If you didn’t know, the city of Seward was named for President Lincoln’s Secretary of State, William Henry Seward, the man who “negotiated” the purchase of Alaska from Russia. Although credited with the purchase, Seward didn’t actually do the negotiating; he authorized the local fur-trading company to do the deal for him. The story of Russia refusing to take our check and demanding gold for the purchase, which we had to borrow from England (kind of ironic I think) and then the boat with the gold sinking on its way to Russia I found very entertaining.
I’m camped in the Chugach National Forest in Moose Pass, about 23 miles north of Seward. Unfortunately for me, but not for the lush green mountains, it has rained all day, every day I have been here. So, although this area is known for the hikes, I haven’t taken any. According to the guidebooks … “the sun barely sets, the salmon are running and, in general, June is the driest, July is the warmest, and August the rainiest month.
Apparently “warmest” is relevant because it hasn’t gotten any warmer than 55 degrees this week (and I don’t want to experience the “rainiest” month). Ha
Because of the inclement weather and low visibility, I opted not to take the day cruise I had planned into Resurrection Bay; a bay carved by millions of years of glacial activity and now a deep fjord that extends nearly 35 miles north and south.
The first night I arrived in Seward I spent the night at Seward Waterfront Park. Being right on the bay, the weather was especially bad, with cold, winds and rain. It was a beautiful spot even with the bad weather.
I made a stop at the Alaska SeaLife Center –Underwater viewing tanks enable you to witness Steller’s sea lions swimming and harbor seals and nearly 2,000 invertebrates, fish, seabirds and marine mammals; approximately 177 different species. It also boasts the deepest diving bird exhibit in North America, along with interactive exhibits and films to watch.
Doesn't that eel look like an old man with no teeth?
Lowell Point – The Beginning At the End –
Although Seward is at the end of the highway system, it’s not quite the end of the road. Two and a half miles south of Seward is the community of Lowell Point. The Point is an alluvial fan, an area of land almost completely surrounded by water except for an isthmus connecting it with the mainland. Driving out there you are hugging the base of a mountain on one side and the bay on the other (and the worse road I have ever driven – and that’s saying something considering the roads I have been on so far on this trip). Parts of the road are only wide enough for one car. Surprisingly, there is a campground at the farthest point, the beginning of the Alaska State Parks system, and there were big rigs staying there; I would not have driven my coach on that road!
I was advised to avoid this area around July 4th so I stayed in Soldotna through the holiday for that reason. Apparently, it is crazy and insane here – music and food, fun and fireworks, a parade down the streets and a grueling footrace up the 3,022 foot Mount Marathon, the second oldest foot race in the United States. Visitors from around the world flock to Seward for this weekend warrior event – a near vertical race up into the clouds and down the cliffs for the fastest times and the biggest bruises. The pictures I’ve seen are brutal.
Chinooks Restaurant was highly recommended as a “must eat” in several guidebooks and by some friends. The suggestion was the scallop mac and cheese and scratch margarita …. Not good. The mac and cheese (I didn’t order the drink) was $35 and I couldn’t eat but a few bites. Later, at the Visitor’s Center, I was told that the restaurant has changed ownership and isn’t what it used to be. Oh well. The lady at the Visitor Center suggested I try a burger at Highlighters (it was excellent) and a bucket of butts at Thorns (equally good). It took me awhile to piece together “butts” as halibut ….
Although the Iditarod Trail extends from Seward to Nome, you don’t want to walk to Nome in summer. Five hundred miles of swamp, ankle-busting tussocks, clouds of mosquitoes, and enough creek and river crossings to make you want to grow webbed feet.
The Iditarod National Historic Trail consists of a network of nearly 2,400 miles of winter trails that wind between the communities of Seward and Nome. The Iditarod is the only National Historic Trail in Alaska and the only winter trail in the entire National Historic Trail system.
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