| Katherine Blundell, Robert Laing, and Paul Hirst heading
out to kayak in Blackstone Bay. Chartered motor boats were used to get
there, allowing us to spend our kayaking time exploring the glaciers at
the head of the bay.
|
| From the charter boat from Whitier to Blackstone Bay
|
| Katherine and Paul launching from the rocky beach where the boat
left us. I have no pictures of Robert in the kayak (or me, for that
matter) because he was in my boat, facing away.
|
| It was a gloomy and wet, but calm day on the water. These are
actually not bad kayaking conditions, but do not provide very good lighting
for photos.
|
| Katherine at the Northland Glacier
|
| The assistant guide (whose name I unfortunately forget) looking like
she's having fun.
|
| Katherine and Paul watching for calving from the Blackstone Glacier.
We stayed back from the face far enough to have time to react if any waves
were created. Those ice blocks floating in the water may not look like
much, but they are mostly underwater and are hard as a rock. Being banged
about by waves while among them would not be fun.
|
| At the lunch beach.
|
| Katherine and Paul in front of the Beloit Glacier. We
watched several small pieces fall off the face.
|
| An off-duty guide and his wife who were traveling with us. We also
had both a guide and assistant guide. This was one of the first trips
of the season and I think they were using it to get their people out to
the area.
|
| Katherine and Paul
|
| Katherine and Paul on the way back up Blackstone Bay to our
pickup point.
|
| Getting picked up for the return to Whittier. The boat is
specially designed to transport kayak groups.
|
| At the kittiwake rookery across from Whittier. The birds were
agitated because there were two bald eagles perched among them - just
waiting.
|
| Superficially this picture was a complete failure - too long an
exposure to capture the birds clearly. But it's growing on me. Having
a few reasonably sharp birds helps a lot and the rest just gives a sense
of motion.
|
| The day after the kayak trip we drove
down the Kenai Peninsula to Seward. We wandered around town some, then took
short hikes south along the coast and at Exit Glacier. This photos is of
the harbor at Seward
|
| This bald eagle
was perched on a pole in downtown Seward.
|
| From the end of our hike south from Seward.
|
| A moose along the road to Exit Glacier.
|
| Paul Hirst at the Exit Glacier. There were signs along the road showing
where the glacier was in various years. It is clear that, at the rate that
it is melting, it will no longer reach the valley sometime very soon.
|
| Mt. Rainier from the Seattle to Los Angeles flight on the way home.
|
