Whale Migration Between Alaska and Hawaii #AtoZChallenge2021

 

Whale watching is a popular tourist activity, whether in Alaska or Hawaii. 

Talk about snowbirds! 

Every year, around November, humpback whales leave their Alaskan home waters and travel south to Hawaii. The adults don't eat for the duration of their stay in Hawaiian waters. They fill up on good stuff like krill, small fish, and crustaceans before they begin their journey from the Gulf of Alaska. Their 3000 mile journey can take anywhere from 36 days to 6 weeks.

https://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/19095/20160104/
humpback-whales-make-slow-migration-hawaii-season.htm

Arriving in Hawaii, they concentrate on mating and giving birth, fasting and relying on stored energy. Their newly born calves are the only ones who "Eat Hawaiian." 

One year I participated in a whale count of migrating whales off Magic Island in Honolulu, the project coordinated around the islands by the Pacific Whale Foundation and the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. 

Ala Moana Beach Park
Magic Island in background

By April or May, the whales are ready to take the show back on the road (or, I should say, ocean) and head north to Alaska. Once, when I cruised the waters around Anchorage in May, I looked for whales I might have spotted earlier in Honolulu but didn't recognize any of them. Once resettled in their Alaskan home waters, they probably fatten up quickly!

Actually, I saw lots of snow, but no whales!

My sister made sure our Hawaiian Islands cruise was set during the whale watching season 2020, but then the cruise was cancelled (postponed?) and I settled for editing and publishing my latest novel, Island Cruise Homicide, which admittedly is more cruise than homicide but a nice window into the Hawaiian Islands. As the saying goes, "Lucky we live Hawaii."

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Y is for YELLOWFIN AHI TUNA #AtoZChallenge

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

My daily #AtoZ posts combine two concepts in under-300-words per day:

an appealing food choice along with thoughts that spring to mind.

 

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Yellow-fin Tuna

My favorite 'ahi tuna poke (poh-keh) is made of glistening cubes of raw fish in a marinade of soy sauce, limu (sea algae or seaweed) and Maui onion. This is a staple at picnics; also a quick and delicious snack, especially when served on a bed of rice.

I don't eat this on a regular basis though because of the cost, $14.99 per pound. You can often get it on sale if you buy two pounds at $9.99 a pound. But it doesn't stay fresh long so if you can't eat two pounds of raw fish in one sitting, you don't really save money.

Fresh 'ahi poke bowl

For those who don't have access to a supermarket deli that sells fresh 'ahi, you can order it over the internet: 6-8oz. tuna steaks for $162.00, plus S&H. (No tax!) But if the order is Alaska 2-day air, the cost goes up an extra $20.00. If only Hawaii could send yellow-fin tuna to Alaska the way Alaska sends humpback whales to Hawaii!

Humpback whales from Alaska to Hawaii

 

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The Last Frontier

Cook Inlet with soaring eagle,
and backdrop of Mt. McKinley 

Tourist brochures, as well as local vehicle license plates, proclaim the 49th state 'The Last Frontier.' They're not just referring to the far reaches of gold-rush country in Yukon Territory or the frigid Arctic wilderness of Alaska's world-famous Iditarod Trail to Nome. Breathtaking scenery at every turn validates this claim.

A day's train ride south to Seward, a road trip by car to Wasilla (no sightings of former governor, Sarah Palin), even a walk down Anchorage's West 4th Ave. to Cook Inlet gave us a glimpse - or an eyeful - of what frontier means:

Unexplored territory

Region of backcountry

Outer limits

Hinterland

Captain James Cook and his crew weren't the only living creatures to travel between Alaska and Hawaii. I had hoped to spot a few friendly humpback whales that had wintered in Hawaiian waters and survived the arduous trip home through the Pacific. Though not to be, we were blessed with a sighting of their smaller cousins, a pod of excitable, black and white porpoises that flitted from bow to stern of our Klondike Express catamaran until everyone had a plethora of photos to show family back in the Lower 48, or in my case, 5-0. 

Today is Armed Forces Day, a day to extend a heartfelt thank you to all retired U.S. military and to members who currently serve our country. Most importantly, we remember all those who have given their lives to defend our freedom.

Alaska has played an important role in American military history since WWII.
http://www.akhistorycourse.org/articles/article.php?artID=260

Did you know the only successful invasion of American territory since the War of 1812 was in the Aleutians during WWII? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleutian_Islands_Campaign

SOUTH FROM ALASKA

Eight days of vacation in Alaska with no panned gold to show for it! Now three days to warm up and recuperate!

I've unpacked, done the laundry, downloaded all my pictures, bought new earrings (lost one at the airport) and stocked up on chocolate bars. Now to get back into the swing of things!

Stay tuned for photographs of late-night sunsets and amazing glaciers!