Apologies for the lack of posts, it has been a busy few days. K1 has been with me, the weather has not been kind and ‘affairs of state’ have kept me occupied. We are now making our way back north, Ketchikan tomorrow and presently sailing in Queen Charlotte Sound; north of us lies the Hecate Strait and Dixon Entrance, both of which have a gale forecast, O well…….
Again, the post consists of photos taken since I last wrote, as K1 was with me, I went ashore more often than usual, so some sights of ports previously visited, but not visited proper. Not in any special order, however those of Nature first.
As I’ve previously mentioned, the Juan de Fuca Straits is full of whales, a pod of over 100 are feeding at the western end of the Straits; once again, we reduced speed to safely pass through their feeding area
Mouths agape, 2 humpback whales surface, mouth full of herring. The disturbed water in the foreground is a shoal of herring.
A humpback surfaces briefly, taking in air before diving again.
In Sitka, the Fortress of the bears cares for orphaned cubs. Their mothers were killed and now they reside here.
In Anchorage, we went on a tour with a professional photographer.
In Homer, a tour of the town and the Spit.
Taken from the road which runs along the Spit.
Berthed in Kamechak Bay, the photo taken from the bluffs above the coastal plain
Low tide and the beach on the Spit. The Spit itself is the remnant of glacial action, the seaward end being the rock that was bulldozed by the glacier to form the spit.
Taken from the middle of the road, looking east.
Quaint buildings line each side of the road; most are either restaurants of shops.
The Salty Dawg Saloon and the interior, dollar bills are pinned to the ceiling, each with the name of the ‘donator‘
A ‘Yurt’, they are rented out to visitors and while I was unable to see inside, I am told they are quite palatial
Fishing buoys make a colourful backdrop for an Arts store
The home of an eccentric Vietnam Vet
And his ‘escape pod’ foreground
Hubbard glacier was again wondrous and plenty of calving.
In contrast to Alaska, Victoria, British Columbia was warm and sunny.
Flowers were blooming all over the city
The Parliament building, which lies on the (original) harbour
Floatplanes are used for commuting and tours
Finally, taken last night as we made our way down the Puget Sound, a glorious sunset.
