Glen & Kris

Resurrection Bay

Kris and I took a tour of Resurrection Bay on the M/V <span style='font-style: italic;'>Star Of The Northwest</span>. Resurrection Bay owes its name to Alexandr Baranov, fur trader and manager of the Russian-American Company in the early 1800's. His ship sheltered in the bay during a severe storm until the weather abated on Easter Sunday. They named the bay in honor of the day. Most of the coastline is rocky. On this overcast but bright day, the snow-capped mountains fade into the sky. Glaciers and snow melt feed lush green valleys that drop off suddenly into the sea. Sometimes a sandy beach will appear. Small glaciers dot the mountains everywhere. We followed several Orcas into this bay. They like to feed on fish near the mouth of a stream that empties into the bay. At first glance, the coastline appears to be devoid of animals. But look a little closer ... ... and you'll see sea lions hauled out on the rocks. They must have climbed onto the rocks at a higher tide. The male in the middle of this photo is warning the junior sea lions around him not to disturb him again. The little white tail disappearing under the water ... ... is this puffin. As we continue outbound from Seward, we spot these black dots on the surface. As we draw closer, we can make out the fins of orcas. We saw as many as a dozen whales at one time. There were two groups comprised of a mix of adults and juveniles. Whale tail. This whale headed straight for the ship, then dove under the hull and emerged on the other side several times. We see Bear Glacier on the way back to Seward. <span class='myGreyFont'>[End of series. <a href='../index.html'>Return</a> to the Photos page.]</span>