Alaska/Canada 2022-15: Kenai Peninsula - Seward

July 15-18, 2022  

    We wanted to return to Seward, which we'd visited in 2017, so off we went, driving south from Anchorage along Turnagain Arm. 

Chugach Mountains are backdrop as we head south from Anchorage.

The drive from Anchorage to Seward is under 3 hours--if it's not a big holiday.

    Following the road along Turnagain Arm, we passed Bird Creek Campground. It was our first campground in Alaska in 2017.  We had taken Mz Agnes, our Ford poptop, on the Alaska Ferry, 5 amazing days from Bellingham, WA, including the Inside Passage, finally disembarking in Whittier, AK. Ask Doug about driving the 2.5-mile-long, 1-lane, 1-way-at-a-time tunnel. 

Looking across Turnagain Arm to the Kenai Peninsula. 

    We stopped in Girdwood for coffee at the Alpine Cafe and Bakery.

The notch on the bottom right is approximately where Hope is. 

    At the top of the Kenai Peninsula, we were tempted to continue around the north end to the sleepy town of Hope. But though we enjoyed it on our last trip, it didn't take long to remember the grizzly bears in the campground, so we decided to head on. 

Recent rains created a patchwork of greens. More importantly, they helped clear the air & extinguish the wild fires that had plagued Alaska in May & June.

    At the junction with Hwy 9 to Seward, Hwy 1 continues on around the west side of the Kenai Peninsula to Homer. We elected not to go to Homer as we'd found it a bit too "touristy" on our previous trip. 

    Soon we were crossing Moose Pass, which figured in the "last full-scale, old-fashioned, frontier-style gold rush in the United States...in 1909 at Iditarod" ("Iditarod: Gold Rush to Ghost Town"). Iditarod is roughly halfway, about 500 miles, between Nome and Seward. Upon arriving at Moose Pass in the early 20th century, two enterprising men built a small inn and supply house to serve the prospectors arriving by boat in Seward. Since the gold in Seward and Nome had petered out, prospectors headed inland, from both Nome and Seward, to the latest gold strike: at Iditarod.

Dogsled typical of original Iditarod Trail days.

That was all well and good in summer, but in winter Nome's harbor was iced in, while Seward's harbor on Resurrection Bay remained ice free. The only way to get gold out of Iditarod and nearby goldfields in winter was through Seward, and the only way to get to Seward was by sled dog team.  

The original Iditarod Trail ran about 1,000 miles from Seward to Nome, with Iditarod, now a ghost town except during the annual Iditarod Sled Dog Race, about halfway in between.

Dogsleds were soon carrying mail and supplies from Seward to Iditarod and gold from Iditarod to Seward. The original people who created and traveled using sled dogs on all of Alaska's interior trails were of course Alaska's Natives. They had bred dogs for centuries to meet particular needs ("Booms and Busts: Iditarod Trail History").

Sign on Resurrection Bay in downtown Seward commemorates original Iditarod Trail.

    The inaugural run of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, in 1973, ran not from Seward but from Anchorage to Nome. The section from Seward to Anchorage had long since been overlaid with rail tracks and roads. 

Carving of sled dogs & sled near Seward Harbor.

    A bit of trivia: How did Nome get its name? Some say a cartographer mistoopk the note "? name" by a cape on a nautical chart as "C. Nome," so thought the name to be "Cape Nome."  
    Once again, Seward did not disappoint. Located on Resurrection Bay, a fjord of the Gulf of Alaska, it is surrounded by glaciated peaks.

Fishing boat on Resurrection Bay.

    The municipal campgrounds were no longer first-come-first-serve, now requiring an online reservation, and prices had increased. Luckily, we found a tent site with a view of Resurrection Bay. 

Resurrection Bay is lined with 100s of municipal camp sites.

At 17-1/2 feet & not requiring hook-ups, we're small enough to usually be permitted in tent sites. An additional bonus: tent sites are definitely cheaper & more spacious. 

    Have we said how much we like our garage set-up (the back of the van under the bed)? Marilyn made the shoe and tool bags on the doors. Cameron, of Heritage Custom Carpentry, made the 2 drawers, each extending the 3-foot length of the garage. Rolef of Montreal made the amazing curtain/no see-um screens on the back and side doors, and our friend David installed them. 

Our "garage." We love that our van is a group effort. The bed is visible through the screen in the top half.

    Our campsite came with artwork:

Painted rocks set against a piece of wood on a picnic table...

...& tucked in at the base of a tree.

View across Resurrection Bay from near our campsite. Each time we looked the view was different, thanks to the clouds, fog, & rain. 

Drenched bald eagle perched on a rock, probably futilely hoping to dry off, while a seal paddled by behind with a fish it had caught.

    A path runs along Resurrection Bay between downtown Seward and the harbor. On his walk the first morning, Doug discovered campsites downtown. We were in luck as one was available. It was just a flat spot with no services--but since it was right on Resurrection Bay with views all around of the mountains and glaciers, it was perfect. 

Our downtown campsite, did we say right on the water?

View across Resurrection Bay from downtown campsite.

    The rain came and went, clouds and fog lifted and lowered, making for amazing vistas throughout our 3-day stay in Seward. It was another place where we found ourselves waking in the morning, taking a look at the view outside and saying, "Let's stay another day." As we had no itinerary aside from enjoying Alaska, it worked. 

Doug capturing another of myriad vistas the clouds, rain, & fog created.

    Boats in harbors always call to Doug. He walked to the Seward Harbor twice. 

Seward Harbor.

Marilyn accompanied Doug on his second visit to the harbor. We checked out all the various campsites along the bay, noting sites we'd love to be in. While at the harbor, we watched the weighing of a particularly large halibut.

Halibut was caught by a woman out on a fishing trip.

    When we first arrived in Seward, a cruise ship loomed over the harbor, it's 8 stories (at least) dwarfing all the other craft.

Cruise ships arrive in the morning, disgorge passengers, & leave at night.

Carved bears near the harbor.

    Tour boats and fishing boats went to and fro in the bay. 

Two fishing boats returning to harbor as a tour boat heads out.

    Along the bay path, Marilyn was glad to revisit the large stone Japanese lantern, a gift to Seward from Obijiro, Japan, and Brotherly Love Park and Memorial Garden.

Obihiro, Japan, is a sister city of Seward. 

The memorial garden is planted in poppies.

Poppies symbolize remembrance...

...sleep...

...dreams...

...imagination... 

...peace.

    Deciding we needed a treat, we went out to dinner in downtown Seward one night.

Downtown Seward from 2nd floor of restaurant.

    Our routine is usually to find a coffee shop in the morning and relax. We were not disappointed by the Sea Bean: pleasant staff, good coffee, and though the rain and fog made for great views, it was nice to get out of the cold and relax in a warm place.

Our morning hangout.

Looking out 18-mile-long Resurrection Bay from our downtown campsite. 

Resurrection Bay is 18 miles long; its maximum width is 5 miles

Another amazing view from our downtown campsite on the water.

The fog continually dropped & lifted.

    As with everywhere on our 2022 trip, we left Seward reluctantly and head back north to Anchorage.

Fireweed & fog along Upper Trail Lake, north of Moose Pass.

Rain flooded the land along the roads, here near the south end of Turnagain Arm, with the Chugach Mountains as backdrop.

Driving north along Turnagain Arm toward Anchorage.

    After a night back at the military base family camp north of Anchorage to do laundry, we'd head to Lazy Mountain, near Palmer. It's where Marilyn's brother-in-law David grew up and where his sister and her husband now live. They were great hosts: gave us a flat spot to park near their house, cooked an amazing salmon meal, and shared many stories of living and working in Alaska.