Misty Fjords National Monument, Southeast Alaska
New Eddystone Rock, which lies in the middle of Behm Canal, greeted the early risers this morning and through the first cup of coffee hours, three naturalists independently broke out singing the first verse of “My father was the keeper of the Eddystone Light”. Unfortunately we cannot print the rest of the first verse on this website or the rest of the verses for they are definitely ‘R’ rated. This 234 foot high, craggy rock stands like a sentinel before the entrance to Rudyerd Bay, the heart of Misty Fjords National Monument and our destination for activities this morning. As we made our way between the 3000 foot walls of solid rock that surrounded us on all sides, the overcast skies that we have become so used to the past week began to dissipate. A strange round, yellow object appeared over the peaks and brought warmth to our bodies and light to the forests and glacially polished mountainsides and people began to come alive and smile and sing praises to this celestial body called the sun.
After a fine breakfast, like all meals aboard the good ship National Geographic Sea Lion, we took to the sea deep within the canyon-like walls of the fjord. Some of us floated in kayaks and some of us floated in Zodiacs, and we all were stunned at the grandeur and beauty of this place. In addition to the fantastic scenery, the Zodiac cruises had a special treat while motoring up the river that empties into the headwaters of Rudyard Bay. We followed a young brown bear who was feeding on salmon, sometimes in the water and sometimes along the shoreline. All five Zodiacs had a chance to get quite close to the bear, observe his hunting and traveling habits and he didn’t seem to be affected by our presence one bit. What a pleasure!
Back aboard and after our noontime feeding frenzy, the National Geographic Sea Lion threaded back through Rudyerd Bay with a stop at the stunning vertical walls in Punchbowl Cove and then northward in Behm Canal to Walker Cove. Although similar to Rudyerd Bay, this inlet had its own charm which included lofty meadows where we watched mountain goats grazing high in the spectacular mountain slopes.
Tonight we will really begin our trip southward as we leave Southeast Alaska and the United States and head through the gorgeous inland waters of British Columbia, Canada. However, that will happen only after we pass into the open ocean in Dixon Entrance during the night where we may be in for a little rockin’ and rollin’. We will let you know tomorrow.
New Eddystone Rock, which lies in the middle of Behm Canal, greeted the early risers this morning and through the first cup of coffee hours, three naturalists independently broke out singing the first verse of “My father was the keeper of the Eddystone Light”. Unfortunately we cannot print the rest of the first verse on this website or the rest of the verses for they are definitely ‘R’ rated. This 234 foot high, craggy rock stands like a sentinel before the entrance to Rudyerd Bay, the heart of Misty Fjords National Monument and our destination for activities this morning. As we made our way between the 3000 foot walls of solid rock that surrounded us on all sides, the overcast skies that we have become so used to the past week began to dissipate. A strange round, yellow object appeared over the peaks and brought warmth to our bodies and light to the forests and glacially polished mountainsides and people began to come alive and smile and sing praises to this celestial body called the sun.
After a fine breakfast, like all meals aboard the good ship National Geographic Sea Lion, we took to the sea deep within the canyon-like walls of the fjord. Some of us floated in kayaks and some of us floated in Zodiacs, and we all were stunned at the grandeur and beauty of this place. In addition to the fantastic scenery, the Zodiac cruises had a special treat while motoring up the river that empties into the headwaters of Rudyard Bay. We followed a young brown bear who was feeding on salmon, sometimes in the water and sometimes along the shoreline. All five Zodiacs had a chance to get quite close to the bear, observe his hunting and traveling habits and he didn’t seem to be affected by our presence one bit. What a pleasure!
Back aboard and after our noontime feeding frenzy, the National Geographic Sea Lion threaded back through Rudyerd Bay with a stop at the stunning vertical walls in Punchbowl Cove and then northward in Behm Canal to Walker Cove. Although similar to Rudyerd Bay, this inlet had its own charm which included lofty meadows where we watched mountain goats grazing high in the spectacular mountain slopes.
Tonight we will really begin our trip southward as we leave Southeast Alaska and the United States and head through the gorgeous inland waters of British Columbia, Canada. However, that will happen only after we pass into the open ocean in Dixon Entrance during the night where we may be in for a little rockin’ and rollin’. We will let you know tomorrow.
