Alaska Day 5 - Glacier Bay National Park

Early Wednesday morning we arrived at the Glacier Bay National Park lodge to pick-up Brad, a US park ranger, and Bertha, a cultural interpreter for the Huna Tlingit people.  By all accounts (input from the crew and Brad) we had an absolute beautiful day weather-wise to visit the Park.  For most of the day the sky was very blue and visibility excellent.  Rosie is enjoying the view and the sunny day.

Here we are with some scenery in the background.

We saw a lot of wildlife during our trip into Glacier Bay.  Here are some sea lions (older males and teenagers):

We had great views of mountain goats.  Their white coats really stand-out from the mountains.  They're fairly easy to spot.

We saw a wide variety of bird life.  We saw two tufted puffins fighting with each other; why we don't know.  However, while they were distracted with their argument, a bald eagle had them in his sights.  He swooped down and tried to grab one of the puffins.  They dove under water at the last moment.  They were almost lunch!  It was exciting to see this happen in real life.  Here are the two "fighting puffins" and a close-up of one.

 

We also saw a young wolf lying near a small stream inlet on the shore.  While he was sitting there, a brown bear cautiously got into the stream and tried to catch a salmon.  The bear wasn't too good at fishing - at least the part we saw.  However, the wolf was giving the bear "moral support" since the wolf typically gets 'left-overs" from the bear.

Here's a flock of terns that nest in the rocks.

Without a lot of words, here are some photos of Glacier Bay.  It was hard to truly capture the beauty, but we hope this gives you an idea.  We've also made them bigger so it's easier to appreciate the beauty.

On our way out of the Park, we stopped by the lodge.  During a short walk near the lodge, we spotted a female moose and her calf having dinner.  Note: the female moose is wearing a tracking collar.

Next stop - Juneau - the capital of Alaska.