kenai fjords national park

We originally planned to take the Alaska Railroad from Anchorage to Seward, take the 6-hour boat tour of Kenai Fjords, then take the train back to Anchorage. Luckily, we realized in time what a VERY LONG day that would create, so we adjusted the plan.

dispatch from the train

Instead, Liam and Max took the train to Seward, while Mike, Henry, and I drove there. The boys report that the train trip was interesting. They saw a couple moose and some Dall sheep, along with the amazing scenery of southeastern Alaska. Meanwhile, in the car, we also saw a moose and a whole herd of Dall sheep, but we were able to stop along the way and take pictures. The train ride took the boys 4 hours, but the drive along the Seward highway only took 2.5 hours, so after we dropped them off at the depot, we took our time getting to Seward and had plenty of time to wander around and shop for souvenirs.

black-billed magpie

But that's not really what you care about, right? No? Us either. 

During the boat tour, we saw THREE different kinds of whales (multiple humpbacks, a minke whale, and a fin whale, the latter of which are apparently kind of rare). We saw porpoises and seals and sea lions. And best of all, we saw plenty of puffins! Not even just one variety -- we saw both horned and tufted puffins! This was amazing for me especially, since we had booked a puffin tour in Maine last year but it got canceled because of rain/fog. I was so bummed. But now my puffin dreams have come true.

harbor seal, pretty far from the harbor

horned puffin

this is where they nest

bald eagle

humpback whale, a sequence

one of these things is not like the others.
or two of them, if you want to be picky, MIKE.

tufted puffin

on "the beehive," a wall full of birds

and the sky directly above, also full of birds

stellar sea lions

kinda looks like Maine here

Oh! And we got up close and personal with a couple of tidewater glaciers. We got to watch them calving. Truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience for us.

But listen, six hours is a really long time, and Mike and I were standing outdoors taking pictures for most of that time. We were cold, and our legs were really tired from making constant adjustments to keep our balance on the ship. The boys joined us outside for brief periods, then would retreat indoors to warm up and eat some snacks. While we were by the glaciers, one of the crew members went "ice fishing" -- that is, she picked up a chunk of glacier ice from the waters of the fjord. They used that ice to make drinks that they then sold for a "reasonable" price. The boys each got one of the nonalcoholic drinks (basically a virgin tequila sunrise), but none of them were big fans of it. The faces they made during the tasting were worth the cost though.

After the tour, we went to dinner at the Crab Shack in downtown Seward. Liam, Henry, and I all got fish and chips (delicious!), and Max got a shrimp basket. Mike, meanwhile, decided to go all in and got the king crab, the price of which I am documenting here for posterity because you don't go into a place where they have rolls of paper towels on the tables, cracked linoleum, and plastic cutlery ... and expect to pay $99 for a single crab leg and two tiny ears of corn. But sometimes you've just got to shell out (heh) to get a taste of the local delicacies, so that's just what we did. I tried a bite of his crab, and it was very good indeed. Also I guess I didn't realize just how freaking big king crabs are, because that was one hell of a single crab leg!

The drive home was pretty quiet, with most of us (happily not Mike!) dozing in the car. And once we got back and got settled in at our rental house, Mike and I looked at some of the day's pictures, then I realized how late it was (again, what is time?) so I headed off to bed. Liam and Max were in bed too, and Mike and Henry were still awake ... WHEN THE EARTHQUAKE STRUCK.

No, this is not hyperbole. There was an actual earthquake, and it woke me up from sleep (I thought Mike had banged really hard into the bed in our very cramped room). It scared the crap out of Henry, since this was his first earthquake experience. USGS says it was a 4.7 quake, pretty close to us.

And that's not all! It turns out that there was an earlier quake too, while we were driving home. We didn't feel it because we were in the car, but it was closer to Seward, and it was a 4.3. 

Hopefully these aren't harbingers of a bigger quake, but just Alaska showing off for us. And listen, Alaska, we get it: You are large and powerful and absolutely BRIMMING with natural wonders. We are in awe of your greatness, and we require no further demonstrations that you can actually shake the earth.