Petersburg and Frederick Sound
We awoke this morning in the small town of Petersburg, home to a small fishing fleet and a quaint village. Many of us opted for a flightseeing tour and were rewarded with incredible views of the LeConte glacier and the surrounding mountains, while some went by helicopter and even got to walk on the glacier. Others opted for an excursion to explore a nearby bog, and barely survived an attack by the vicious, carnivorous giant sundew plants. Luckily, we had many kids in our groups on this family adventure to fend off the attacking flora. In town, we were treated to the many resident bald eagles and for some, a tour of a local salmon processing plant, complete with yummy samples. We learned the intricate techniques of filleting and smoking, and the advantages of wild Alaskan salmon.
After lunch, we headed out into Frederick Sound for some more exploration. Adults learned all about salmon and fisheries issues while some of us kids played various games and even had the opportunity to “captain” the Sea Bird. After a while, an escort of energetic bow riding Dall’s porpoise led us to a large group of humpback whales. At least twenty whales were spread out over a large area, but faithful bow-watchers were rewarded with more excellent close up views and many flukes. As you can see in the photo, some of our young explorers were very excited about our super success with marine mammals, and we are only on day two of this voyage. This evening we feasted on fresh Dungeness crab and dreamt of what would tomorrow bring.
We awoke this morning in the small town of Petersburg, home to a small fishing fleet and a quaint village. Many of us opted for a flightseeing tour and were rewarded with incredible views of the LeConte glacier and the surrounding mountains, while some went by helicopter and even got to walk on the glacier. Others opted for an excursion to explore a nearby bog, and barely survived an attack by the vicious, carnivorous giant sundew plants. Luckily, we had many kids in our groups on this family adventure to fend off the attacking flora. In town, we were treated to the many resident bald eagles and for some, a tour of a local salmon processing plant, complete with yummy samples. We learned the intricate techniques of filleting and smoking, and the advantages of wild Alaskan salmon.
After lunch, we headed out into Frederick Sound for some more exploration. Adults learned all about salmon and fisheries issues while some of us kids played various games and even had the opportunity to “captain” the Sea Bird. After a while, an escort of energetic bow riding Dall’s porpoise led us to a large group of humpback whales. At least twenty whales were spread out over a large area, but faithful bow-watchers were rewarded with more excellent close up views and many flukes. As you can see in the photo, some of our young explorers were very excited about our super success with marine mammals, and we are only on day two of this voyage. This evening we feasted on fresh Dungeness crab and dreamt of what would tomorrow bring.
