Rain delay :)

We left Kenai yesterday about 1:00 planning to catch a wildlife tour out of Seward at 6:15...little did we know that the "wildlife" tour was going to begin before we even got to Seward. As we came around a bend in the Russian River there was an opening in the trees and a great view of the river - a rather common sight - only this time there happened to be a brown bear fishing the river and feeding her two cubs. Along with the other obvious tourists (like the Texas license plate doesn't give us away) we stopped and were able to get some amazing photos...in Erin's 18 years of growing up here this was her first experience like this.
We arrived at The Adams Street B&B around 4:00 p -- it's right on the water, with beautiful views of Resurrection Bay through the huge picture windows. We were really impressed when we pulled up! We "checked in" -- meaning that we chatted with Judy (who works at my Dad's school during the school year) and her husband Don (as in Don Clary -- google his name. You'll be amazed). We packed the backpack with some extra layers and headed for the marina, where we killed time at the Helly Hansen store before getting on board the tour boat. There were only 53 people on the boat for the tour, as opposed to the usual 200+, so we had plenty of room on deck to take pictures and walk around. We shared our table in the cabin with a couple from Nebraska, and we spent a lot of time on deck talking with Al and Barbara, a couple from Amherst, Massachusetts. They invited us to come and stay at their B&B sometime soon -- fall road trip, anyone??? :) I've always wanted to see the trees turn colors in New England...
We were lucky AGAIN during our wildlife cruise, and saw a humpback whale, sea lions, several different types of birds, a couple of puffins, and just a few glaciers. :) The whale was unbelievable -- he flipped his tail at us a couple of times, and of course we weren't fast enough to get a good picture. It was an awesome experience! According to the forest ranger that was on board, just the heart of a humpback whale is roughly the size of a Volkswagen Bug. Amazing!
It rained last night, and this morning we went exploring around "downtown" Seward. We found a few shops with locally-produced art, and poked into our little Internet cafe -- the Sea Bean -- to post this update. Unfortunately we cannot figure out how to upload pictures on this computer, so we may have to post those later! Sorry for the tease! We just have to leave you wanting more... :) We're heading to the Sea Life Center this afternoon to explore their hands-on exhibits and tide pools, and plan to have dinner tonight at the Crab Pot. If the weather cooperates, we're hoping to head out in kayaks tomorrow, or possibly hike out to Exit Glacier to walk around on the ice. Woo-hoo! :)
We love you all! Keep the prayers going up for our continued safety.
~Heath & Erin