Showing posts with label Puffin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Puffin. Show all posts

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Day 2 Anchorage to Seward

  • Moments before the 7:50 a.m. sunrise, we began our drive south
  • Seward Highway 
    • 127 miles / 3 +/- hours with stops
    • First 50 miles skirted the base of the Chugach Mountains and shore of Turnagain Arm where it's common to see beluga whales, dall sheep, waterfalls and eagles.
    • National Geographic's Drives of a Lifetime
    • 9:51 a.m.: 6.2 magnitude earthquake with more than a dozen aftershocks 80 miles northwest of Anchorage
 
This 6 day trip covers such a TINY section of the south central part of the state.
(Denali National Park is larger than the entire state of Massachusetts!)
Tundra Swan and ducks
south of Anchorage adjacent to Potters Marsh Bird Sanctuary
just south of Turnagain Arm
just south of Turnagain Arm
  • Lunch at Gold Rush Alaskan Bistro (Seafood chowder, salad and sweet potato fries)
  • Alaska Sea Life Center, Seward - purchased 3 animal encounters
    • 1) Fed crab to "Dot" a Giant Pacific Octopus.  She suctioned herself to our hands!  Oh, and her mate is "Thumbs!" They grow 9-16 feet long and live 3-6 years.  These were both 6 years old.
    • 2) Fed Horned and Tufted Puffins, Murres and others - phenomenal! 


My favorite photo of the day!

 



    One of these Tufted Puffins was named... "Fabio!"
    • 3) Behind the scenes tour with sea lions and seals.  The male sea lion ("Woody") is 2,500 lbs!  Watched the keepers feed three seals.  One seal kissed our toes.
  • Tonight's hotel room has a balcony on the harbor.
  • Dinner at Ray's - on the harbor.  (Scallops appetizer, cedar planked salmon, crab cakes) Complete with harbor seals and sea otters outside our window!  Also saw the boat we will take tomorrow.
  • 7:48pm sunset (midnight EST)