Seward's "Folly"

We left our trusty Wal-Mart parking lot this morning and headed south towards Seward. The road heading south is aptly called The Seward Highway. It is also recognized as a National Scenic Byway. We can attest to that. Despite the fact the weather was overcast, a number of scenic turnouts provided beautiful vistas. We went through towns called Girdwood, Portage and Moose Pass. The towns were adjacent to the Chugach National Forest. Portage was actually eliminated as a town after the earthquake that shook Alaska on March 27, 1964. The town actually dropped six to twelve feet and it became uninhabitable due to tidewaters covering the town with salt water.

Moose Pass was advertised as a beautiful and well-appointed town that would welcome travelers with its lodging, shopping and fishing. Well, it met the muster on the fishing. In fact, many rabid fishermen fly in to get the great catches. As far as lodging and shopping, it might have been more than a little overstated.

We passed Summit Lake and Kenai Lake along our route to Seward. We passed Exit Glacier National Park. There, you can take a half mile hike and be next to a glacier. We plan to see that when we head north from here.

Seward is located on the Kenai Peninsula. Known for its outstanding fishing, the peninsula attracts anglers from all over the world. Catch some salmon and they will clean it and ship back home for you. Seward is on the southeastern side of the peninsula and is on the Gulf of Alaska. It is also home to the Kenai Fjords National Park. What the heck is a fjord? I thought they were in Norway. Well, a fjord is an inlet cut out by glaciers. Some of the inlets continue to have glaciers where the Gulf meets the land. You have probably seen on National Geographic or the Discovery Channel programs where you see portions of vertical glacial walls crash into the tidewater.

Seward is also the location where the Benny Benson designed the Alaska flag. Alaska did not become a state until January 3, 1959, but the flag was first flown in Seward on July 9, 1927.

You may remember that Alaska was known as Seward’s Folly. Seward was Secretary of State when he decided to purchase Alaska from Russia. People in the lower 48 thought it was a ridiculous purchase and made great fun of the acquisition. It is fitting that a beautiful town such as this be named for Seward. Surrounded by fjords, majestic mountains and beautiful water, this haven has natural resources that would be sorely missed had it not been part of our Union.

The harbor alone is breathtaking. Filled with privately owned boats and commercial fishing vessels, one could jump from boat to boat for hours and never touch water. The icing on the cake is the presence of a cruise ship in the harbor. Holland America had the Ryndon docked for the day. Saturday and Sunday are cruise ship days in Seward, when the town’s shops comes alive with visitors from either Holland America or Royal Caribbean.

Probably the most astounding thing for us was the enormous number of recreational vehicles visiting the town. Seward is wise to appropriate a significant amount of land near the water for RVers. One has to dry dock, but for $12.00 you get a spot right on the Gulf of Alaska. What a prize!

Tomorrow, we plan to take one of the boat fjord trips. We will take the six-hour cruise via catamaran will combine a sea life journey as well as a glacier and fjord adventure. We hope to see orcas, puffins and sea otters.