back
I’ve been back from Alaska for almost a week now, and felt like re-capping the trip a bit before I get too accustomed to my old routine again. This should have been a bunch of separate posts, but since the internet refused to cooperate in my absence, I’ll pick up where I left off:
After a few more days in Anchorage for the conference (which was actually one of the better ones I’ve ever been to), I’ll admit I was ready to get out of the ‘city.’ I had heard that it grows on you a bit, but it’s quite spread out and the downtown is not all that incredibly exciting; and, apparently, no one has figured out how to make a really excellent cup of coffee. I made it to the brewery one day (which was decent, but not great) and found a good shop for sandwiches (smoked salmon!), but once I had the rental car, I left as soon as I could.
The drive down to Seward was beautiful. Luckily there are turn-outs and parks all the way down, so I had plenty of time to take pictures and enjoy the views. Pretty sure I’ve never driven roads like that before, even in Colorado. Seward itself is quite scenic, as it’s sandwiched between mountains and the sea. I imagine it gets crazy in the summer, but in early May it’s still fairly quiet, which was much to my liking. I had a hotel room on the south end of the town facing the bay, which was great.
The first day there I took it easy, went to the aquarium (which is nice for how small it is) and walked out to Exit Glacier. It was sort of fun to walk around on the moraine right up to the toe of the glacier. Felt like being on the moon or something, since everything except the glacier itself is gray from all the slate (even the meltwater). Very odd.
The next day was easily the highlight of the trip, as I took a day-long wildlife-watching tour of the Kenai Fjords. I think we managed to see everything except bears, probably: humpback whales, orcas, sea lions, seals, puffins, mountain goats, etc. It was incredible. Perhaps more amazing was the almost painfully-scenic backdrop of the fjords. The weather was perfect, with low clouds hanging back in the bays and creating a calm, eerie landscape; but even in that light the water was still a very impressive shade of dark blue-green. I took a ton of pictures but I’m not sure they’ll do it justice. Perhaps because I’m from the Midwest, I was sort of awe-struck the whole day and went home with a half-grin on my face, but I’m pretty sure the others on the boat (all of whom were Alaskans) enjoyed it as well.
After heading back to Anchorage the following afternoon, I arrived a bit earlier than intended and decided to keep driving rather than hang out at the hotel, and 45 minutes later found myself in Wasilla eating subway and a dq shake at a roadside park. Maybe not the most fitting way to end my trip, but I can at least say I’ve been to the epicenter of Palinland, for better or worse. Incidentally, contrary to what you might have been told, you CAN’T see Russia from the city.
Now I’m back in Mpls, where there are no mountains and everything is green…
