Tuesday, Day 5, continued
feeling invincible to the world, we left the rafting adventure heading towards the coastal town of seward. we were booked to stay at a hostel called miller's landing right near the open ocean inlet. it was supposed to be quaint and outdoorsy and away from the tourist part of town...just what we were looking for. as we pulled down the isolated road, we passed several small cabins that looked rather shabby. then we drove past a broken down looking shack of four rooms. and past that were dozens and dozens of tents and campers. i had reserved a "backpackers" room for us for two nights. it was supposed to be one room out of four that were housed in one long building. as we pulled into the main lodge, i got a lump in my throat. this was NOT what the pictures online had looked like. surely that shack we passed wasn't our room. oh, but it was...and having a nonrefundable deposit, we took the key, held our breath and drove back to the shanty by the side of the road. we opened the door and just like that, the hot air was let out of our afternoon balloon. picture the worst motel room imaginable and then break all of the furniture in it, make the lone, fluorescent light flicker, and throw some dirt all over the ground. that doesn't come close to what we were looking at. we were devastated. this was not the way this glorious day was supposed to end. surely there was something we could do. we returned to the main lodge and asked if there were ANY other rooms....ANYwhere. we were told there was a cabin available for the same cost, so we asked if we could take a look first, and we headed over to see if it could possibly get any worse. hemlock cabin, as it was called, was a single room hut with two tree-carved bunk beds, some plastic lawn chairs, and a little heater tucked into the wall. it wasn't much better, but at least it felt more like being at summer camp than being in a $15.99 per night dirty motel. we agreed to stay, got some clean linens (which actually did smell fresh and clean), unloaded the car, made the beds, showered, and then drove back to town to eat dinner and ponder our misfortune.
we happened upon a little place called the salmon bake where we shared a heaping plate of local fish and crab. as delicious as it was, we couldn't help but think about what we had to return to back at the hostel. we decided that we would just have to spend as little time as possible there. as we sat at the table, we also began to rethink the remaining schedule for the week. the final two days were supposed to be spent on fox island at a place called kayaker's cove. it was an isolated hostel reachable only by water taxi. we had heard great things about it, and it would be a true adventure with no restaurants, stores, tourists, even showers. only exploring, sea kayaking to waterfalls and caves, and peaceful camping life. however, in light of our current situation, our desire for more "roughing it" was growing thinner. by then end of dinner, we had completely rearranged our plans. the next two nights would still be spent in the rickety cabin, but we would cancel the next two nights at kayaker's cove, use up all of our remaining hotel points, and stay the last two nights in and around anchorage. there were tons of other adventures to be had other than kayaker's cove. so with full bellies and a new plan, we headed back to the dungeon for a frigid night's sleep. when we approached camp, however, we noticed an older man sitting out beside a fire in front of the cabin next to ours. we stopped to say hello on our way in and ended up staying for the next hour and a half. the man, it turns out, lived in the artctic circle portion of north alaska. he was a lawyer working for the state of alaska in representation of the native people's rights. he wowed us with his heavy, handmade eskimo jacket, a petrified mammoth tusk, and stories about life in the polar cap. he was enjoying more than a few beers and, by the end of the night, had us in side-splitting giggles as he told tales about eating seal blubber, crazy bear attacks and blinding snowstorms that had him mistaking other people for animals. needless to say, he turned our night around. we couldn't help but think that we would have never heard about such a fascinating life if it hadn't been for that dust bucket of a place. as we headed into our cabin to start the heater up, we were actually grateful to have had the chance.
Wednesday, Day 6
we awoke to a great morning fog over the bay. we made our way down to the ship dock and found our small vessel waiting to bear us to sea on a 6-hour fjord and glacier tour. we didn't know quite what to expect since this was an actual "tour." however, we found that the boat was not terribly full, the tourists were reasonably laid back, and the captain quite pleasant to listen to. we spent some of our time outside on the deck, but the frigid air whipping past us would send us right back in to get warm again. the further out we got from shore, the clearer the sky became, and within the first hour, we had spotted our first humpback whale pair. i had not expected to see whales, nor had i ever seen one before that. i was mesmerized. the captain turned off the boat motor and we sat in silence, listening to them crest and blow over and over. this was just the first of many whale sightings. later in the day, we would see a mother and calf jump out of the water and then wave their pectoral fins at us before diving down below. we would also spot several porpoises playing chase with our boat and hundreds of puffins, gulls, eagles, and seals lofted up onto jagged rocks and tiny islands. eat your heart out, sea world. but the pies de resistance had to be the mighty Portage Glacier towering before us in the distance. the scale is really hard to comprehend. it seems like a large, blue piece of ice sliding down a mountain at first. but with each passing minute that we drew closer, it continued to growing and growing until it seemed an impressive moutain itself. the captain slowed the engines as he took us into the cove, where we began hitting chunks of loud, clunking ice....fresh from the glacier. soon we were sitting still, completely surrounded by ice in all directions....like a straw sticking out of a slushy drink. again, he killed the engines and we sat in silence. it didn't take long before we heard the first enormous thunder clap of ice breaking away from the glacier. showers white powder burst off of the side and crashed into the ocean below. i think i could have sat there all day. nature was putting on a free show, and we were the only ones who would ever see that exact performance. surreal, to say the least. we waited forever, trying to catch just one more calving. the captain was as intrigued as we were, but he apologized that we would have to leave and start back to the dock. as he started the engines, a HUGE piece of ice came erupting off of the side. the sound was phenomenal, even above the hum of the motor. we tried to capture it on film, but this was just one of those places where photos don't even begin to do it justice. every second of that trip was beautiful and unforgettable. we didn't even mind going back to our dingy cabin after what we had just experienced. it had been a great day.
feeling invincible to the world, we left the rafting adventure heading towards the coastal town of seward. we were booked to stay at a hostel called miller's landing right near the open ocean inlet. it was supposed to be quaint and outdoorsy and away from the tourist part of town...just what we were looking for. as we pulled down the isolated road, we passed several small cabins that looked rather shabby. then we drove past a broken down looking shack of four rooms. and past that were dozens and dozens of tents and campers. i had reserved a "backpackers" room for us for two nights. it was supposed to be one room out of four that were housed in one long building. as we pulled into the main lodge, i got a lump in my throat. this was NOT what the pictures online had looked like. surely that shack we passed wasn't our room. oh, but it was...and having a nonrefundable deposit, we took the key, held our breath and drove back to the shanty by the side of the road. we opened the door and just like that, the hot air was let out of our afternoon balloon. picture the worst motel room imaginable and then break all of the furniture in it, make the lone, fluorescent light flicker, and throw some dirt all over the ground. that doesn't come close to what we were looking at. we were devastated. this was not the way this glorious day was supposed to end. surely there was something we could do. we returned to the main lodge and asked if there were ANY other rooms....ANYwhere. we were told there was a cabin available for the same cost, so we asked if we could take a look first, and we headed over to see if it could possibly get any worse. hemlock cabin, as it was called, was a single room hut with two tree-carved bunk beds, some plastic lawn chairs, and a little heater tucked into the wall. it wasn't much better, but at least it felt more like being at summer camp than being in a $15.99 per night dirty motel. we agreed to stay, got some clean linens (which actually did smell fresh and clean), unloaded the car, made the beds, showered, and then drove back to town to eat dinner and ponder our misfortune.
we happened upon a little place called the salmon bake where we shared a heaping plate of local fish and crab. as delicious as it was, we couldn't help but think about what we had to return to back at the hostel. we decided that we would just have to spend as little time as possible there. as we sat at the table, we also began to rethink the remaining schedule for the week. the final two days were supposed to be spent on fox island at a place called kayaker's cove. it was an isolated hostel reachable only by water taxi. we had heard great things about it, and it would be a true adventure with no restaurants, stores, tourists, even showers. only exploring, sea kayaking to waterfalls and caves, and peaceful camping life. however, in light of our current situation, our desire for more "roughing it" was growing thinner. by then end of dinner, we had completely rearranged our plans. the next two nights would still be spent in the rickety cabin, but we would cancel the next two nights at kayaker's cove, use up all of our remaining hotel points, and stay the last two nights in and around anchorage. there were tons of other adventures to be had other than kayaker's cove. so with full bellies and a new plan, we headed back to the dungeon for a frigid night's sleep. when we approached camp, however, we noticed an older man sitting out beside a fire in front of the cabin next to ours. we stopped to say hello on our way in and ended up staying for the next hour and a half. the man, it turns out, lived in the artctic circle portion of north alaska. he was a lawyer working for the state of alaska in representation of the native people's rights. he wowed us with his heavy, handmade eskimo jacket, a petrified mammoth tusk, and stories about life in the polar cap. he was enjoying more than a few beers and, by the end of the night, had us in side-splitting giggles as he told tales about eating seal blubber, crazy bear attacks and blinding snowstorms that had him mistaking other people for animals. needless to say, he turned our night around. we couldn't help but think that we would have never heard about such a fascinating life if it hadn't been for that dust bucket of a place. as we headed into our cabin to start the heater up, we were actually grateful to have had the chance.
Wednesday, Day 6
we awoke to a great morning fog over the bay. we made our way down to the ship dock and found our small vessel waiting to bear us to sea on a 6-hour fjord and glacier tour. we didn't know quite what to expect since this was an actual "tour." however, we found that the boat was not terribly full, the tourists were reasonably laid back, and the captain quite pleasant to listen to. we spent some of our time outside on the deck, but the frigid air whipping past us would send us right back in to get warm again. the further out we got from shore, the clearer the sky became, and within the first hour, we had spotted our first humpback whale pair. i had not expected to see whales, nor had i ever seen one before that. i was mesmerized. the captain turned off the boat motor and we sat in silence, listening to them crest and blow over and over. this was just the first of many whale sightings. later in the day, we would see a mother and calf jump out of the water and then wave their pectoral fins at us before diving down below. we would also spot several porpoises playing chase with our boat and hundreds of puffins, gulls, eagles, and seals lofted up onto jagged rocks and tiny islands. eat your heart out, sea world. but the pies de resistance had to be the mighty Portage Glacier towering before us in the distance. the scale is really hard to comprehend. it seems like a large, blue piece of ice sliding down a mountain at first. but with each passing minute that we drew closer, it continued to growing and growing until it seemed an impressive moutain itself. the captain slowed the engines as he took us into the cove, where we began hitting chunks of loud, clunking ice....fresh from the glacier. soon we were sitting still, completely surrounded by ice in all directions....like a straw sticking out of a slushy drink. again, he killed the engines and we sat in silence. it didn't take long before we heard the first enormous thunder clap of ice breaking away from the glacier. showers white powder burst off of the side and crashed into the ocean below. i think i could have sat there all day. nature was putting on a free show, and we were the only ones who would ever see that exact performance. surreal, to say the least. we waited forever, trying to catch just one more calving. the captain was as intrigued as we were, but he apologized that we would have to leave and start back to the dock. as he started the engines, a HUGE piece of ice came erupting off of the side. the sound was phenomenal, even above the hum of the motor. we tried to capture it on film, but this was just one of those places where photos don't even begin to do it justice. every second of that trip was beautiful and unforgettable. we didn't even mind going back to our dingy cabin after what we had just experienced. it had been a great day.
Pictures, Day 5 & 6
~awful, awful, awful room that we did NOT stay in~
~quaint cabin that we opted for instead~
~our cruise ship~
~heading out of the inlet~
~foggy morning coast~
~seals on the rock behind marc~
~two whale humps~
~headed to the glacier behind us~
~getting closer~
~enter ice field~
~magnificent~
~as close as we could get....still quite a ways off~
~ice calving off of the glacier~
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