Sunday, June 24, 2018

Middle Two Weeks

 I've really come to like the SEN.  I think it has something to do with the boat, some mystical quality that is special to this steel box, and also to how many people are aboard.  We have a lot of crew, and with 38 folks that means we bump into each other a lot, but somehow everyone is always joking with each other and having a nice time.  It might be the meals are before guest meals, so you never have to wait to eat, or that the desserts are so good (if you can sneak them) or that there is enough people to do the work from the boat.  Other boats can have great crews but this is the best one I've ever been a part of.  I like that.  In the last two weeks we explored a few more places, and found some whales at Point Adolphus, but the wildlife this year (especially in the water) has been quiet.
  I've started to see the first salmon jumping, and that makes me feel great, because I love to see them return and jump and get eaten.  I haven't been driving a skiff as much as in years past, because there are so many licenses on board that everyone else wants to drive, but I had a great drive up into Baird Glacier a week ago (and I think we might go again this week) and it was nice to explore the ice.

 So life has been good, but I will be missing Bellingham this break.  I'm very excited, in two weeks I'll go on the Moku Iki and try to get into Glacier Bay and explore all over the place up there for as long as I can.
 Here is an eagle in a tree trying to see what I'm looking at.
Two weeks ago we went to Tracy Arm and found Gigantic icebergs, here is an example
 And some of my fellow crewmates driving around towards Baird
 And a Great Blue Heron looking like a gangster in the shallows. 

Sunday, June 10, 2018

First Two Weeks

 My first two weeks on the Safari Endeavor!  I had a nice time with Glaciers
 A few eagles
 Arctic Terns
 and Semipalmated Plovers
 And more Arctic Terns
 We went to Kake, a native village where they taught us about canoe making
 I found an Elephant Seal in the middle of Fredrick Sound
 Found some whales too
 And some Dall's Porpoise
 And Otters
 And I had a nice close time with a bear
 Close
 Real Close
Some other bears from a kayak

 And Marbled Murrelets
 And a super Blondie Bear

 Chewing his Cud
 Baby breaching Orca
 Crewmember Jon
 Porcupine in a tree, scratching his bum
 Baby whales
 Baby goats
 Old glaciers
 Falling apart
 And the view at sunset in Glacier Bay