Sunny Tuesday!

We had an absolutely amazing day out on the Island C! We headed out around 9:00 with our guides Andy, Trevor and Harry into a slowly warming morning, a reluctant sun buring the low lying clouds and fog away. As we headed out of the harbor, everyone was excited and hopeful that we will see whales...and we did! We were out about an hour when the excited cry came - WHALE!! We see a cloud of mist from a blow hole, Trevor cuts the engine and there is a lone humpback feedling right in front of us! He (or she) would come up for air every 30 seconds or so, then take a big breath, flip his tail and submerge for 2 minutes or so. We floated and watched for about an hour, then decided to head towards Icon Bay...Here's Sarah;

Rohit took some amazing pictures to kind of give you a feeling of what it was like to be on the Island C. Kodiak Island is so beautiful. We went out to smaller islands surrounding it and got off the boat into a skiff then to the shore. A great big eagle swooped down and welcomed us or maybe she was saying stay away. Either way it was a really big bird and I think the first time I have seen an eagle that close. We went "beachcombing" and under Mary rules that meant we were all given big bags to clean up the debris that the ocean washed ashore. Actually Andy started a foundation that I'm going to let Mary tell you about to clean up the Alaskan shore line. Within a few minutes we had bags of garbage. Rohit really pitched in too and enjoyed his time "beachcombing." Only wish I had pictures of that too!

The boat was pristine and the guys that hosted us were so gracious. They had arranged for lunch from a local caterer that was perfect for taking a day trip. The company is called Gwyn's cookery & more. The lunch was great sandwiches presented so nicely and the best broccoli slaw ever!

Thanks Sarah! Andy taught us a little bit about the phenomenon of beach debris using a little plastic frog to illustrate the persistance of plastic in the ocean. I have to say it was almost unbelieveable that when we left the boat to go on shore at Icon Bay, saw the bald eagle, and stepped on to a deserted, completely wild beach in the middle of nowhere - and all of a sudden began to focus our eye on...GARBAGE! We filled bags with garbage - plastic water bottles, discarded buoys, fotsam, jetsam, everywhere - the beach was covered. We worked hard and in about 30 minutes had FILLED about 12 bags with garbage. It was hard work, but important to really get a feel for the issue.

We took a spin around the bay in the little skiff before heading back to the Island C,and ultimately for home. Enjoyed sushi at the Powerhouse (will talk about the bidet later - hidden treasure of Kodiak) and then after a re-cap session at the Chart Room and a few games of memory, we headed for the racks.