Joni's Jottings

On Wednesday and Thursday, we got to experience the “rain” part of southast Alaska’s temperate rainforest.  The skies were gray, the clouds hung close and the rain just kept a-dripping. We took the mornings off, and ventured into town for lunch and afternoon explorations of Cordova hotspots. We tried, once again, to have lunch at … Read more

Tuesday morning dawned bright and sunny and I took an early morning stroll around Orca Lodge’s grounds. This Black Oystercatcher makes its home on the beach by Orca Lodge. Harlequin Ducks were almost always paddling around in the Inlet’s shallows. This is Buck, the Lodge’s resident canine, and a 4 month old pup who came … Read more

We took Monday morning off, taking advantage of a rainy day to decompress after a busy weekend. Around midday, we drove into Cordova for lunch and a putter around the town and surrounding environs. Back in 1790, a Spanish explorer named the strait “Córdoba,” and the town was named after the strait’s original name. (The … Read more

Sunday was transfer day, as we left Anchorage for our next port of call in Cordova. Getting there was a 2-stage journey.  We first climbed aboard the Glacier Discovery train, following the same route across the Kenai Peninsula as the day before, but changing tracks at Portage to reach Whittier on the east coast.  From … Read more

Saturday was a very long day, beginning with a 5:50 am departure from our B&B.  We were up early to catch the to Coastal Classic train, traveling 6 hours down the Kenai Peninsula to Seward for some maritime exploration of the Resurrection Fjord.  Crystal, wildlife spotter par excellence and a great photographer, contributed several photos … Read more