Saturday on the water

Some sun, some clouds...lots of mountains.

We had a gorgeous, sun and part-sun filled weekend.  Sunday it was so nice outside I would have sworn the temps were in the 70s (they weren't, more like upper 50s).  Saturday morning we went on the Berners Bay cruise sponsored by the Audubon Society (a fundraiser).  Then there was a garbage cleanup at Auke Rec beach followed by a cookout and bonfire with students.  Sunday Steve had to work, so I spent most of the day with the Irv doors and windows open, doing some major spring cleaning inside and out. 

Here's some pictures from the cruise.  The cruise this year was good.  We saw 8-9 humpbacks, seals, sea lions, more birds than I'll ever remember the names of, and lots of pretty scenery.  The volunteer guides this year were really good, with lots of stories about the history of the area, including three shipwreck sites we passed.  I also learned that Admiralty Island (the biggest island near Juneau - it's ~96 miles long and 26 miles wide at the widest point) has the highest density of brown bears in the world - 1 per square mile!  There's only one permanent settlement on Admiralty, a small village called Angoon.  A lot of people go hunting and fishing on the island, but you need a boat to access it.

Stellar sea lions at a haul out on small Benjamin Island (HRD processed)

A trio of humpbacks.  We saw ~8-9 total.

Tail up means it's heading on a deeper dive.  This is a humpback.

Lions Head mountain, lit by the sun.  This mountain is on the far side of Berners Bay.

Rocky intertidal zone, Eagle Glacier in the back left side.