Back on schedule
After a couple lousy days of weather delays we are back on
our active schedule. Our hotel is an old
classic in Seward, aptly named the Hotel Seward. It has been around for ages, but we are in
the new wing that is a nice architectural match. It still has a bit of an old smell and there
are historical pictures covering every hallway wall and stuffed critters all
over the lobby. The only thing it doesn’t
have is a complimentary breakfast which means breakfast bars this morning with
a couple pots of in-room coffee.
The sun is shining with temps in the high fifties, so this
is really our best day since leaving Anchorage. Not trusting our luck we go for
the big outdoor activity while the sun is shining this morning. Our destination is Exit Glacier National
Park, about 15 miles north of Seward. It is part of Kenai Fjords National Park
but with its own information center and staff.
The star of the show is of course Exit Glacier. As we near the info center we see road signs
with numbers like 1899, 1921, 1942 etc.
We later learn that those are the years when the glacier last reached
that point in the park. It has been receding
since the last ice age ended in the late 19th century.
There are several hiking loops that range from easy to strenuous
and we opt for the moderate. We have the
option of backing out at the “easy” since it is on the way. The trail starts as ten-foot wide blacktop,
gradually converts to 6-foot wide gravel (end of the “easy”), and winds up as a
boulder strewn 2-foot wide path with carved stone steps. We have jackets on when we start but they get
peeled off about halfway into the hike. The problem with jackets off is that in
the wooded parts of the path the mosquitoes are lying in wait and attack with a
vengeance. It is one of those things
where you have no good options.
We finally break free of the woods and peak at the edge of
the glacier which is the end of the moderate path. Mary finds a bench while John covers the last
couple steps up to the glacier overlook.
There is breeze whipping off the glacier with a 20-degree drop in
temperature. That is not unwelcome after
the final climb. We both take a bench break before heading down. All in all, it was a nice little workout, not
too strenuous for old people with new parts.
It clocked it at 2.25 miles, half up and half down, a very reasonable
distance.
The ship harbor is on our way and we do a bit of
exploration. There is a Regent Seven
seas Mariner in port. We look it up and
it is a 750 passenger all-suite, all-balcony ship. Very upscale. We hit Ray’s at the harbor for
lunch where Mary gets a grilled salmon sandwich and John gets the crab and shrimp
salad sandwich. We each eat half and
swap, and both are delicious.
At this point we should address prices in Alaska. To begin
with it isn’t cheap, and the fact that we are traveling in-season doesn’t
help. We already mentioned the price of
rental cars (almost $100 per day). Lodging is double our normal budget and it
is unusual if we find a place under $200 a night. Food is a bit of a surprise as lunches for two of us have been
running at least $50 with tip and dinners are always right around a hundred. We
had hoped that seafood would be less expensive here but it certainly isn’t. The
$40 halibut dinner in Minneapolis is also a $40 dinner here. Our other budget
item was going to be gas, but gas is higher here than at home. Logically we
know that this is a 3-4 month season and these folks have a lot of bills to pay
in a short amount of time. But still…….
We take a bit of a break after lunch because we can. Later in the afternoon we walk the town from
the bayside park and then up 4th street, the local version of Main
Street. It is mostly bars, gift shops
and restaurants, obviously geared for the tourists. There are three or four big cruise ships that
dock here each week, each with a couple thousand folks who flood the city. It is like net fishing for the retailers who
just toss it out and let the fish swim in.
The hotel people have recommended the “Highliner Restaurant,”
our dinner destination tonight. We grab a seat in the bar and have plans for a
light meal. However, the halibut special
sounds really special and we both go for it.
Easily our best meal since leaving Anchorage. We washed it down with a couple local beers
and all is right with the world.
Food, exercise, beer—we will sleep well tonight.
Today’s observation:
In a crowd a backpack is as dangerous as a selfie stick.
No comments:
Post a Comment