Red Bluff Bay & Frederick Sound
After a series of days that were grey, cool and watery, we awoke to a shiny, blue-skied world at Redbluff Bay. Only medium and small ships and boats can enter this bay due to the shallow conditions and to the narrow entrance. Sheer cliffs and a few narrow beaches, one with the rests of a 19th century salmon cannery, awed us, as well as the rocky hills at the entrance, almost devoid of plants, due to the heavy metal concentration of the reddish rocks. On we sailed, and saw the light at the end of the tunnel. A lively waterfall that we approached closely even sparyed us with a few droplets of water.
We eventually left the small bay and sailed on to Sitkoh Bay. En route we met a small pod of killer whales, which we followed at a discreet distance, appreciating the animals as they broke water and showed off their awesome dorsal fins, which can be up to 6 feet high. The large male was usually separate from the rest of the group, and cameras whirred and clicked (well, today they are quiet) as that male turned sideways and showed us his flippers, and then the tail fluke. But the best was when he simply stopped and pushed part of his body out of the water, looking at us (or so we thought!).
We had to proceed to our daily program, and on we sailed along Frederick Sound towards Sitkoh Bay. There we kayaked and made short hikes into the forest, green and gloomy due to the height of the wondrous hemlocks and spruce. Banana slugs were abundant as well as quite a few flowers, including stink currants! One species of orchid (the saprophytic coral root) was already out, pale and pink in the little light of the forest.
The afternoon wore on and we returned to our womb, the ocean, where again, we had the opportunity to see killer whales, quite probably a different pod.
After a series of days that were grey, cool and watery, we awoke to a shiny, blue-skied world at Redbluff Bay. Only medium and small ships and boats can enter this bay due to the shallow conditions and to the narrow entrance. Sheer cliffs and a few narrow beaches, one with the rests of a 19th century salmon cannery, awed us, as well as the rocky hills at the entrance, almost devoid of plants, due to the heavy metal concentration of the reddish rocks. On we sailed, and saw the light at the end of the tunnel. A lively waterfall that we approached closely even sparyed us with a few droplets of water.
We eventually left the small bay and sailed on to Sitkoh Bay. En route we met a small pod of killer whales, which we followed at a discreet distance, appreciating the animals as they broke water and showed off their awesome dorsal fins, which can be up to 6 feet high. The large male was usually separate from the rest of the group, and cameras whirred and clicked (well, today they are quiet) as that male turned sideways and showed us his flippers, and then the tail fluke. But the best was when he simply stopped and pushed part of his body out of the water, looking at us (or so we thought!).
We had to proceed to our daily program, and on we sailed along Frederick Sound towards Sitkoh Bay. There we kayaked and made short hikes into the forest, green and gloomy due to the height of the wondrous hemlocks and spruce. Banana slugs were abundant as well as quite a few flowers, including stink currants! One species of orchid (the saprophytic coral root) was already out, pale and pink in the little light of the forest.
The afternoon wore on and we returned to our womb, the ocean, where again, we had the opportunity to see killer whales, quite probably a different pod.
