Alaska: Day 1 - Anchorage - Seward

Our flight arrived in Anchorage on August 28th at 12:30am, what fun! We picked up our rental at the airport (new Chevy Impala, comfy and competent) and checked into a hotel, with hopes of catching some shut-eye before embarking on our exciting journey.

After sleeping a few hours at the fabulous Anchorage Suite Lodge Hotel (note: sarcasm), we arose to a cold, rainy morning and and prepared to our
trek to Seward, which was a seaside town a few hours south. It was then we caught a glimpse of the beautiful mountainous backdrop for the first time since it was completely dark when we flew in the night before. One word: enchanting. Even with the local Walmart in sight, we were enamored, but had no idea what the Alaska ahead of us had in store.

Normally, the drive to Seward is only supposed to take a couple of hours, but we probably stopped 25 times along the way for photo-ops, and made a short detour, so it took a good 7 hours instead. We drove along the Turnagain Arm, getting views of the ocean and mountains, stopped at Beluga Point (no whales to be seen :\), and Bird Point. Our detour was to a quaint, tiny seaside town named Hope, where the original layout of the town and buildings was intact. In comparison, it was actually the size of a neighborhood more than anything, with notable buildings being a social hall, bar, restaurant, shop, and library. The restaurant - the Seaview Cafe - looked questionable at best when we parked in the gravel out front, but was suprisingly delicious. I ordered a cup of the Seafood chowder (was terrific!) and a Caesar salad, whereas John had a cheeseburger and fries. The interior was reminiscent of an old farmhouse which, complete with an operating wood-burning heater (which was welcoming from the chill outside). Although Hope wasn't really an ideal destination spot, the journey was well-worth it. Enroute, John spotted a rock outcropping along the side of the road where an American Bald Eagle sat perched. I freaked out, of course since it was the first time I'd ever seen one in the wild. Wildlife makes everything worth it!

Eventually we reached Seward and checked into our accomodations for the next two nights - the Alaska Creekside Cabins. Tim, the owner/operator, was very personable and quite an interesting guy. Being originally from Oklahoma, Tim joined the military and was transferred to Alaska, and fell in love with the state. After he finished his duties, he found the property listed for sale on Craigslist, and jumped at the opportunity. He'd only owned the property for a year, running it by himself, except for when his father an sister had visited for a while to help him get things started. After we chatted for a while, he personally showed us to our bunk, the Musher Cabin, which was accessible by a little bridge crossing the creek. As soon as we stepped upon the bridge, I was hooked! Footlong rainbow trout and salmon flitted about under us, and the creek wrapped itself around the whole of the front of the cabin, giving it a moat-like appeal. Twenty to thirty ducks (including 2 large Mother Goose ducks!) quacked about and glided into view. A little campfire ring and wooden stumps were situated next to the creek, and two old-fashioned rocking chairs welcomed us up to the porch. It was quite a magical place!

After we moved everything to the cabin, we decided to make the most of the waning daylight hours and head out to Exit Glacier, since we anticipated having little free time in the next few days. Exit Glacier, which was conveniently situated close to the cabin, is a glacier that's one of the many that branch off of the Harding Ice Field and is accessible by a short hike from the road. It was raining like crazy, so we threw on our raingear and trekked up there, hoping to get to walk on it or touch it, as rumors had held. Sadly, we were unable to do such things, but the views were amazing, regardless, and we learned a few things about glaciers, and how that one in particular had receeded dramatically since the 1800's. The environment around the glacier was pretty dynamic - rainforests and dramatic waterfalls punctuated the cliffs and mountains around the glacier, and below, the landscape slowly sloped into a silty riverbed where the water runoff branched into many creeks and streams. It was one heck of a structure to behold.

We made a quick stop to Safeway (the local grocer), and shortly after received a voicemail from the Heritage Tours explaining that the boat tour we had reserved for the next day to Ressurection Bay/Kenai Fjords had been cancelled do to a bad storm that had developed in the Gulf of Alaska. Disappointed as we were, we decided to spend the day hiking instead - interested in a trail Tim had mentioned to us earlier.

After we headed back to the cabin, I braved the rain and chill, and managed to build a small fire with damp wood. However, I had to continually tend to to keep it lit whilst in the rain, and the weiners we bought from Safeway to be roasted had to be nuked in our handy-dandy cabin microwave instead, boo. Despite the rain and tour cancellation, it was still a fun, memorable first day!