Category Archives: Kenai Fjords National Park

Whether you choose to spend a full day exploring the glaciers and wildlife of Kenai Fjords National Park and Chiswell Islands National Wildlife Refuge or a half day closer to home in the pristine waters of Resurrection bay, the memories you’ll bring home from you’re Alaska cruise will last a lifetime.

Day Cruises in Alaska from Seward and Whittier

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Cruise along a glacier

Visitors come to Alaska not only aboard Alaska Cruises sailing through the Inside Passage, but also by airlines flights from major cities in lower 48 states and other international destinations, and there are also travelers on wheels charting the length of Alaska-Canada Highway. No matter how one visits Alaska, taking a day cruise from either Seward or Whittier is definitely one of the best experience one could get among countless other Alaska tours. Given these choices, more often, guests have asked me over the phone inquiring about these cruises, not knowing which one to choose. With this blog, I would like to lay down some points that should help visitors in deciding which day cruise to choose. Continue reading →

Seward Alaska Hotels

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Seward Windsong Lodge

Seward is a quaint little town, set on the shores of Alaska’s Resurrection Bay.  It has become a popular tourism destination for many good reasons.  It is a major Cruise Ship Port of call, and many Alaska Cruises, either begin or end in Seward.  It also has some amazing surroundings; there is so much to explore in and around the city of Seward, and out in beautiful Resurrection bay, that it can take some time to Continue reading →

Alaska Cruises Myth Buster

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Alaska cruises are once in a lifetime opportunity and hence very popular. Massive icebergs and whales are the images that conjure up when one think of Alaska cruise. Who would not want to dine, relax and admire the surroundings with the astonishing sights as your background? To top it all off, you are leaving behind the stress of regular hotel check in / checkout and coordinating transportation, it is like crucial components of a vacation all packaged in one. Continue reading →

Spotting the difference in Alaska Birds

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Alaska is home to a wide variety of birds and with 471 species positively identified, Alaska is a popular destination for birders the world over.

Let’s start with the Gulls. Quick differences in Arctic Terns (the longest flight migratory bird) and Bonaparte’s Gulls – The Gulls have black heads and bills, whereas Arctic Terns have black heads and orange bills. The distinguishing plumage between the Herring Gull is black primary feathers (the wing tips), whereas the Glaucous-winged Gull has gray to white primaries. It is important to keep in mind that these two species interbreed and hybridize in Alaska
Mew Gulls are common on the Kenai Peninsula and in Denali National Park. They can be easily distinguished from other gulls by their small size and their yellow to yellow – green legs.

Let’s move on to the Eagles. Golden Eagles are typically seen in mountainous areas, whereas, the Bald Eagle remain along coasts, rivers, and lakes. Rarely, if ever, are Bald Eagles spotted in Denali. The younglings of the two are a little more challenging. In Golden Eagles, look for two distinct, small white patches on the underside of the wing. An immature Bald Eagle has a mottled white and dark underside on its breast and wings.

Ptarmigans are often spotted while visiting Alaska. The Willow (the Alaska state bird)  and the Rock Ptarmigan are found in lower elevations of tundra, especially in shrubby areas of Denali National Park. The male Rock Ptarmigan does not possess the reddish colors to its summer plumage like the male Willow Ptarmigan. The White-tailed ptarmigan is usually found in the tundra above tree line, and often on high, rocky slopes. It can be distinguished from other Ptarmigan species by its white tail, which remains white in all seasons.

I hope I have stirred your curiosity to learn more and to visit Alaska’s birds….Only 461 to go!

Cruise, a day trip in Seward Alaska

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In the pale golden dawn of a soft September morning, three travelers, worn and weary from a long, storied trip of the greened forty-ninth state, followed the winding silvery ribbon of pavement leading from the growing metropolis of Anchorage to the sleepy seaside town of Seward where a pale vessel awaited us for a mesmerizing voyage into the watery bays of the Kenai Fjords National Park. A Dall Sheep watched us pass.

We boarded the ship at midmorning and were greeted by a friendly crew, a pale azure sky, and an emerald sea. A lone Bald Eagle watched us leave the breakwater for our adventures which began with a small, furry Sea Otter crunching open a small crab and continued to the amazing bulk of Steller Sea Lions and the plump Puffins with the rainbowed beaks.

Hello, welcome to Alaska!

Hello, welcome to Alaska!

A Humpback Whale turned her black back not fifty feet from us and we could almost feel the mighty spouts that cast small glimmering rainbows over the solemn sea. But it was the Orcas, the noble Killer Whales, that truly wowed us with their glistening gliding through the churning waves as they, like us on the vessel, dined on the delicacy of Alaskan Salmon, a dull pink, rich in nutrients and flavors that left imprinted memories of our wonderful Alaskan trip. We ate before the towering monolith of a blue glacier. The Orcas swam on.
Gene Merewether