Seward, Alaska

[newfsmith]

Yes, when my mother was 85 she said "I've always wanted to go to Alaska, and I'm 85 so I'd better do it soon." We flew into Anchorage and spent 2 days there. On one we went on a birding tour, which was great. Very little walking was involved for Mom, and we got to see lots of birds, including 10 life-listers for me. We enjoyed walking around Anchorage, went up to some of the surrounding mountains for the view, and enjoyed some walks near the log cabin B&B we were staying at. Then we took the train from Anchorage to Seward. I highly recommend that train ride down the Turnagin arm. We saw the tidal bore which wasn't as dramatic as the Bay of Funday, but still was fascinating. We saw lots of moose and eagles enroute. While in Seward we toured a dog racing kennel, played with some of their pups, were cautioned to not approach any of the adults, had a demo of the gear used by dog and driver, and finally had a ride on their 4 wheeled summer training cart pulled by a full team. The next day we did a cruise out to the Chiswell islands, stopping to watch a Glacier calve, to see Mountain goats & kids, sea otters,Orcas, humpback whales, tons of marine birds including both horned & tufted Puffins, and Stellar sea lions. Then we made the one mistake of the trip. I let my husband talk me into going to Denali ("we can't go to Alaska and not go to Denali."). We took a tour bus from Seward to Denali, a long, tiring bus ride that was much less scenic than the train route. Since we were there in mid-May the road into the park was only open about half-way. We did get to see caribou, Dall sheep, and a Willow Ptarmigan. The saving grace of the side trip was that we took the train back to Anchorage. The Alaska trains are the way to go if you are traveling with an older person. We did get to see Denali, the mountain, on that return trip. All in all, we all agreed that Seward was the best part of the trip. We would have been better off heading over to Homer like you suggest. Have a great trip!

[solobiker]

We went in early August. The weather was great. Warmer then I was expecting, temps were in the mid 70s with plenty of sun. We camped the whole time we were there and it took us awhile to get used to it being bright out at night. We were wearing sunglasses at 11pm! Enjoy your trip. I would go back. Very pretty area.

[solobiker]

What time of year are you thinking about going?

[solobiker]

Lets see if I can attach a few pics...sorry if it does not work or if they are too big/small.

[itself]

Lets see if I can attach a few pics...sorry if it does not work or if they are too big/small.

Where were those pictures taken? They are awesome!!!

It seems like we are focusing now on Chugach State Park, Seward and Homer. I think this will keep us plenty busy!!

[solobiker]

The kayaking one was in Seward and I don't quite remember where the other one was taken. Have a great trip!!!

[itself]

What time of year are you thinking about going?

We are going in August.

[itself]

Thanks for the input. Also, everything we have about Anchorage has been great. This sounds like a great city.