We woke to rain and an overcast sky that just wouldn’t move on.  Sunbeams briefly shot through the clouds and splashed a rainbow across the mountains just before boarding time.  That was enough to give us hope.  Two foot seas in the bay.  No rain.  OK!  A humpback whale made an appearance.  Nice.  We motored on toward the inlet of Resurrection Bay still determined to try the jump across open sea to Aialik Bay, our destination for glacier viewing.  Swells were growing and the rain began to fall in sheets.  Seals lounged on shoreline rocks.  Captain Nichole gave the order for all to take a seat; time for the rough water.  Indeed.  The Mate said 7ft waves but I think the forecast guys got it closer to right, 9 or 10 foot seas.   Kent and I sat tight in the aft covered area.  We’d had our Dramamine and faired just fine but there was a bit of rail hugging and fishy feeding going on around us.  Ok, I concede this was not the best day for a sightseeing cruise.  We enjoyed the calm waters in Aialik Bay checking out Aialik and Holgate glaciers before gathering our wits and for many their little paper barf bags and bouncing back around the cape into the relative quiet of Resurrection Bay.

Kudos to Captain Nichole and Crew of the Spirit of Adventure, Major Marine for making it the best trip possible on the crumby weather day.

High points:

Humpbacked whales.  They spouted, splashed, showed us some fluke, and one even breached.

Glaciers.  They dwarf everything.  The boat feels like a toy bobbing beside them.  The blue is impossible to describe as is the sound made when ice breaks free and tumbles into the sea.  Seals lazed on the ice floats.

Bird cliffs.  Shear cliffs covered with roosting Puffin and Blacklegged Kittiwake perched on bit-of-nothing ledges.

Mama Mountain goat and her young one.  They posed nicely on a waterside perch.