June 15 Day 24 Valdez, AK
What an amazing day! It was sunny all day long until we were on our way back to the RV Park, where the promised rain appeared. The Stan Stephens bus driver, his daughter, picked us up at the RV park at 9:00. She told us that when she went to her prom, the temperature was -82?F, and they hired the freshmen to go out to their cars every 1.5 hours and start them up. As we boarded the Valdez Spirit, everything was well-organized, and we departed the dock before 10:00. The modern boat has comfortable seats inside and a viewing rail all the way around outside, so everyone could easily see all the action.
Within a few minutes, a few sea otters appeared. Shortly after that, we spotted a bald eagle sitting in a tree looking at us as we looked at him. We learned that eagles have 1-2 eaglets every other year, but if food is abundant, they will produce babies each year. They return to the same nest year each year and just add on more branches. Nests that have blown out of trees have weighed more than 1 ton. There were beautiful stairstep waterfalls cascading down lush green hillsides.
Captain Chris piloted our boat through a field of ice that had calved from the Columbia Glacier, which is the most actively calving glacier in North America. The picture shows what appears to be dirt on the surface. It is actually ash from the recent eruption of Mt. Redoubt, a volcano that is south of Anchorage. Columbia Glacier puts out 13-15 million tons of ice per day. The ice chunks we saw floating by are considered "young", only 200-250 years old! The base of these "bergie bits" is an awesome glacial blue. The more blue the ice appears, the more compressed it is. This is a retreating glacier, and retreating is part of a cycle glaciers go through. The ice field prevented us from going closer than 9.5 miles away from the glacier, which is moving downhill at 130 feet/day.
A member of the crew put a net over the side and snared a piece of the glacial ice. We were amazed at its clarity, and the crewman said it is safe to drink. The ice chunks came in such interesting sizes and shapes, you could imagine the shape of a dragon or a whale, kind of like laying on your back and looking at clouds.
Next, we went to Mears Glacier. We could hear what sounded like fireworks. These loud sounds were followed by massive amounts of ice from the glacier falling into the water, an action called "calving".
A tasty lunch of chicken alfredo, rice, vegetables, and Oreo cookies was served to us. Free coffee, teas, and water were available throughout the trip. There were reasonably priced snacks, gifts, and candy bars.
Besides dogs, what makes LOUD barking sounds? 300-500 Stellar sea lions who have "hauled out", and are proving who is boss. We saw a group of sea lions who were either juveniles or "unsuccessful" adult males (the losers in the battle for dominance). The male winners and adult females were in a separate location, called a rookery. Meanwhile, the ones we saw were relaxing on the shore or swimming near the shoreline. Over the last 30 years, the Stellar sea lion population has decreased by 80%, and scientists don't know why.
Captain Chris told us the true story of the Exxon Valdez oil spill disaster. He said that as the captain came into the Prince William Sound, he encountered chunks of ice from Columbia Glacier. He requested permission from the Coast Guard to depart from the usual lane he would be in, and he received the OK. He usually would have a crew of 40, but in a cost-cutting move, Exxon had decreased the crew to 17. He and his 3rd mate had worked 22 hours straight. He was not drunk. After he had bypassed much of the ice, he handed over the steering to the 3rd mate so he could go below and do his paperwork, since he had just filled up his 11 tanks with oil. When the 3rd mate took over, he did not take off the auto-pilot, so although he was steering properly to go back to his proper lane, the ship stayed the course. By the time he realized the problem, the 3rd mate was too close to shore. When he hit the rock, 8 of his tanks ruptured, and he lost 16% of his load. The captain and the 3rd mate both lost their licenses for 6 months. The captain now works as an advisor for an attorney who does maritime lawsuits.
We had been smelling a wonderful aroma for 3 hours. At about 6:00, we were served delicious clam chowder from Ivar's, a famous seafood restaurant chain in Oregon.
On the way back to port, the captain saw several Dall's porpoises who kept crossing in front of the boat and leaping right next to the boat. There was a company barbecue waiting for Stan's employees, but the captain detoured to give us an additional experience. We kept moving at a decent speed, and the porpoises kept up with us, almost as if it were a race. It was like they were playfully leading us back home. What a grand finale! Our 9 hour trip lasted 9 hours and 40 minutes-well worth the price! This is an "ABSOLUTELY MUST DO"!
Wildlife: Millions of sea gulls, 9 sea otters, 7 bald eagles, 1 humpback whale, 6 seals, 5 orcas (killer whales), about 300 Stellar sea lions, 30-40 puffins, and 5 Dall's porpoises