Davy and I went looking for Santa :)

Hello all of you!

After taking a Neurofen and after eating two slices of Pizza I am finally able to blog! No kidding, I wasn't at my best tonight... Why, are you asking? Well the both of us spent two pretty short and cold nights outside, you'll see how :)

So last time I wrote you all, we were still in Kenai and hadn't left for Seward yet! Here's the news!

First when we arrived in Seward we thought, Huh... this promises to be fun!
 In front of us streched a long road, 4rth avenue, down to the sea, with a dozen small shops and a bakery. Far from the Kenai adventure is what we thought... too bad.

But then I had a great idea! How about a six hour boat trip out to Aialak Glacier which is supposed to be really nice? But Davy was more than unhappy with that idea, because for him, a boat tour is necessarily too long and too boring for us young folks.

Instead he wanted to go sea kayaking (to that same place!), but the hours they offered didn't fot our schedule, because we needed to leave two days later, really early for Valdez (from where I'm writing right now! :) ).

Offering to go kayaking and rafting in Cordova (a town with one only road that leads nowhere, and to where you can only get by ferry, wich is why we are here in Valdez, obviously) :-), so offering him that, he agreed to go on my boat trip under one condition:

"I want to hike all the way up Exit Glacier and camp there in the Emergency shelter (which, named that way obviously is not ment for overnight stays... :D ) What was my choice? I had to get on that boat trip so I agreed.

Until then we drove off to the Exit Glacier campground, which as the name states is situated right next to the Glacier (aka, temperatures drop dramatically...) We found our spot, number 9 if you need to know :-) Great campground! 12 tent sites but none of us could see the other because of all the trees and rocks in between! Really neat!

6:30 AM tidiiiit tidiiit tidiiiiit *snooze* 6:35 AM TIDIIIIT TIDIIIIT

Wake up time! At eight we will be boarding! :) I was sooo excited! Davy not so much, but don't you go imagining things :D He stepped off the boat a few hours later, a huge grin on his face saying "Okok, that was awesome!"

The captain, his name was Tim, was soo entertaining! :) He knew really well how to find wildlife and tell us stories and historical facts on the Resurrection bay, the town and the glaciers. That way we came across a dozen whales, sea otters, sea lions, Puffins (sooo funny birds! Google them :) ), Dolfins and a black bear! No kidding! I spent all the time outside in the front part of the boat, so I could be among the first to spot wildlife and get the best pictures :)

Even though it was awfully cold, I believe it paid off, you judge the pictures :) Usually the boat has to turn around midway because 50% of the people are sea sick and because  the weather's too bad. But when we got there, it was the first time since long that the captain reached the glacier in one go! We were so happy! There were people on our boat for whom it was the fourth tour! So hey, we were soo lucky having chosen the sunniest day in July to get out to sea :)


Ok, so that Tour went more than well! And I had already forgotten all about the adventure that awaited me in the late afternoon: the Harding Icefield trail! But no way to miss that, so we packed and drove off.


As usual at the very beginning of the trail the was a choice of either going left or right. so I said we should go right, obviously, because the other way was signed out as being only 2.3 miles which, I must admit, sounded weird considering we had to get up tp the top of the glacier! :-)


BUT, as usual, Davy was sure I was wrong so he said we should take left... Grrr... But my long year's experience showed me that discussing this wouldn't be a solution, so the only way out for me is always this one: "Ok, I do as he says, but only to prove him wrong" :) That way I can savour my finishing line: "I told you so" :-)

Aaaanyway, we always end up with that brilliant line from Megamind, a Pixar movie (watch it!):
"Mignon... you were right. And I was... less...right." :)

Now going up 1100 meters in a flash is no easy thing to do! Happily the next day we went the same way down, so I could admire the scenery :D why only then? Well, I was sooo tired going up that I had my head down and dragged myself litterally to the top :) we even saw two bears (here Davy will tell you he only saw one, but I distinctly saw two!), but they were friendly and on their way to wander off the trail, so our talking and noise of the bear bells were effective :)

Finally on the top of Exit Glacier, we just had the time to watch the sun setting on the mountains and the glacier (pink lights every where - only darkness never came :D ) before falling sound asleep in the shelter. Well sound asleep for me maybe but Davy talked the whole night long, with me, with some imaginary people... I guess he was more than disoriented... :D Quite funny now when I think of it, but then, in the shelter, surrounded by snow... not so funny :-)

Sooo, that's all folks. At least about Seward... now we're in Valdez, tomorrow we're taking the ferry to Cordova and disappear again for a few days, but no worries, we'll be back soon enough! :-)

Take care,

AnD

The Alaska railroad

Fishermendisplaying their catch at the end of the day!

2 bald eagles as our boat leaves the harbour in Seward

first Humpback Whale spotted!

beautiful setting!

Whale lunching near fishermen

sea lions sunbathing

two sea otters "chilling" along :)

Aialak Glacier

black bear strolling on the beach near Aialak Glacier

top of the Harding Icefied trail :) We made it!

where Santa lives :)

marmot :) funny guys!