SIMPLY AMAZING!

Words like "amazing", and "wow", become a big part of your vocabulary when you spend any time in Alaska.  Yesterday, those words dominated most of our conversations, as we cruised through several areas of Prince William Sound on the LuLuBelle.  We saw marine wildlife, scenic waterfalls, more ice than I could have ever imagined, and to top it off, it was a beautiful day in South Central Alaska.
I'll let the pictures speak for themselves, so fasten your seatbelts, and enjoy the ride..............

 Sea Otters are all over the place around Valdez.

 Even with a mid 60's day, at close to 30 mph on the water, it was a little chilly.

 This pair of Killer Whales put on quite a show.

Yep, we're enjoying the day in a place that can only be described as "amazing".

 

 Captain Fred pulled so close into this rock cave, that I reached out and touched the cliff.

 Stellar Sea Lions were everywhere on Glacier Island.

 We started seeing icebergs long before we got into the ice field in front of Columbia Glacier.

 Due to the heavy ice, we only got within about 2 miles of the Columbia Glacier, the second largest tidewater glacier in North America.

While we were in the ice, the ambient temperature dipped into the 30's    brrrrr!

 The highest point on the face of the glacier is approx. 300' up from the water.

 Getting out of the ice took some doing, as Captain Fred had to push much of it out of the way.

 On the way back to Valdez, we ran across some Dall Porpoises who wanted to play.

 The 800+ mile Alaska Pipeline brings oil from Alaska's north slope to the ice free port of Valdez.

Returning to the Valdez boat harbor.

The $120 per person price for this experience was beyond well worth the expenditure.  When we were last in Valdez 12 years ago, we had to cancel a similar cruise tour due to rainy weather.  Yesterday exceeded our expectations, and will forever be another Alaskan imprint that was simply amazing!  If you haven't already, be sure and check Nancy's blog for more great pictures.

Eagles Rest RV park - $42.30  Cumulative - $632.51