Our trip started with an early morning train ride on Saturday. Despite the fact that neither of us had gotten much sleep the night before, we were both giddy with excitement at the scenery. This is Alaska! The route leaves Anchorage and follows Turnagain Arm and the mudflats. After passing through the small town of Girdwood and a few beautiful meadow sections, the tracks pass two glaciers and some snowy areas of mountain near the pass before wrapping around Kenai Lake and into Seward. It's a 4+ hour train ride, but the trip is well worth it. The cars were all well-kept, and the atmosphere on the train is generally really relaxed. Although there are assigned seats, it's really open seating. Perhaps best of all, there are open air spaces between all of the cars allowing for photos and lots of fresh air. We spent a lot of time taking photos out there on our way to Seward.Once we arrived in Seward and enjoyed Alaska's best halibut tacos at the Railway Cantina, we made our way to the bed and breakfast: Soo's. Soo keeps a very clean and comfortable home. We don't get a lot of that here in Anchorage, so it was a nice treat.
Before we knew it, we had called a taxi to take us to Iditarod trailhead a few miles out of town. Supposedly, this is Mile 1 of the famous Iditarod race. I'm skeptical because every town seems to make the same claim. Anyway, the whole way there, the crazy driver told us moose and bear horror stories. I believe his parting words were "I hope the people ahead of you on the trail made a good bear meal." Needless to say, we were a bit nervous that our very trendy orange and purple bear bells would not be sufficient to warn bears in the area to get out of the way...especially after we saw fresh bear track after fresh bear track. Just over a mile into our
walk, our minds were diverted from bear worries by the realization that we could not cross the river separating us from the rest of the trail. Apparently Alaska suffered severe floods in 2006 which re-routed several rivers...including Salmon Creek. We're adventurous, but we're not stupid. Crossing a cold, rushing, deep, wide river was simply not happening. We found the creek's old path and headed back to the trailhead for our walk back into town. Along the way, we stopped to take a few pictures...and must have been somewhat quiet for a moment...when I looked up and saw a mother moose leading her calf across the river. It was stunning! Despite the camera in my hand, I didn't get a picture. Moose are some fast creatures!Back at the trailhead, we started the 3+ mile into town. But, before long, a van pulled up and offered us a ride into town. This is a prime example of the native giving tradition. They were driving in the same direction that we were walking and had some extra green tea. Why wouldn't they share with us?
On Sunday, Soo made us a great breakfast before driving us to the kayak shop where we had booked a full day paddling tour of Resurrection Bay. We had a beautiful day with calm waters, some overcast skies, some sun, and plenty of wildlife. Right off the bat, we saw nesting bald eagles and a few harbor porpoises. [I have to finish my waterproof camera before developing the pictures I took on the water.] After about two hours of paddling, we stopped at a pretty impressive waterfall for a short rest and snack. Continuing toward the Pacific, we saw otters and seals. The otters were especially cute sunning themselves on their backs. After a stop for lunch and short hike up to a look out, we paddled far enough to see the bay meet the Pacific and then headed back. With winds pushing us back, our return trip didn't take long at all.
Check out Kiki's blog for a great slideshow from the weekend.
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