As soon as we got set up in our campsite at the Seward Military Resort
we hopped in the truck and began re-familiarizing ourselves with the
town. It is similar enough to Valdez that we often get confused about
which seaport town has what stores, bike paths, trails, and attractions.
Both Valdez and Seward have busy harbors with scenic mountain backdrops.
We love to bike and stroll above the water and look at all the colorful
boats either docked in the water or coming and going through the bay,
from kayaks to sailboats to commercial fishing boats to large cruise
ships from around the world:
All the ramps, docks, and boats float up and down
with the tide.




Two large cruise ships at the north end of the bay
This looks more fun to us than riding on a big
cruise ship.
Even if you aren't going on a fishing trip or day cruise, it's fun to
explore the harbor area and watch everything that's happening. You can
enjoy a variety of shops, restaurants, visitor displays, and the Kenai
Fjords National Park Visitor Center.
Above and below:
You can access many of the shops from both
the boardwalk on the bayside and on the street
side.

Street side entrance to three
tour/charter company buildings and a gift shop
Dockside action includes watching sport fishermen weigh and clean
their day's catch, listening to their stories, and seeing seagulls feast
on whatever pieces of fish they can snag.
One day we watched this group weighing their catch:


This seagull looks like a statue but is real.
During our stay in Seward we rode our bikes to the harbor area
several times.
That was easier for us than taking the truck because it's hard to find
free parking near the downtown stores, restaurants, and harbor area. All
the places that are convenient either cost a bunch of $$$ or have a 15-minute
time limit. Parking was much easier in Valdez.
The photos above were all taken from the small boat harbor
throughout this week.
MORE RESURRECTION BAY SCENES
Here are a few more photos at or near high tide that I took from the bike path a
little farther south along the shore line:




A seagull flies over pilings from an old pier that
washed away.

The bike path winds along the shore and through the
city campgrounds
between the Sea Life Center and the boat harbors.
OTHER SCENES AROUND TOWN
On our first day we drove to several different trailheads so I could
check current conditions of some trails I didn't hike in 2012. For
various reasons I didn't end up hiking any new trails this year but
repeated two of my favorites from the first time we were here. More
about those in separate entries.
These photos show some of the scenery we enjoyed from the bike path
in town, on Nash Road across the bay, and on Exit Glacier Road a
couple miles north of Seward:
These houses above a little lake
between the road/bike path and mountains west of town
have the ultimate view across
Seward and Resurrection Bay to the mountains on the east.

Above and below: looking across
Resurrection Bay from Nash Road to Seward and Mt. Marathon


View of lower part of Mt. Marathon from
downtown Steward; arrows mark some of the
well-worn trails used in the popular Mt.
Marathon foot race held annually on July 4th.

Exit Glacier Road along the Resurrection
River, which flows from Exit Glacier

View of Exit Glacier from the road several miles
away
I did three hikes near Exit Glacier this week -- one on the trails
at the foot of the glacier and two up the right (north) side of the glacier
to the Harding Icefield. I'll have lots of photos and comments about those
awesome hikes in the next three entries.
We didn't do as many "touristy" things in Seward this time
because we did so much of that three years ago. For example, although our
day cruise to Aialik Glacier was a high point of our first trip, we didn't
do another cruise this time. We often have more fun the first time we do
something new and it's not as interesting the next time.
We did go back to the Sea Life Center again on our last morning in
town. I'll write about that in another entry.
Next entry: Jim discovers why I love the Harding Icefield hike
so much (how many people ever get to see an ice field up close?)
Happy trails,
Sue
"Runtrails & Company" - Sue Norwood, Jim O'Neil,
Cody the ultra Lab, and Casey-pup
Previous
Next
© 2015 Sue Norwood and Jim O'Neil