Kenai Fjord Fun (Day 6)
Waking up in an outwash isn’t anything I ever anticipated wanting, but everything we should all be dreaming of. I watched the sun come up over the mountains and glacier river and was giddy with joy. I wandered around the water, soaked in that glee, and worked out my plan for the day. I was going out to the fjords to scope out wildlife and glaciers and head back to my host house in Anchorage for the night.
Rather than set up the camp stove in the gravel, I waved goodbye to the perfect parking spot, drove out of the park and back towards the deeper water downstream. There was a gorgeous scenic overlook with some big boulders I thought would double as a nice picnic area. I fixed up a hot meal knowing it was going to be a long cold day in the windy waves while looking at the gorgeous mountain stream. I was a little overwhelmed by gratitude and excitement, every single day of this challenge was so inspiring and rewarding.
I arrived early to explore the marina and walk around the boardwalk. I was thrilled to see that my ride for the day was named “Spirit of Adventure.” Are there better signs than that? I don’t think so. I boarded my boat with a flood of obnoxious tourists. I mean, really, truly, tragically irritating with giant selfie sticks, tik tok dancing on the deck and nearly falling overboard, and no concept of personal space or safety. I hung out on the windy wet deck marveling at the shit show of my fellow passengers and the beautiful scenery.
We got up close and personal with a half dozen glaciers, and saw every single exciting exotic animal we could have hoped to see. The crew was giddy with excitement and told us it was their best day on the water all season. A pod of Orcas surrounded our boat that hadn’t been sighted in Resurrection Bay in several years, and they put on quite a show. We saw otters, sea lions, seals, Dall sheep, bald eagles, you name it, we saw it. It was INCREDIBLE. My favorite part was learning that Puffins are already badly proportioned for flight, but struggle to fly after gorging themselves in Alaska. We watched with bemused smiles as plush puffins skimmed along the surface of the water trying to take flight.
We had yet another fantastic female captain, she filled us in on the history of the area and details on what we were driving by. She got us incredibly close to the face of several glaciers and navigated insanely difficult paths of calved ice and bergs to give us breathtaking views. Our crew fished a giant piece of glacial ice out of the water, rinsed off the ocean brine, and made us margaritas as the rain picked up and we headed back in. The weather plays a huge part in the success of your day, every single cruise is different. It was a seriously spectacular experience, and we were all on cloud nine when we returned.
Side Note:
The next night I met a mother daughter duo at a Denali overlook. They were supposed to be on my boat cruise but missed it when they locked their rental car keys inside. They took the ride the day after me, and their tour was cut in half and had to return due to the rough seas and miserably sea sick passengers. They didn’t see anything of note. You already feel so lucky to be out there seeing magnificent creatures and spellbinding surroundings, but knowing that had I not messed up my travel, I likely would have been on that miserable boat day made me feel doubly blessed.
Due to the pandemic, many of Alaska’s touristy destinations experienced serious staff shortages, supply chain issues, and very long waits at their local restaurants. Seward was seeing hours long lines and limited menus as all the tourist boats returned. When I walked out of the brewery the previous night, I noticed long lines onto the sidewalk. I hauled my butt back to the main strip as soon as I got off the boat to try to grab some dinner. I giggled so hard at Thorn’s “Bucket of ‘Butt” advertising and put it at the top of my wishlist. This super dive bar is decorated with Jim Beam decanters and the kind of down home dining nostalgia every dark dive bar dreams of. I beat the rush, had an incredible dinner of halibut and seafood chowder, and thoroughly enjoyed chatting with my Nashville native bar tender. It was the perfect way to end a perfectly wonderful day.
I waved so long to Seward, got in Van GOgh and drove to Anchorage in some crazy wind and rain. Kenai Lake was turquoise but turbulent, and I still couldn’t find a safe place to pull over and appreciate it on the Seward side. Turnagain Arm and the Kenai Peninsaula were cloaked in ominous grays and beautiful blues, and the mountains looked dark and mysterious. It was beautiful, and a little nerve wracking. I enjoyed the ride but was happier to be “home,” a hot shower and soft bed in my host house in Anchorage was just what I needed after a long week on the road. Hard to believe that this crazy VanVenture of mine was winding down so quickly. One last leg and this life changing experience was going to be in my rearview. Here I am reflecting a month later, and I know this was a beginning not an end.
