Land Ho and We're in Seward

(July 8) - Morning came with the sunshine that has been rare on this trip and we were docked early in Seward, coming into the harbor through Resurrection Bay circled by snow-covered peaks. Seward seems to be a working town, the port for much of Alaska's commercial traffic, including cruise ships. Anchorage is further north and has its own port, but the bigger ships come here.

We left the ship after breakfast and made our way to Hertz to get our rental van for the next few days' travel around the Kenai Peninsula. Our traveling companion, Ellen, made the arrangements and made sure that we got a van with enough room for the six of us and all our luggage. She brought fudge to the rental agent and that may have been the secret ingredient that got us our spacious van rather than something smaller. There's a lot of competition for vehicles in summer here as everyone wants to explore Alaska.

The town has been busy through the July 4th holiday with a marathon race that goes up and down a very steep mountain overlooking the harbor. Apparently it drew 20,000 people, but we are finding that most of them are gone. There are other tourists besides us, but nothing like the thousands that they tell us were here last week.

We are booked into the Seward Hotel, an interesting and kitschy old building right in town. There are stuffed and mounted animals all over the lobby and lots of Victorian touches like the lamp next to me as I write this--the lamp shade has beads hanging all around it.

Our rooms are fairly recently refurbished and large and comfortable with wonderful views of the harbor. I'm told that new ownership that bought it four years ago has spent that time completely remodeling.

Of course, when it comes to the view, it's a great view WHEN the harbor is visible. It's been a rainy day and as night falls the mist is obscuring the mountains all around us. The peaks that were crystal clear earlier today now can be seen only as ghost images through the milky obscurity of the mist and fog.

We went to the Sea Life Center a block or so from the hotel. It's right on the harbor and has a remarkable exhibit for such a small town. We enjoyed our time there, photographing a steller sea lion who played and posed for us. They tell us he's quite sociable and likes people and his behavior reflects that. We also photographed their harbor seal. Both animals have habitat above and below the water with wonderful viewing areas where you can see them swim through the glass.

Their exhibits include all sorts of marine life. They also operate rescue and rehabilitation services for injured sea creatures. It's a really special place and we appreciated the opportunity to explore and learn there.

We lunched at Nellie's Alaska Roadhouse, just a block over from our hotel. Most places here serve fresh halibut and other seafood, prepared in whatever way suits you. Nellie's is named for a woman whose dream when she was a child in the Midwest was to come to Alaska. Ultimately she made her way here and was apparently quite a character.

We spent an hour or so wandering through the shops on Fourth Street, seeing all sorts of Alaskan made items, as well as products from all over the world. The cost of living here is expensive because so much of what sustains life has to be imported from elsewhere. Many of the places in Alaska cannot be reached by road, so things have to be brought in by ship or plane.

The rain had returned while we were at lunch, so we retreated to our hotel rooms to rest before dinner. Another short walk to Christo's Palace and we had a good dinner from their very electic menu--Italian, Mexican, Alaskan and Greek.

The challenge to Seward businesses is to keep going through the winter when the cruise boats and tourists aren't here. The transportation of coal out of the port and the fishing industry are the stable businesses that provide employment for the 2800 full-time residents.

As with other places we've visited in Alaska, many folks live here during the summer months, then go to live in warmer places the remainder of the year. If they are still wage-earners, they have to go elsewhere to find jobs. If they are retired, they just don't want to winter in the conditions here.

This is where the famous Iditarod sled race starts. That, of course, is a winter event, but we did see brochures today for "summer dog sledding." We also saw a beautiful Husky today on the sidewalk in town, but he is a pet rather than a working mushing dog.

We look forward to a good night's sleep, then we're off on the road to Homer tomorrow. It's about three-and-a-half hours from here, but we anticipate taking our time so may meander that way through the day, stopping to take photos, have lunch, etc. The nice thing about this trip is that we're on our own schedule and the group is easy-going and just happy to be here, so no pressure to do anything other than enjoy the beauty and pleasure of this time together.
[Photos by Mike Lumpkin]