Bore Tides and Glaciers

I'm considering heading down to Beluga Point, which is on Turnagain Arm, to see the bore tide there. I may also see a Beluga whale because it's the right season for it. They say you can watch the bore tide at Beluga Point then drive to the next turnout and watch it go by again. There is a state campground at Bird Creek, which is by one of the turnouts so I think I might camp out while I'm there. It isn't that far from Anchorage at all, but It'll be nice to get away a bit. I'm having a good time in Anchorage, but I'm ready to get down to the Kenai. The original plan was that I needed to be in Anchorage by June 1st, but if I wanted to explore a bit I could come anytime after May 8th. I, of course, chose to come as early as possible so I could do as much exploring as possible before I'm responsible for anything. I've been doing a lot around here. I'm glad to do it because I'm staying for free in Anchorage and I can take fam trips, which is free stuff. Fam trips are for familiarization - People that run businesses that are commonly referring tourists to activities get to take trips for free so that they have knowledge of what they're recommending. I have to look into them more because you can't schedule a specific time you want to go, they sort of fit you in where they have room. Once I'm down on the Kenai I'm going to try to finagle a few of those for my own enjoyment and also so I'm not a random girl from Boston trying to recommend activities in a place that's just as new to me as it is to my visitors. I'd feel like such a fraud.

So, back to the bore tide. How cool is that? I had no previous knowledge I could see it here so I'm psyched. It can only be seen in a few places in the world. For those unfamiliar, they're those tides that come in like a wall of water. Turnagain Arm has up to 35 foot tides because it gets so narrow so quickly after the Cook Inlet and the water gets really shallow over the mudflats at low tide so the conditions are right for the bore tide. It usually happens in smaller streams and other offshoots from a larger body of water, so this one is one of the largest in the world, being that it happens in an entire inlet. I'm interested to see if anyone is surfing it when I go, but I'm thinking they won't be because the really big ones happen based on the tide level, which in turn is based on the moon phase. I thought the full moon was around now, which is the time when I'd think the bore tides would be at their best, but I came across a flyer that said the best ones were during the first week or so this month and next month. I'll have to look into it more to figure it out. I have to look into it more anyways to figure out what time I need to be there. They don't just tell you when to show up, you have to figure it out. This is no amusement park. First you check the predicted low tides for Anchorage and Fire Island, then you add a certain amount of time based on where you plan on viewing it and still from there you have to adjust that time based on the wind speed in any given direction. I think the difference between height of the high and low tides also factors in somehow because that has an effect on the height of the bore, which has an effect on its speed. Basically you need a degree in higher mathematics to know what time to show up. That's so Alaska. No wonder it's the last frontier - nothing is predictable here. As we all know, people are creatures of habit and favor predictability. There's just no room for it here, spontaneity rules. It's somewhat European in that sense, where you don't live religiously by your wristwatch. There's actually a tunnel on the Kenai where you can't predict for sure when you'll be able to go through it. It used to be used only for trains but they finally, after much controversy, opened it up to vehicles. The catch is that they didn't modify it when it was opened to cars so for about 15 minutes northbound traffic gets to go through it, then for the next 15 minutes southbound traffic goes through, then the following 15 the trains go through. I'd hate to imagine what would happen if there was an accident in the tunnel. All hell would break loose - well, only for the tourists trying to get through so they can arrive for their scheduled cruise on time. The residents would probably have a nap or head back to their float plane and go that way.

I keep interrupting myself here. Back to the bore tides. The bore tides can be dangerous for the surfers, as one might imagine. Interestingly enough, the most dangerous thing about Turnagain Arm is the mudflats. When you're driving along the water it looks like there are beaches there at low tide. It's actually a whole bunch of mud, I'm assuming because of the runoff from the glaciers in the area. Rivers fed by glaciers can be milky looking due to suspended minerals and also are usually very muddy because, although it isn't easily witnessed, they're powering through the land and taking a lot of earth with them. It's cool to actually see a glacier because it's hard to understand when people explain that this big hunk of ice powers through the land upturning and flattening everything. I understand the mechanics of a glacier and how the ice is under enormous pressure so the solid actually flows in a manner similar to a liquid, but knowing that, I still wonder HOW could they be capable of what they do to the land!?!? When I saw how massive they are I quickly began to understand. Alright, enough with that tangent, back to the mudflats. This is how I think - all over the place. Every year people die on the mudflats because they stroll right out on them. Mudflats can be really loose and soft like quicksand so people get stuck out there and drown when the tide comes in, even if they're close to the road, because the tide is so high there. What a way to go, right?

So, after the longest post ever, I've pretty much told you that I'm going to see the bore tide. Hey, one more thing of note, you know how people wrongly call tsunamis tidal waves? Well, a bore tide is actually rightly called a tidal wave because the wall of water is a wave created by the tide coming in. You learn something new everyday.