Inside Passage (2 of 2)
Quick Links for our Inside Passage Trip
Inside Passage, 1 of 2 (the previous page)
Juneau - June 5
Tracy Arm & Williams Cove - June 6
LeConte Glacier & Petersburg - June 7
Inside Passage, 2 of 2 (this page)
Port Houghton & Frederick Sound - June 8
Inian Islands & Fox Creek - June 9
Glacier Bay National Park - June 10
Pavlof Harbor - June 11
Sitka - June 12
After our day in Petersburg, we sailed on...
We hiked along a meadow at Port Houghton, and then along the stream where I spotted a wonderful tide pool, filled with all sorts of sea creatures -- including a small eel!
And then into the woods.
And then along the water, as it narrows, and where I spotted a wonderful tide pool. This sea star was about a foot across!
On our way to our next destination, in Frederick Sound, we spotted a Humpback Whale (far off) breaching it pectoral fin and fluke.
The Five Finger Lighthouse.
The little white spot in this view is the Five Finger Lighthouse, pictured above.
Here's a link to the Lindblad Daily Expedition Report for June 8.
Excursions on a Zodiac around the Inian Islands. Lots of great views of many animals! Hard to call a favorite activity on this trip, but seeing so many animals from up close and down low was certainly near the top of the list.
Pigeon Guilllemot.
Tufted Puffin.
One of my favorite photos from our trip!
During lunch we moved to Fox Creek, on Chicagof Island. We kayaked near the creek's mouth, and took a nice hike through the nearby woods.
A photo Elizabeth took from our kayak. The Sea Lion, and another kayak, are just visible in the distance, on the right.
Sea Otters not too far from the ship, in the evening.
Here's a link to the Lindblad Daily Expedition Report for June 9.
A great trip up through Glacier Bay to Marjorie Glacier.
Many sights along the way from the ship!
A Black Bear, looking for food along the water's edge.
Tufted Puffins.
Tufted Puffins just outside of their nest -- a burrow under the grasses.
Tufted Puffin courtship -- mutual head wags and beak clacking.
In case you couldn't tell, I really like Tufted Puffins! :-)
Not a great photo, but inside the "envelope" of water is a Tufted Puffin that just landed. And seven Common Murres on the foreground.
A Mountain Goat and her kid.
Marjorie Glacier, up close.
The Sea Bird, the sister ship to our Sea Lion. Both boats were in Glacier Bay on the same day, and they arrived at Marjorie Glacier right as we were leaving.
This Brown Bear (Grizzlies' bigger cousin) was picking its way along this cliff with the skill of a mountain goat!
A crop of the above photo. Impressive claws!
The bear was evidently in a deliberate and methodical search for these little yellow flowers. (One is barely visible just next to its mouth.) A tiny snack for such an enormous creature!
The Sea Lion docked for the evening next to the Glacier Bay visitor center, at Bartlett Cove. And we got to explore a very nice trail through the woods.
Here's a link to the Lindblad Daily Expedition Report for June 10.
A wonderful hike along Pavlof Creek, up to a Pavlof Lake, which is a beautiful place. At Doug's suggestion we had a very nice 20-minute quiet time on a small meadow overlooking the pond -- so nice!
Pavlof Lake.
Tiny wildflowers.
Another tiny wildflower.
On the sail south through Chatham Straight, the weather was a bit rough -- for the first time on our voyage.
Then through the narrow (but calm!) Peril Straight, towards Sitka.
Here's a link to the Lindblad Daily Expedition Report for June 11.
A boat in Sitka Harbor.
We disembarked early, and took a walk through the Sitka Historical Park, with many totem poles in the woods, and a beautiful trail.
Then a tour of the Raptor Center, with this Peregrine Falcon.
Farewells to our tour group in the late morning.
Then, we explored Sitka, which was the Russian capital of Alaska prior to its purchase by the U.S. in 1867. We stayed the night, and were ready for a trip to Fairbanks on the 13th, to begin the our visit to Denali National Park.
Our trip continues... On to Denali National Park.