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The whale call punctures the silence, as we cruise on our Uncruise ship, through Frederick Sound, in Alaska.

“Thirty seconds,” cries Ben, our Uncruise Adventure Guide. Ben uses a special device, to listen to the whale call.

Exactly thirty seconds after the call, several whales rise from the water, agape mouths, devouring their fishy treats.

Submerged back under the water, the whales send up bubbles to capture the fish.  We wait. Again, the call goes out, and again, exactly thirty seconds later, the pod of whales rises to eat. Then the spectacular feasting ballet happens all over again.

Though it’s in the distance, we can clearly see the awesome, wildlife, display.

There are a limited number of whale pods in Alaska that have mastered synchronized/ bubble feedings. At this time, on this day, we just happened to stumble upon one. We’re told this is something beautiful and rare.  I don’t take a second of it for granted.

During dinner, everyone on our Uncruise ship is still buzzing with awe, sharing thoughts and feelings about the whale feeding.

Daniel, the ship’s Expedition Leader, stands before the dining room, asking if he can talk to us about something.

Daniel explains that the ship has been trying for quite some time to get a permit to anchor in a place called Gut Bay. They received word that the permit has been granted, and even though it wasn’t in the original plan for the day, would everyone be okay with going to Gut Bay?

There are no objections.

“Good,” Daniel replies with a smile. With the excitement in his voice of a good friend handing you a gift they know you will love, Daniel informs us that due to the extended daylight, the kayaks will be available to anyone wishing to kayak around Gut Bay this evening.

The dinning room erupts with enthused chatter. We pick up our eating pace.

Growing accustom to our paddles being the only sound we hear, the strange, unexpected noise makes us jump.

Fearing we’ve come across some Alaskan, Loch Ness Monster, I’m relieved to see that’s only a family of ducks. The mother duck looks like she is walking, or more accurately, running across the water. Several little ducklings trail behind, desperately trying to keep up with mama.

We’re pretty sure we see an alien in the water but are later told that it’s a sea star.

As the week progresses, I discover that sea stars come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors.

Though we occasionally pass fellow Uncruise passengers, Gut Bay is large, and we are alone for much of our paddle. It’s calming and magical.

The water near the shore, is bright blue. We marvel that we can see to the bottom.

Lines of clouds weave in and out through the trees.

Rock faces tower above us.

I feel as if I’m being swallowed by nature. In the moment I feel that the world is so big, and I am so small. I like small. I am but a mere, tiny piece of this crazy puzzle called life. The weight of the entire world is not my responsibility. It does not rest on my shoulders. The only job I have is to wonder in amazement.

In our pitch- black cabin, I reflect on the day, as the hum of our Uncruise ship’s motor sings me to sleep. At the start of the day I had no idea I longed to see a muskeg. A synchronized whale feeding was not on my bucket list. The magic of kayaking in Gut Bay was never on my mind. And yet, I had one of the most epic days of my travels so far based completely on unexpected things.

This is why I travel.

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