in. In the mornings we enjoyed our coffee watching all the boats go out again.

And we walked downtown to enjoy dinner at Thorns. It's definitely a busy, smokey place but such great food. We had their famous bowl of 'but.

 

If we ever rent an RV in Alaska, I'd love to stay there - as long as we got one of those front row spots! I'd totally go back to Thorn's when we go back to Seward! 2015 - here we come!:)

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

Our group of 15+ headed around the corner to the kitchen/food prep area. They explained that the SeaLife Center goes through roughly 120 tons of food annually, from salmon and crab to krill and invertebrates. All of the food has to be purchased as they can't accept donations should the food be tainted or of poor quality. Here's a shot of the prep area and the walk in freezer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next up we checked out some of the rehab tanks where various creatures were feeding and healing. The tank in the foreground had an octopus that was holed up in a submerged bucket/barrel. All we could see was the very tip of a couple of arms...

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the microbiology research laboratories

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eiders, a unique breed of sea ducks, are one of the key research species at the SeaLife Center. Breeding for Eiders is tenuous at best and they are having a hard time figuring out how to help the birds expand their population.

 

 

 

Eider Research lab:

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a few more neat little points of interest, we popped out into the floor tank display area. The viewing areas were busy, but not really crowed, so it was easy to move between the various exhibits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a few minutes checking things out, I noticed that Bev had made a special new friend!

 

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

While the big Sea Lion was not in the tank today, there was an adorable little Harbor Seal, and he was quick to investigate Bev.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a few seconds of inquisitive exploration through the glass, the seal began to follow the hand Bev had put forth, playing follow the leader's hand along the front of the tank!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After another pass or two, we were off to see the rest of the exhibits!

 

 

 

L.J.

[jimswims]

What an amazing review! The pictures, story, and details are just incredible. I think you wrote that you are from MA and parents from Vermont. I am from the North Shore and went to undergrad in Burlington, VT. I took my wife and kids on an Alaska cruise in 2010. My wife has wanted to do this for about 10 years and I resisted. We did a round trip from Seattle on the NCL Pearl because of schedule and we wanted to see Glacier Bay. It was simply amazing and words cannot describe the beauty of this area. I enjoyed our cruise so much and have been looking and planning for our return. Part of this was trying to find out what to do as part of a land tour first. Your review has given me some wonderful ideas, Thank you!!! Reading your experience I get the same feeling as I did when I was sitting on our stern balcony in Glacier Bay. We are not sure when we will get back but this give us something to read, see, and enjoy.

Edited August 25, 2012 by jimswims

[KruisinKath]

What was one of the first things I did after nine days in Vegas? Catch up on your review! Alaska fix now re-established! :)

[WalleyeLJ]

There are a number viewing areas large and small where we came out from the tour. This first floor area is fairly to very dimly lit, with the focus being less on information stations and more on the displays themselves.

 

 

 

These first two photos were from a smaller display known as "Denizens of the Deep". The star attraction here was a female octopus named Lulu that had laid eggs and was protecting them, holding her body over the tens of thousands of tiny eggs where they rested between her and the wall (she's a bit hard to see but she's on the left lower side of the exhibit in the second photo).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sadly, only one octopus has managed to be born in history in captivity. The eggs are so fragile that the tiniest disturbance will destroy them. They actually engineered two different types of tanks and circulation systems to see if they could pull it off at the SLC, but to no avail. Even sadder, just like wild salmon, this particular species of octopus lives on average 5-6 years before reaching breeding age. After their one shot at parenting, the female octopus dies. So our poor octopus was on the ultimate mission in futility, spending the last few months for her life clinging to the rock face to help a generation that will never come...

 

 

 

We checked out one of the main tanks, where the bird rookery was located 30 or so feet above. In addition to all the fish and other creatures swimming around down at our level, some of the diving birds and ducks would crash into the surface above. They would swim down 20-30 feet, looking for food, offering us an endlessly entertaining display as they zipped through the water.

 

 

 

Father/Daughter Time

 

 

 

 

 

 

Checking out the diving birds

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the last displays we saw before exiting into the main lobby was the always cool Moon Jellyfish display. Most aquariums seem to have them, yet I always find them totally fascinating. It must be the opportunity to see them in a way that would be hard even in the wild that keeps drawing me in!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since we sort of started near the end of the route through the facility, we headed back upstairs to see all the things up on the 2nd floor.

 

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

What an amazing review! The pictures, story, and details are just incredible. I think you wrote that you are from MA and parents from Vermont. I am from the North Shore and went to undergrad in Burlington, VT. I took my wife and kids on an Alaska cruise in 2010. My wife has wanted to do this for about 10 years and I resisted. We did a round trip from Seattle on the NCL Pearl because of schedule and we wanted to see Glacier Bay. It was simply amazing and words cannot describe the beauty of this area. I enjoyed our cruise so much and have been looking and planning for our return. Part of this was trying to find out what to do as part of a land tour first. Your review has given me some wonderful ideas, Thank you!!! Reading your experience I get the same feeling as I did when I was sitting on our stern balcony in Glacier Bay. We are not sure when we will get back but this give us something to read, see, and enjoy.

 

Thanks Jim - I'm glad you're finding it useful! The majority of the ideas and vendors I used came from reading up on tips, suggestions and questions here on CC. I figured after two trips, this was the least I could do. I graduate from Holliston High School and went to UMass/Amherst. I've spent many a day fishing on Lake Champlain:), and Burlington is one of my favorite places. We did a 3.5 day land portion our first Alaska crusie in 2009 (Kenai Fjords/Talkeetna/Denali) and knew from that if we went back we wanted more time. This time we had 7 days between Homer and Seward, and it STILL wasn't enough:) Next time we'll probably skip the cruise (as great as they are) and spend 2 weeks on the ground!

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

What was one of the first things I did after nine days in Vegas? Catch up on your review! Alaska fix now re-established! :)

 

Hey Kathy - welcome back! How was Vegas? I swear Bev & I are the only adults in America that haven't been to Vegas...:D

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

Making our way back upstairs, we started through the exhibit path. Here's a shot of the sign that greets you as you come off the escalator or stairs, as well as a look down into the lobby area and gift shop from the atrium balcony.

 

 

 

Welcome Sign

 

 

 

 

 

 

Admission Ticket Counter & Lobby

 

 

 

 

 

 

Main Entrance & Gift Shop Area

 

 

 

 

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

As you first enter the display areas, the first section is dedicated primarily to kids, with big bright displays and interactive things for children (and parents!) before moving on into the larger, more scientific displays.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moving out of the kid's zone, we checked out a few small displays focusing on smaller critters and plants.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bev takes a closer look at what our shore lunch ingredients look like in their natural state...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next up - the tidal touch tank!

 

 

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

The first display area opens up into a bright, airy second floor lobby area, with open air viewing portions of the underwater displays on the first floor accessible from here. At one end of the space was a large touch tank area. There was a variety of sea stars, sea anemones and other things. While theoretically more for kids, there were plenty of adults checking things out as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Orange Sea Stars stuck to the side of the tank...

 

 

 

 

 

 

While I was there, one of the staffers had been putting food into the tank. In short order, all the food seemed to have been eaten. As I was trying to get some close-ups of the little starfish feet stuck on the side of the tank, I found this hoarder collecting the food pieces and stuffing food into its mouth - it's a wonder anyone else in the tank ever gets to eat!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

Past the touch tank display there were large windows looking down on the outside pens where the seals and sea lions were kept when they weren't in the main viewing tanks. This wasn't the big dog sea lion in all the SLC photos, which is over 2,000 pounds (!!!), but rather a lightweight 900 or so:). Apparently it was mating season, so they had the sea lions split up for a couple of weeks. This guy keep getting in and out of the tank, playing around a bit, then diving back in.

 

 

 

One of the big sea lion tanks, with the harbor seals off to the right...

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few close ups...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is it time to go on stage?

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I believe I can fly..."

 

 

 

 

 

 

L.J.

[am-mc]

Thanks for the review of the Sealife center - we are going there as part of our Cruisetour and was afraid it wouldnt be that exciting. I think I choose the right tour now - we will have fun before boardian the Radiance.

 

Your reviews are so great - I cant wait until you are on the ship - I am excited to see your pictures and your reviews of the Radiance.

[WalleyeLJ]

My next stop was the top of the bird diving tank, which held the bird rookery above the water. Inside were, Eiders, Kittiwakes, two species of Puffins and others. I was a neat place to photograph because you could get much closer to these birds than you ever normally would in the wild. So close, in fact, that some of them would launch themselves off the rock face, landing - sometimes gracefully, sometimes with a thud - hitting the water within a few feet or inches of the tank wall, sending water out of the tank and onto unsuspecting visitors!

 

 

 

The Rookery

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kittiwakes up on the cliff face - including a nesting pair with some newly hatched chicks!

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few shots of a Horned Puffin that was working the tree stump runway

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

After the rookery, we went to the theater for a 15 minute presentation on the life cycle and cultural significance of the 5 Pacific Salmon species found in Alaska. Bev loved the part where they speaker taught us how to remember the five species, using a mix of their official and nicknames:

 

Thumb rhymes with "Chum"

Index finger - use it to sock someone in the eye = "Sockeye"

Middle finger is the biggest, so it's the "King"

Fourth finger is where you'd wear your "Silver" ring

Pinkie finger = "Pink" salmon

 

After the presentation, I went over to the wing to the Pacific salmon species exhibit, including the life cycles and habitats of the salmon.

 

 

 

Salmon fingerlings

 

 

 

 

 

 

Juvenile salmon in the estuary preparing to head out to the open ocean

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adult salmon

 

 

 

 

 

 

Schooling in the "open ocean"

 

 

 

 

 

 

A cool display showing the size and coloration compared and contrasted between the species

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was almost 6pm, so we got ready to head out, and get ready for dinner. On the way out, I took a shot of this Minke Whale skull overlooking the lobby.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Having seen and learned a lot, we were ready to start winding down the day.

 

 

L.J.

Edited August 26, 2012 by WalleyeLJ

[WalleyeLJ]

My Dad decided he wasn't hungry, so we decided to go back to the B&B and get ready for the morning (Dad & I were getting up at 4:30am for a float fishing tip on the upper Kenai River!), then head to a later dinner. We decided to eat at Ray's on the waterfront overlooking the Small Boat Harbor. There was a bit of a wait when we got there, so we waited at the bar for a bit before we got our table.

 

 

 

 

 

 

While we were waiting, I stuck up a conversation with two guys sitting next to us. It turned out they were leaving in the morning to head back to California after a week fishing their way across the Kenai. Between weather and luck, they said the fishing hadn't really been what they expected for Alaska, but were still happy they had taken the trip. Since we were taking 4 fishing trips over the next week, it nice to talk to some folks who could relate to our upcoming adventures. I got so wrapped up in chatting with them that I didn't notice that Bev and Mom had headed to the table. After a few more dense minutes on my part, I finally spotted them and made my way to dinner! We were lucky to end up with an end table along the main window overlooking the boats, which was great.

 

 

Here's my view from the table looking back towards the bar area and upper dining area

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mom & Bev had seafood (clams or muscles and crab cakes)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had a Cajun cream sauce chicken and pasta dish with mixed vegetables - it was terrific!

 

 

 

 

 

The food and service at Ray's were both terrific - one of the best meals of the whole trip - on or off the ship. After the filling dinner, we stopped off for some ice cream before heading back to get some sleep before heading down the Kenai!

 

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

Next morning, Dad & I were up at 4am. Mike and Marsha were up before us, insisting on making sure we had breakfast before we headed north to Cooper Landing to the headwaters of the Kenai River where they exit Kenai Lake for the long journey to Soldotna and Kenai before emptying into the Cook Inlet.

 

On the way to Cooper Landing, we had a less than 5 minute stop for the road construction zone near Moose Pass. Despite the fact it was 5:10am, the road crew was already hard at work. With the short summer season to make road repairs, the work days are long. While we were waiting, I took this shot of the upper portion of Kenai Lake, even though we had miles to go to get to the other end!

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were running a bit ahead of schedule (which NEVER happens!), so when we got to Tern Lake where the Seward Highway meets the start of the Sterling Highway (the way to Cooper Landing) we stopped off to check out the lake in the early morning stillness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tern Lake Panoramic

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back on schedule, we headed down the Sterling Highway to Cooper Landing to meet John and Heather Pearson, the husband and wife team that are Kenai River Float n Fish!

 

 

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

John was waiting on us when we arrived. He outfitted us quickly for chest waders, we hopped in the van, and made out way to the boat launch where the Kenai River exits Kenai Lake. Our float trip was to cover the first 7 miles of the Upper Kenai, with our targets being Dolly Varden and Rainbow Trout. John's boat was a river dory, which was to be powered and guided all morning only by his outstanding rowing skills. While John was parking the van (which Heather would pick up and meet us for pick up with later that morning), I took a few shots of the launch and my Dad in his new fishing outfit!

 

 

 

The boat launch

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Cooper Landing Sterling Highway bridge over the headwaters

 

 

 

 

 

The view down river from the launch area

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Dad in his waders, ready to do battle!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once John was back, we hit the water, ready to do some battle with the legendary fish of the might Kenai River!

 

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

Heading out from the launch, John leaned into the oars and got us moving through the placid headwaters downstream.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we were heading away from the launch area, John told us dome of the human and natural history of the area. One thing he relayed was that the bridge was wiped out during the 1964 earthquake. He said old timers on the river told him when he first started fishing and guiding the Upper Kenai that during the quake, the effects were so strong that not only were there huge waves created on Kenai Lake, but they told him that the waters of the Kenai River actually moved backwards due to the massive quake. True or not, it makes for a great story and a neat start to the trip!

 

 

 

A view of a beautiful riverside home that John worked on renovating during the winter months

 

 

 

 

 

 

A couple of shots from our fishing position in the bow of the boat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were almost to the first fishing hole, and Dad was ready to rumble!

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were ready - but were the fish???

 

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

We fished a combination spinning rods and fly rods with strike floats and white cloth flies that John said resembled decaying fish flesh from the prior year breeders. Later on we worked on spin casting lures, but we started the day with the flies. My Dad had a couple of hits but couldn't hook up. I wasn't having any luck at all, when suddenly my strike float didn't just tick of bob - it went straight under and disappeared - FISH ON! After a nice tussle, John & I landed my first ever Dolly Varden trout!

 

 

John with the Dolly in the net

 

 

 

 

 

 

Me in my neon yellow jacket, posing with my Dolly

 

 

 

 

 

 

A close up shot in the net of the subtle but beautiful iridescent pinks and greens of the Dolly

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now that the ice was broken, more good things started to happen - like our first (and only) sunshine of the day - right after we let Dolly go...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

Thanks for the review of the Sealife center - we are going there as part of our Cruisetour and was afraid it wouldnt be that exciting. I think I choose the right tour now - we will have fun before boardian the Radiance.

 

Your reviews are so great - I cant wait until you are on the ship - I am excited to see your pictures and your reviews of the Radiance.

 

The SLC was terrific. I hated losing the Kenai Fjords trip to the weather, but we liely wouldn't have made it to the SLC otherwise, and is was a great experience.

 

I'm on the morning of departure day, so ship stuff will be coming up later today in the review!

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

I wanted to say that John was one of the best, hardest working tour operators/guides we've ever had the pleasure of having an adventure with. He grew up in the Rockies, but has a certain California surfer meets the sea turtles in Finding Nemo vibe and cadence when he spoke that was totally charming. Always positive, always encouraging, he was a great instructor and I can imagine that he would be a terrific match for folks with little to no fishing experience, or those folks with kids. Even on our trip he had a couple of children's rigs set up (since he and Heather two beautiful little ones of their own) ready to go. Kids might not be as welcome on an open water charter, but they are good to go with Kenai River Fish n' Float!

 

 

The glacial melt waters of the Kenai were beautiful, if cold! I was a gorgeous blue slate color. As we made our way down the river, we saw a number of small homes & fishing camps, along with one of the Kenai Princess lodges on a bluff above us.

 

 

 

One of the camping and rafting companies located on the Upper Keani

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the many mountain streams winding is way through the understory that feed the Kenai. John said this one had a particularly good run of salmon later in the season

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also saw numerous eagles along the water, some looking at us expectantly as though hoping for a handout (or at least a wounded fish - more on that in Ketchikan!). There were several times during the day that we saw bright crimson Sockeyes leaping from the water. John said these were among the first, and hoped it was a good sign for the coming salmon season.

 

 

As we went along, my Dad & I traded off catching fish. Here are a couple of shots of the native (not hatchery raised) Rainbow trout we caught along the way:

 

 

 

Dad's first Alaska fish - a beautiful Kenai Rainbow!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's a shot of my first Kenai Rainbow - the fresh little sucker wouldn't lie still for a photo!

 

 

 

 

 

 

This section of the Kenai is all catch & release, and John was excellent about keeping the fish in the rubber net in the water as much as possible to minimize the stress and get it back into the river as soon as possible.

 

A bit more than halfway into the trip, John rowed us onto the rocky shore for a rest break for my Dad, while he showed me a good spot to wade out into the river a bit and work the riffle between our spot and an island in the middle of the river. John told us we'd spend a few minutes there, and to stay sharp for any unusual sounds of movement as some thick brush was only about 25 feet or so from the rocky beach we were on. I struggled at first with my one shot roll casts with the float rig from shore, but with his coaching I got the hang of it. Finally I hooked up, playing a nice sized Rainbow right to the shoreline where John went to get a hold of it and unhook it when if jump and threw the hook - gone!

 

We were laughing when I thought I heard something back in the brush. John was talking to my Dad when I heard it again. John immediately changed demeanor - he told us to get in the boat calmly but quickly as he turned to face the brush, readied his bear spray and drew a large caliber revolver. We hustled into the boat and he pushed us off into the river in a few short seconds, ever watchful of the shoreline until he too was in the boat and we were ready to go. I have to admit that it was one of the most electric moments of the whole trip! I asked if there was anything that wasn't a bear that could have been making the noise, and he said the only other candidate would be a moose, which at that range wouldn't be much more fun than a bear. In any case, it was another situation where Alaska proved out that caution, preparedness and situational awareness can't be left behind when you head out to have fun and enjoy the wild side of Alaska.

 

 

Along the second half of the trip there were several fun runs through mild whitewater sections, which made for a fun ride and a change of pace before and after the calmer fishing sections.

 

 

 

 

 

 

All in all we had a fantastic morning on the Kenai with John. We were supposed to be on the water for 4 hours (6:15am-10:15am), but we didn't end up coming off the water until 11:30am or so. Dad & I ended up tied with 5 fish landed apiece, and a bunch more that we hooked up but didn't boat. I caught the biggest Dolly Varden, and Dad caught the biggest Rainbow, so the scoreboard was even after the first event (the family version of the 2012 Summer Olympics).

 

 

 

We headed back to Seward around 12pm, which was when we had told Bev & Mom we'd be back. Fortunately we had great cell coverage in Cooper Landing (who knew?!) so we were able to let them know we were running a bit late. As soon as we got back we were going to being loading up the luggage and heading to the Radiance of the Seas!

 

 

L.J.