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It’s amazing what 106 additional inches of rain will do to a place. Compared to Denali National Park, the Kenai Peninsula is a rain forest. Actually, the Kenai Pennensula IS a rain forest. After the smoky and dusty visit to Denali National Park, the lush green of the peninsula was more than welcome. My destination: Kenai Fjords National Park.

First, let me say that the drive from Anchorage to the park is VERY nice. I spent the night at a rest area on the Cook Inlet, watching the whales go by. The next morning, I was more than ready to attack southeast Alaska. First stop, Exit Glacier visitor’s center just north of Seward. I stepped from the truck and was greeted with the most pleasant smell. I don’t know if it was just the smell of so much GREEN or that the lupin was blooming, or some combination of smoke filled nostrils and water, but it was wonderful. I must have looked like some crazed bloodhound (or dope fiend), sniffing and smelling my way to the visitors center. Forget bathroom cleaners, if they could bottle that smell and make it into a perfume, it would sell.

Anyway, I decided to save my hike to the glacier for later, because I had arrangements to make. Getting to the park proper, other than Exit Glacier requires a boat. Been there, done that. This time, I arrived at the desk of Kenai Fjords Tours, plunked down my credit card and signed up for the evening tour of the national park. Six hours on the water, salmon dinner, no Jell-o arms. Now, this was the way to see the park. The nice lady at the desk took my card, but I could see her smile was forced. Hmm.. Sniff, sniff. Ahh, the wonderful smell of the peninsula didn’t follow me inside. Personally, I still smelled of Denali dust, bear poop, smoke and sweat. If I was to be on a boat with people for six hours, I had some chores to do.

Other than wilderness camps that are only accessible by kayak, there are no campgrounds in the park. Therefore, I didn’t feel so bad when I found a campsite along Resurrection Bay outside of the park. Seward is pretty cool in that all the waterfront along the west side of the bay is open for camping. I joined the 5000 other RV’s, pulled into a spot, plugged in the water and power and proceeded to thouroughly scrub the remnants of Denali from my body. I was left tingling. A fresh shirt, clean pants, some deodorant, and I’d be able to fit in with the tourists.

We departed that afternoon in light rain on board the Tanaina. The cool drizzle felt wonderful on my neck. After waving bon voyage to Harold, (think I’ve been traveling alone too long?) we set out to explore the park. Let me just say that I’ve never been anywhere like the fjords. Green, yes. All the way to the ocean. Steep rocky hills that dove right into the ocean, leaving no doubt that they kept going down, deep into the blue water. I had brought my gloves, wool hat, and warm jacket and basically abandoned the warm cabin of the boat and spent the six hours on deck. I must have made twenty loops of that boat, taking pictures, chatting, taking more photos and just staring.

The sea life was more prolific than I expected. I had hoped to see a whale off in the distance…maybe. What I got was a humpback whale diving right next to the boat. Later, a pod of orcas swam by. We heard sea lions and seals yell at us from the rocks, and gazed at gulls, eagles and puffins.

And the glacier! What an experience. The captain pulled the boat not 400 yards from the foot of Pederson Glacier. Killing the engines, everyone on board just sat in silence, listening to the creaks and booms of that massive river of ice moving slowly toward the water. The occasional thud of a small iceberg hitting the fiberglass hull provided punctuation to the massive ice flow ahead. And then, without warning, there came a giant crack and the whoosh as a massive section of blue ice fell from the the glacier. And then there was a tremendous splash, and the boat rocked with the incoming wave.

A la The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, it was at that point they served dinner. Tasty grilled salmon, boiled corn-on the cob, salad. I sprung for a local beer and sat and ate and wowed.

What an incredible place. Every one of my senses was pinged. I arrived back in town that evening, exhausted, but happy. Next time, four people, four kayaks, salmon on a hibachi on the beach. I’m cooking. Who’s with me?