Alaska Trip: Day 7

Today was our last full day on the boat. We had an early morning with a kayak/skiff outing around Tidal Inlet (where we dropped anchor last night) at 7am. Cheryl was worried about getting up on time, so she asked for a wake up call at 6:30am (via the announcement system in our cabins). Karl warned us that his wake up calls usually involved him singing. This morning I woke up laughing as Karl and Sarah sang “You Are My Sunshine” as the wake-up call 

After getting my gear on, I went out in the skiff with Denee and Mom. We cruised all around looking for bears on the beach and other wildlife, but didn’t have much luck on the wild-life front. We saw an eagle, a couple of eagle nests, various other birds, a seal, and a couple of sea lions. The scenery around Tidal Inlet was gorgeous and the water was so calm in most areas! I got some of my favorite shots this morning.

After giving up on the wild-life, we headed back to the boat and prepared for brunch. It wasn’t long, though, before Sean knocked on our cabin door to let us know the kayakers had spotted a bear on the beach near by! So off we went back out on the skiff to see the bear. It was great! We got pretty close and the bear even got in the water and played with a stick. My camera decided to act up, but I got some video of the bear.

After that we had a wonderful brunch and were on our way back to Barlett Cove to drop off Janene and have the chance to go ashore for a bit. After brunch, I spent quite a bit of time outside looking for sea life. We saw quite a few sea otters (one who was close to the boat and pretty playful!), harbor porpoises, seals, and sea lions.

I was exhausted when we finally reached Barlett Cove and decided to pass on the walk on shore. I slept for about an hour and then headed downstairs so I wouldn’t sleep too long (and be up all night). Everyone was still on shore, and I chatted a bit with Sean and Dirk. Soon we were on our way again and I went out to spend my last afternoon out on the bow. I finally came in when I thought it was about time for dinner so I could change.

Dinner tonight was fabulous (both food and company). I loved the food and the crew dressed up and we shared various toasts. I’m really going to miss everyone. After dinner, we watched the slide show Karl had prepared of pictures taken during the week. After that I spent more time outside taking some sunset photos and enjoying the night. I also stopped by the bridge to chat with Denee since she wasn’t able to join us at dinner since she was driving the boat at the time. I can’t believe the trip is almost over!

Photos below and as always click to enlarge!

View of the Quest from our skiff ride around Tidal Inlet

Rock formation at Tidal Inlet

Reflection on the water (though it's a bit hazy)

Trickling falls at Tidal Inlet

Eagle's nest in the tree

Around Tidal Inlet

View Leaving Tidal Inlet

Towing skiff on way back to Bartlett Cove

 Bartlett Cove- Glacier Bay National Park sign

Sitting out on the bow...

Photos of crazy crew costumes during toasts at our final dinner

Progression of the sunset as we traveled to our destination for the night