(Continued from the previous page.)

SCENES ALONG THE BAY FRONT

Next I followed the paved bike path east and north along the blue glacial waters of Resurrection Bay. (They'll look even more blue when the sun comes out.)

This view looks south toward Prince William Sound:

Seward is surrounded on all sides by the Kenai Mountains. From town you can see glaciers east across the bay and west "behind" town.

This view looks southeast:

Continuing north along the bay:

 

SIGNS OF THE 1964 EARTHQUAKE & TSUNAMI

Note the old wooden piling from a washed-out pier in the next picture:

I believe that's a reminder from the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Seward, Valdez, Whittier, Girdwood, and other communities along Prince William Sound and Turnagain Arm in 1964. It's the worst earthquake the North American continent has ever suffered.

The initial quake that collapsed the waterfront in Seward also caused a local 30-foot tsunami wave. The wave destroyed most of the facilities along the bay, including a fuel tank farm. The fuel caused fires that grew worse when subsequent waves struck another fuel tank farm farther inland.

Within minutes of all this havoc, the first 40-foot tetonic wave washed in, spreading a wall of flaming oil throughout the town. Many buildings burned down and twelve lives were lost in the mayhem.

Unlike Girdwood and Valdez, which were relocated several miles "uphill," I believe Seward was rebuilt in about the same place. You can read more about the destruction in Seward at this and other links.

Now signs like this can be found all over Seward:

BAYSIDE CAMPING

As I continued riding my bike north on the bike path I came to several gravel municipal campgrounds along the waterfront.

Only one, Resurrection RV Parking, has water and electric hookups. That one reportedly fills up first (it has about 100 sites). The other city campgrounds do not have any hookups but offer restrooms and water.

Many of the sites are suitable for big rigs, although they are fairly close together. A couple of the campgrounds are suitable for only small campers or tents.

 

These campgrounds are very popular because they have such magnificent views and RVers get to see every boat going into and out of the harbor:

A Kenai Fjords Tours catamaran (R) heads out of the bay as a small boat comes in.

A large cruise ship in port for a few days; we didn't notice a crowd in any one place in town today.

Bayside campers also get to watch all the birds that gather near the water:

 

Gulls

Comorants

Every old pier post has a bird on top!

SMALL BOAT HARBOR

The small boat harbor is less than half a mile north of the campground.

Even on overcast days the boats and shops are scenic. Here are some of the photos I took in this area.:

 

 

 

Passengers head down the ramp for a day cruise to Kenai Fjords NP.   Note the low tide.

Shops along the boardwalk

Life jacket loaner station

 

Shops on the boardwalk at low tide

Plaza on street side of the shops along the small boat harbor

MISCELLANEOUS SCENES AT THE SMALL BOAT HARBOR

This is a very clever sign in the harbor re: lots of things to do on the Kenai Peninsula. There's a close-up below the first photo:

 

I'm also including this photo of a sign in the harbor that illustrates all or most of the fresh and saltwater fish that can be caught by sports anglers and commercial fishermen in the area. They include several kinds of salmon, halibut, lingcod, rockfish, rainbow trout, arctic grayling, Dolly varden, red snapper, and others:

And finally, this is the first structure and widows' walk in the new Seward Mariners' Memorial between the small boat harbor and the cruise ship/ferry dock:

A sign explains the purpose of the memorial -- to honor the memory of Seward mariners who have lost their lives at sea or individuals who contributed to local seafaring history or maritime industry -- and describes other things that will be added as funding allows (a compass rose, ship's bell, wave bell, murals and other art, a statue, granite commemorative plaques, benches, and nice landscaping).

The mariners' memorial will be used for the annual Blessing of the Fleet, memorial ceremonies, and other appropriate occasions.

NOW LET'S GO SEE A GLACIER! 

I didn’t get to see everything I wanted to see in town this morning during my bike ride so I’ll have to go back out another day, preferably one with some sunshine. I'll show more photos then.

This afternoon we drove a few miles from Seward to Exit Glacier, the only glacier in the Kenai Fjords National Park where visitors can drive to within a mile of the ice, then walk to it on established trails. The other glaciers can be reached only by air or water.

Next entry:  an interesting hike to Exit Glacier

Happy trails,

Sue
"Runtrails & Company" - Sue Norwood, Jim O'Neil, and Cody the ultra Lab

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© 2012 Sue Norwood and Jim O'Neil