Seward, Alaska: The Seward Highway

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It is my first morning in Alaska, a little fishing village called Seward. I crawl out of bed full of excitement and wonder, so much like a child. The bright daylight feels like 8 or 9 a.m., but it's only 6 or 6:30. I pull on jeans, grab my backpack and slip out the door. Grab a hot coffee at the funky coffeehouse in a former church (above photo) and find a bench right on the point overlooking Resurrection Bay. With the morning sun coming up over the mountains, I watch the fishing boats pass by, men and women from all over the world on board, just as excited as I -- a whole new Alaskan day lies before us -- 17 or 18 hours of fresh, new day!
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- Tom and I drove the 2.5-hour drive down here from Anchorage after we landed at midnight AK time, 4 a.m. our time. We followed the Seward Highway around Turnagain Arm in the couple of hours of darkness AK has at this time of year, a mild, semi-darkness at that.

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They sleep. They call this "night." HA! I roll down my window, "HA, you sleepers! Sleep -- I laugh at you," I say with a conquering pump fist. Tom, asleep next to me in the passenger seat, is not yet intoxicated by the AK air. Dall sheep to my left, Beluga whales to my right, the famous bore tide (low, pictured above), moose -- these are my nocturnal playmates. HA! I yell out the window one more time, squeeze my empty coffee cup and embrace the biting air. I see nothing of my Alaska playground, but I know it's out there.

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And now, on my bench, 3 or 4 hours later, I see it, smell it, revel in it. I watch the sun rise behind the snow capped craggy peaks. The mountains here have a skirt of spruce trees with a sash across the middle of green, grassy tundra and snow covered rocky peaks at the top. Fog and bits of cloud float around, bouncing from valley to valley, glaciers and remains of glaciers streak down the sides. The tree line indicates how far the glaciers used to reach down.

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I giggle walking back to the B&B for my breakfast as I imagine the Busbees pulling into town after their night's sleep in Anchorage, awestruck faces pressed against the car windows. Welcome to Seward, ya'll, come on out and set a spell.
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Travel Info:

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Seward Waterfront Lodging. A small, bed and breakfast style inn. An older house, a little musky, too much for those with allergy problems. Two of the rooms (ours) are directly across from the bay, with nothing but huge windows between my bed and the Bay. Awesome. The owners were helpful in making boat arrangements, knowledgeable about the area, nice and great cooks.
The Fish House Fishing charters. Also, we called it the Tyler Brothers of Seward. They have a big store where you can get hunting/fishing supplies, Dickies sport clothing, snacks, anything that you'd need while visiting Seward.
Major Marine Tours We had an excellent glacier/wildlife tour that I'll blog about later. Take the long tour (8 hours) and pay for the buffet -- well worth it.
The Seward Highway - only highway between Anchorage and Seward, so you won't miss it. Get a tour book at the library or buy one called "Mileposts." In Alaska, all directions are given by mileposts. In any guide book, you can find great places to stop along the highway, milepost by milepost. Briefly: The Seward Highway -- mileposts 106 - 110 - Dall Sheep on the craggy mtn. tops. Mile 110.3 - Beluga Point. Get out, stretch, look for Belugas. Near Mile 101 - Bird Creek State Campground - great view of the Turnagain Tidal Bore -- the tide comes in as one giant wave, can be 6' tall. (get low tide time in Anchorage at airport, then add 2 hrs, 15 mins to it to find out low tide time at this viewpoint) Mile 79 - Big Game Alaska - Driving tour of Big Game, admission fee. Miles 47.5 - 44.5 -- numerous turnoffs for excellent photos of Upper and Lower Summit Lakes. (In Alaska, RVs can stop at turnoffs and spend the night, we saw several at almost every single turnoff.)
Seward Trolley - You don't have to rent a car in Alaska, you can take the big train almost anywhere. And once in Seward, you really could walk everywhere (long walks) or take the trolley. However, we had rental cars for convenience.
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My posts on Alaska: Dipnetting in Kenai, Seward: Exit Glacier, Alaksa Nellies Restaurant, Kenai Fjords,