Seward

We had a lovely drive along the Cook Inlet and Turnagainarm from Anchorage to Seward. Huge glaciers abound on both sides of the Seward Highway. The Alaska RR train swept past us from time to time as we stopped for many photo opts. Capt. James Cook had sailed into the inlet looking for the Northwest Passage; later it was renamed Turnagain and then Turnagain Arm.

Seward Military Resort was our next oasis. It is surrounded by the magnificent Kenai Fjords National Park. We gaped at the beauty of the immense Harding Icefield, 50 by 30 miles in size; we hiked to the very edge of Exit Glacier. We were mesmerized by the incredible natural beauty of the Chugach National Forest.

Seward was the site where the original Iditarod sled dog race began in 1973. It followed the old 1920s mail route between Seward and Nome. We saw that monument as we walked the harbor shoreline and watched with amusement as the sea otters played nearby. The sea otter has a dense coat of fur—over 600,000 hairs per square inch. It is also one of the softest pelts that we have touched. The Salmon Derby was coming a close, and fishermen/women/ children were bringing their catches to be weighed, measured, and photographed. Not only Salmon, but Halibut, Rockfish, Red Snapper, etc. were hanging on the “brag lines.” The Forest Ranger station had an excellent bird exhibit. The Harbor Club for lunch gave us an upstairs view of the Seward Port as well as the main shopping street. Our halibut meal was topped off with a delicious rhubarb crisp.

After having camped in the rain in Anchorage, we thoroughly enjoyed three nights in the military resort. Amenities included WiFi in the spacious recreation room along with a huge television screen plus a convenient laundry next to the lounge/rec room plus free coffee. We hope to return to Seward in a couple of years; Jerry would love to spend some time fishing there.