Alaska Journal Part #5: Seward, Kenai Fjords, Sea Life Center

Welcome to the Final Edition of the Alaska Journal. 

We made a good decision to make Girdwood and Seward the final stage of our tour of Alaska. (We only saw a small section of this huge state.) We left Girdwood to travel the scenic highway to Seward, a small town 127 miles south of Anchorage. Seward is dwarfed by gorgeous scenery all around the town complements of the Kenai Fjords National Park, Chugach National Forest, and Resurrection Bay. Amazing, awesome, spectacular...yes, I'm a writer and I could go on and on with adjectives to try and describe the beauty in this area.

We were anxious to experience a boat tour of Kenai Fjords National Park, about the only way to see the park except for one road into the Exit Glacier. (You can hike the area, but that was not one of our options...!!) 

We chose the five hour boat trip to view the fjords. (A fjord is created when a glacier plows out a valley and sea water flows into it.) Let me explain that my DH usually gets motion sickness, and we were both a bit fearful of rough seas. Luckily, we had a smooth day for the trip on the ship that carries about 200 sight seers.  

There are many boat tours available, but we opted for this one because they served a salmon/prime rib buffet on the boat as we toured the waters. The other options served a buffet on Fox Island and stayed on the island for an hour. We didn't want to sit on an island, which was probably a tourist trap for the company's souvenirs, and waste an hour of sightseeing time. Our tour also featured a National Park Ranger sailing with us. She was fantastic with her knowledge of the park and its wildlife. 

Well, take a look for yourself. I have photos of our adventure on the Kenai Fjords tour.

A playful sea otter, about 5 feet long, played alongside the boat.

Sea lions sleeping.

Puffins pair. What a funny looking bird, but now one of my favorites!

Breathtaking beauty surrounded us the entire trip.

View from the boat of Exit Glacier.

Close up of Exit Glacier.

 The next morning we visited the Alaska Sea Life Center. We viewed whales in the bay from the deck behind the center and enjoyed seeing the ocean life in the exhibits.

Alaska is famous for its salmon fishing. The displays and live exhibits of the life of salmon were educational and interesting. These are the five kinds of salmon in Alaska, pink, silver, king, sock-eye, and chum.

Alaska has so much going for it. For instance, the zero to less than two per cent sales tax in most of the areas we visited or the long, long days of light. I never took a photo of a sunset which occurred around midnight or a sunrise at 3: 30 a.m.!! The awesome views really make humans realize just how small we are in this world. I believe I was most impressed by the spirit and strength of the Native Alaskans who can survive the harsh winters and the life of isolation living in villages with no roads to travel to another community. Only rivers and planes connect them to the outside world.

I hope you enjoyed my attempt to share this state and our travels with you. Next time, you're all invited to pack a suitcase and go with us to experience and explore the richness and wonder of Alaska.

In case you missed the previous editions of the Alaska Journal, you can click on the links below to continue the journey.

Part 1: Wasilla/Palmer and Mat-Su Region 
Part 2:  Denali National Park

Part 3: Alaska Native Heritage Center 
Part 4: Ski Resort Girdwood

Alaska Journal Part 4: Scenic Ski Resort Girdwood

Welcome to the Alaska Journal! 

We moved on south to scenic Girdwood after visiting the Alaska Native Heritage Center and Museum in Anchorage. Girdwood is a ski resort, but very low key. It is a bustling center in winter, but nothing like the commercial resorts in Colorado. What a welcome break after the traffic and city hub-bub of Anchorage.

When looking back at our journey through just this small bit of Alaska, I would award the gold medal to Girdwood for its small town, warm and friendly hospitality.  Our stay at Bud and Carol's B & B certainly colored our view of the area. The B&B was a comfortable base for our excursions, and Carol was such a wonderful hostess. 

Tram destination 2000 feet above the ski resort.

Famous for winter sports, this area is still popular in the off-season for its hiking trails and fishing, The fabulous scenery and the view from Mt. Alyeska amazed me. 

Tram to the mountain holds 60 people.

We took the five minute ride in the tram from the Mt. Alyeska Resort 2000 feet up to the ski area. The driver dropped us off at the station which included an upscale restaurant, yes, really, a cafeteria, a gift shop (of course), and a para-sailing business. Folks actually jump off this mountain with nothing but a parasail. Professional divers harness the very brave to them for a thrilling ride and view of the area. No, I didn't gather up enough courage to attempt such a feat, but oh my, what an amazing experience, once the heart stops pounding wildly in the chest, to enjoy the peace and quiet and thrill of sailing through the air among the mountains. Wow...

Hotel Alyeska

View from the top

Of course you have to make a snowball in July!

Delicious, enormous cinnamon roll at the Bake shop.

After the mountain high excursion, we explored Girdwood and its shops. The gal at the Bake Shop was deservedly proud of the gorgeous begonia baskets adorning her establishment. She talked with us about the growing and care of the plants since we had a greenhouse and garden center business. Really enjoyed the tasty treats at the Bake Shop, but the flowers were the eye-candy we really ate up!

Gorgeous hanging baskets overflowing with color.

If we ever return to Alaska, Girdwood will definitely merit another look-see. The drive from Anchorage to Girdwood is worth the price of a plane ticket let alone interacting with the friendly folks of Girdwood. 

Catch up with previous editions of the Alaska Journal:

Part 1: Wasilla/Palmer and Mat-Su Region 
Part 2:  Denali National Park

Part 3:  Alaska Native Heritage Center 

Alaska Journal: Wasilla/Palmer and Mat-Su Region

Greetings from Alaska and Welcome to the first part of the Alaska Journal!

My husband and I are traveling a small portion of this enormous state and you are welcome to join us on this adventure. Please come along with us today as I share photos from our first stop, Wasilla/Palmer area and the agriculture rich Mat-Su Region of Alaska. Mat-Su is the shortened name for the region including the Matanuska and Susitna Rivers.

Our first view of Alaska--from an airplane

Three take-offs and three landings during our twelve hour travel from home to Anchorage and we landed easily at Anchorage Airport. The trip was seamless thanks to the great performance by Delta and Alaska Airlines. (Note to local folks--The Comfort Inn on 28th St., Grand Rapids, MI has friendly park and fly service. They even serve breakfast at 4 a.m. so guests can make the 4:30 a.m. shuttle to the aiport!)  

 The snow patches and the glacier iced mountains greeted us when we touched down in Anchorage. This city is not a city of tall skyscrapers nor contemporary architecture. It is plain and reflects the values of hard-working folks. The friendly people were cordial and helpful and soon we were on our way from Anchorage to Wasilla in our rental car. 

On the road to Wasilla

As we drove the route to Wasilla, majestic mountains guarded the highway. No matter where we looked, there were gorgeous views. I was in awe of the beauty. "Purple mountain majesties" the words from America, the Beautiful resonated in my head.

I was not prepared for the emotional experience of Alaska's landscape. I'm a writer and yet I cannot grasp the words to describe the beauty and the power I saw in those mountains. (Later I experienced more mountain vistas, so you may get sick of mountain pictures. I have taken hundreds of photos, but still have not captured the drama of these vistas.)

We spent two nights at Alaska Lake Lucille Bed and Breakfast...a charming home decorated with quilts and country paintings and coziness. Carol cooked up a deeee-licious breakfast each morning and started off the days with cheerful greetings and smiles.

Our aiplane--well, for half an hour at least, during the flight seeing tour

Flightseeing Tour

We flew over the lands drained by the "braided" streams of the Susitna River. Instead of one channel, there are many connecting to each other. What a sight to behold. So much water!

This is only a small part of the waterway we saw during the airplane ride.

Hatcher's Pass
We had quite an adventure finding Hatcher's Pass, but eventually we made it there. The mountains are amazing!

On the road to Hatcher's Pass

You will see snow patches on the mountain even at this time of year. There is a lot of snow still on the mountainsides because Alaska experienced a record breaking snowfall this year and a late spring. The icy glaciers are also visible and remain on the mountain throughout the seasons.

Our car was dwarfed by this snow bank along our route to Hatcher's Pass

The Musk Ox Farm
After our long drive through the awesome mountains we stopped at the Musk Ox Farm.

Musk ox Mama

Musk ox are unusual animals related to goats, not cattle. They can withstand the extreme temperatures of the Alaskan winters by growing a heavy coat. At this farm, their hair, called quviut is combed out in the spring and saved so Alaskan natives can use the material to knit gorgeous, warm scarves and hats, etc. I was going to purchase two scarves for my two daughters as a memento of our Alaskan trip, however, the scarves were $245. each! When I picked up my jaw from the counter, I thanked the clerk, but told her no. I was even afraid to touch the beautiful works of art.

The next destination is Denali National Park. Yes, there will be lots more mountain images for sure. 

If you have a question about our travels, please ask. If you have visited Alaska, please share your experience with us.

This is the first part in the series on our trip to Alaska. Please click the links below to follow the whole trip.

Part 1: Wasilla/Palmer and Mat-Su Region 
Part 2:  Denali National Park

Part 3: Alaska Native Heritage Center 
Part 4: Ski Resort Girdwood
Part 5: Seward, Kenai Fjords, and Alaska Sea Life Center

                             

Hubby's Birthday

Today is my hubby's birthday. No special plans except we will be packing for our trip to Alaska. We leave tomorrow, so I have no idea if I will have Internet access during this trip. Anybody know if there is wi-fi in the Alaskan bed and breakfasts in the middle of nowhere?? LOL...

I'm looking forward to being away from it all for a bit. But when I do get service, I will post some pics and let you know if a moose ran over me and other interesting tidbits.

I'll be joining you all again soon. Keep the light on for me!!