The Sea Otters of Prince William Sound – Caution, Cuteness Coma Alert!

Grab the Kleenex (Kleenex is a Kimberly-Clark brand), make sure all your manly friends aren’t around to see you, and get ready to feel the need to cuddle up with something soft and warm.

1 week ago, I boarded the high-speed ferry in Whittier, bound for Cordova on the eastern edge of the Prince William Sound. The forecast had changed so many times over the past couple of days, that I really had no idea of what to expect. Honestly, is there anyone out there that can be so wrong, so many times and still get paid for their job. Weather forecasters can barely even tell you what happened yesterday, let alone what will happen tomorrow or the next day. I think they use a Ouija Board, a Magic 8 Ball, and a 24-sided die to make their forecasts. Sorry Al Roker, the people have spoken. Now move along to a respectable, reliable, and predictable line of work, like politics or gambling.

Anyway… I tend to drift a little, but those darn tangents can be fun.

It was raining lightly in Whittier as I came out of the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel. I have never traveled by ferry before, or dealt with the AMHS (Alaska Marine Highway System). Check in is not like at the airport & not like dealing with the TSA. Actually, I have nothing against the TSA – they do a thankless job around people that have to take off their shoes can you say Odor Eaters? (Odor Eaters is a Combe Incorporated brand). Here is my check in conversation:

“Good afternoon, my name is Dave Taylor. I’m on the fast ferry today at 4″

“Hi Dave, can I see your driver’s license. Great, do you have any firearms, explosives, or fuel?”

“None other than in my car:)” Hey… she laughed…

“Ok, here are your tickets. Just pull your car into lane 6 or 7 and have a great trip”

In and out of the check-in building in less than 1 minute. Easy peasy.

Everything is very ordered and neat. You board the boat in a very orderly manner and after parking your car in the parking bay below the passenger deck, you move upstairs to the very comfortable sitting area. This is not like coach on a plane. This is like first class seating, everywhere you look. Oh, and everywhere you look… panoramic views out huge windows. This is a cruise, not a mode of transportation! There are ample power outlets, tables, and comfortable reclining seats with GOOD headrests! And it’s not super expensive. The AMHS offers a deal for travelers driving their cars on – the driver goes free. My round trip ticket with my car was $210. Not too shabby.

The high speed ferry (the M/V Chenega) is a catamaran, and offers a very smooth and quiet ride. The trip to Cordova and back to Whittier 5 days later was a great time to relax and soak up the beauty of the Prince William Sound as it passes by you at nearly 40 knots.

On to Cordova. Cordova is amazing. So much variety nearby and the people are fantastic. It truly is “The Land that the Internet Forgot”. I found 1 wifi spot, at Baja Taco. Baja Taco has great food & questionable wifi. Cordova’s idea of wifi is you tossing your laptop across the room at a high rate of speed. Which is fine for you Dell (dude you should have bought an Aerobie!) users, but my MacBook Pro is no frisbee. But it was actually quite nice to be “unplugged” for the majority of the trip, avert my eyes from my laptop screen and unglue my finger tips from the keyboard. Because Cordova has so much to offer. Surrounded by mountains, rainforests, glaciers and ocean. Both salt and fresh water are either crystal clear or a pale & milky blue from glacial silt. Which brings me to the colors of this area… wow. My retinas are actually stressed because of the intensity of the colors, everything is so lush and vibrant. Brilliant greens in the rain forest and deep, warm browns of tree bark. Wildflowers such as columbine (scarlet), lupine (blue), and geraniun (deep lavendar) blossom this time of year. Then there are the colors of the glacier… the deepest blue you have ever seen. The deep layers of compressed snow and ice haven’t seen daylight in hundreds (or even thousands) of years, but when they get exposed it is like they are lit from within. I’ll have photos posted of all of these subjects over the next several days, so keep checking back!

Oh, and one more thing. I’m heading back to Cordova next year, likely for 2-3 trips. The first will be in early spring for the Shorebird Migration on a solo trip. Then back again around this time of year for 2 separate photography workshops. I think you’ll see why in the upcoming posts. One of the trips is already booked! I’ll have the details on the other trip very soon, so if you are interested in joining Sixtyone North on an amazing photographic adventure, send me an email NOW to get on the list. It will be an all-inclusive 5-day trip (meals/lodging/transportation (during the workshop)/and guiding all included) and is sure to become an annual event. This isn’t offered anywhere else.

But for now, on to the cute fest. The sea otters of eastern Prince William Sound. Awwwwwwwwwwww… where’s that damn box of Kleenex? There are a bunch of images here, so take your time & remember to click on them to see a larger version.