On the eighth day of our Ultimate Alaska Cruise, we visited the port of Seward. William Seward was the man who helped purchase Alaska from the Russians, a deal which was called “Seward’s Folly” at the time. The only ones calling it a folly now are the Russians, and maybe England (Canada) who didn’t think to buy it themselves.
We decided not to plan an excursion here because it turned out that there was a perfectly good one within walking distance: The Alaska Sealife Center.
However, first we had to arrive in Seward! It was a long way up here, taking two nights and a day of steaming, and we hadn’t even arrived yet, as of dawn. But that didn’t stop us from getting up and onto the upper deck for sunrise. We were true early birds, even here in the far north where the days are very long in May.
We took a ton of photos from the Sun Deck as the ship entered Resurrection Bay. There were pretty clouds, and snow-capped mountains all around us. A very wild and remote area. Sadly, Mount Denali was a bit too far away, and there were too many clouds along the horizon, for us to see it. That’s one problem with a cruise: Getting far inland from a port was impossible due to the timeframes we had.
Video from within the Sky Sanctuary near the bow
It took longer than you’d expect to tie up at the terminal, although if you saw what needed to be done you’d be amazed how smoothly it went. Meanwhile, Vicki was bored, so she decided to check out one of the many hot tubs on the ship. The ones up near the sports center were a bit more private, plus it was early in the morning, when most passengers were asleep. It was cold out there in the fresh Alaskan air, but once she got under the surface it was wonderful. She wondered why she hadn’t done this before! I left her to relax and took more photos of both her and the harbor. Seward was looking beautiful on this fine, sunny day.
After the tub, we got dressed for a day in town. We headed down the gangway and began our two mile walk to the sealife center. We officially signed off the ship using our bluetooth medallions, scanned by the ship’s Security Officers. We walked through the Terminal building and headed toward town. It wasn’t a very large city at all. There were free shuttle buses for tourists, but we decided to stroll along the shore. Surely there was a footpath there!
It was a lovely walk along the shore. We passed the small boat harbor, and continued along past a large campground. Nobody was camping there now, as it was still early in the season. Along the way, we saw a Bald Eagle flying past. Very nice. Eventually, we discovered that this shoreline route we were walking on was also part of the world-famous Iditarod Trail. The 938 mile dog-sled race from here to Nome was an annual competition, fiercely contested. We passed the sign for Iditarod Mile Zero, and simply had to take a photo.
The Alaska Sealife Center was down at the end of town. We went inside and checked out the excellent aquariums that they maintained. They had fish and wildlife exhibits for many different locations along the Pacific Coast. The center also had a research arm, but we didn’t see much of that, as this section helped to fund the research.
There was also an aquatic bird exhibit, with very cute Puffins. Antarctica has penguins, but Alaska has puffins. Puffins seem to be much more fun. They also had seals and otters.
I took far too many photos of the various tanks and fish, but I won’t bore you with them. Go there yourself! We stepped outside onto a porch that had a great view south over the bay. We saw a few more eagles flying by, mostly visiting a nearby cannery, where there were plenty of discarded fish parts to eat. Eagles aren’t picky eaters. Then we went back inside and enjoyed even more exhibits, including a tank full of Moon Jellyfish. Vicki really likes them, and they are fun to watch.
Lastly, of course, was the inevitable Gift Shop. There were quite a few funny hats that comically resembled creature such as frogs, birds, and jellyfish. Vicki chose to buy some Moon Jelly Socks, and put them on right there, just outside the center.
We crossed the street and headed over to a local bar and restaurant. We bought some lunch and hung out for a while. Then we decided to walk a bit further and check out the waterfall that we saw on the map. We love waterfalls, and will go out of our way to view them. This one was quite large, and poured out over a man-made trough, then it flowed under the road and directly into the harbor. Short and sweet.
We decided to be lazy and took the free bus back toward the ship. Along the way the driver announced that the Kenai Fjords National Park Visitor Center was the next stop. So we got out. Why not? Maybe we’d learn about fjords. In fact, we were due to visit one tomorrow. But when we got there it was still closed. Apparently, May was a bit too early in the season.
After that, we walked once again. It wasn’t far. We found silly things to look at, and even walked behind a sturdy Alaskan sailboat being towed to the shipyard for repair. It moved slightly slower than walking speed, but we adjusted our pace.
When we got to the ship we noticed that the longshoremen were loading food and supplies onto the ship like crazy. Yes, a 17-day cruise is a very long time to go without additional supplies. Plus, we got more fresh fruit and other perishables.
Then we walked up the gangway and headed up to the Sun Deck. The views of Seward and the surrounding mountains were exceptional.
By 5pm, everyone was on board. Our dinnertime was right around five, so I didn’t watch the crew casting off the dock lines. Instead, I felt a gentle thrumming through the deck beneath my feet. And when we headed out to the Promenade Deck for our after-dinner constitutional, we discovered that we were already making excellent speed south out of Resurrection Bay.
After that, it was time to go to the gym, do my exercise on the treadmill, and take a shower in the stateroom before heading to bed. Tomorrow morning we were due to explore the College Fjord, an inlet lined with many glaciers, each of which was named for a famous American Institute of Learning. Hopefully, we would learn more about glaciers while we were there.
For a topographic map of the cruise see my CalTopo Page
For LOTS more photos of the voyage see my Flickr Page
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