Travelogue

Alaska

Lynn Canal - June 11th

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NOTE: Thanks to a July 14, 2003 email from Judy Hall a resident of Haines, Alaska we are able to provide you more in-depth information about what our pictures show you of this beautiful place. A box below certain pictures includes information from Judy as to what we saw and were describing. She said in her email: " I stumbled upon your excellent web site. I live in Haines and thought you might be interested in knowing some of the names of the places you saw in Lynn Canal." We sure were and truly appreciate her filling us in on this fascinating sight!

The Lynn Canal is a fjord which will take us to Sitka. The Canal has sweeping vistas which kept our rapt attention.

Every corner we turned we saw higher and more beautiful mountains.

On the left we were approaching the city of Haines, Alaska, which is a Ferry Boat stop.

Haines is located near the mouth of the Chilkat river which is kept free from ice during the winter due to geothermal springs. For this reason, eagles are attracted to the Haines area during the winter.

As for the Chilkat and our winter eagles, the warmer water of the Chilkat River near the village of Klukwan is caused by a warm upwelling of water created when the water has found a place to percolate deep in an alluvial fan, where it is warmed up just enough to keep two miles of the Chilkat icefree...so chums run late and eagles have a place to feed way into January. The last two winters though have been unusually warm. The eagles have not needed to spend as much here; at least not in the usual 3-4,000.

Soon after passing Haines we arrived at a Seal Rookery. We were at least a mile from the shore. The seals from this distance, to the naked eye, blended in with the rocks.

The seals at the haul out were actually Steller Sea Lions.

It seems as if it was "siesta" for many of the inhabitants of this shore line home.

It seemed somewhat magical to see so many seals at one time, just clinging onto those steep rocks on shore.

Although we looked on from a far, some fishermen came to get an "up close and personal" view of this herd of seals.

An unidentified glacier on Lynn Canal.

The unknown glacier is the Davidson Glacier, named by John Muir for a professor friend of his. The island in the foreground of the Davidson is Sullivan Island.

A closer view of this glacier whose view is cut off by the island in the foreground.

We were approaching one of the most beautiful light houses in Alaska located on the Lynn Canal. All of us photo hogs were lining the railings for a good shot.

What an absolutely pristine setting for such a beautiful work of craftsmanship and ingenuity.

How about this place for a job that "gets you away from it all!"

The lighthouse is automated. It has been leased by the Haines Sheldon Museum. It is on Eldred Rock.

I will dream about this hideaway for years.

Our table mates Emily and Tom Chidester, from Columbus Ohio, shared our excitement and enthusiasm for the beauty of the Alaska frontier as we sailed along the Lynn Canal.

Click here to get to Sitka June 12th

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