Monday, September 9, 2019
Seward to Anchorage
Slept in today to give the morning fog a chance to burn off. No breakfast served at this hotel, only coffee in the lobby, so we made ramen in the microwave and checked out at 11:00. A beautiful, warm, sunny day!
That silly concrete-spillway waterfall we saw yesterday when we arrived in Seward marks the beginning of Lowell Point Road. This morning we followed the rough, pitted road 2 ½ miles south of town, along Resurrection Bay, to Lowell Point, a tranquil and beautiful area. We saw an otter floating in the bay while eating a fish along the way. So cute!
Resurrection Bay from Lowell Point
Otter munching on lunch
Seward, Alaska
The legendary Iditarod dog-mushing trail historically began in Seward as a mail and supply route from this ice-free southern port to interior Alaska and iced-in communities on the west coast, including Nome. In 1925, during a diphtheria epidemic, dog mushers rushed life-saving serum hundreds of miles to the people of Nome, who could not have been reached by any other means. This was the inspiration for the famous Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
We finally made it to the beginning
And away I go!
After driving along the harbor, we continued to the opposite side of Resurrection Bay, still technically part of Seward, to Spring Creek Campground. We'd seen many eagles on our trip and finally were lucky enough to find one at rest that we could photograph. The campground itself is a gravel parking lot in an industrial area, but the views are outstanding and the fishing looked good.
Majestic bald eagle
Spring Creek
From Spring Creek Campground
Beautiful day!
We retraced our route from yesterday, heading north across the Kenai Peninsula on the Seward Highway. We'd wanted to detour to the Russian River area and do some hiking, but continued wildfires in the area changed our plans. Instead, we returned to Portage Glacier Road, since it's a much prettier day today, to enjoy the views again, this time in the sunshine.
From the Bear Valley Scenic Overlook, Portage Glacier Road
Portage Lake
Moose by the highway
Next we returned to Girdwood to hike the Winner Creek Trail. We could only go as far as the hand-tram, which was unfortunately closed at the time, awaiting maintenance. Rats! There was no crossing the thundering Glacier Creek without it. It was still a nice two-mile walk in the woods.
Winner Creek Trail, Girdwood
Tom on the hand-tram
Raging water
From Girdwood, we continued our drive northward on Seward Highway along the Turnagain Arm. It was bitterly cold, windy, and drizzling when we passed by here previously, so we made a number of scenic stops today.
Turnagain Arm
Coastal Classic railroad route along the Turnagain Arm
Sounds great!
Finally, we arrived at the Hyatt Place in Anchorage at 7:20, where we're staying for free tonight with a credit card award. Luxury!
But our day wasn't over yet! After check-in, we immediately headed back out to the Glen Alps Trailhead area, situated high above Anchorage, in the enormous Chugach State Park. Covering almost 500,000 acres, it's the third largest state park in the United States. We walked a short paved trail and saw the lights come on in the city. When the weather is exceptionally clear, you can see Denali from here, 143 miles away.
Above Anchorage
Glen Alps Trailhead area
Part of Chugach State Park
We had dinner at El Dorado Mexican Restaurant near our hotel, steak fajita tacos, chile verde, fresh salsa, and a pitcher of Alaskan Amber. Excellente! We barely got there in time to be served before their 10:00 closing time. Glad we made it!
Tom
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