Dreamy DayTrip 1: Seward
I know plenty of people that can’t be friends with their exes but I’m just not one of those people. I’m friendly with most of them, but Michael and I are the closest. After 11 years of friendship and on again off again coupledom, he’s still one of my favorite adventure partners. He put a price alert on Anchorage and scored seriously cheap flights and crashed most of my 2 week housesit in Anchorage. After over a decade of demurring from outdoor activities, I think he was more than a little curious to see me out in nature on this adventure. I had seen and done so many things that he would have loved on my road trip, so I had a lot of fun planning field trips to favorite things and finding new places for us (and the dogs) to explore on day trips from our home base bungalow.
Dreamy DayTrip 1 was a whirlwind. We planned to head toward Seward to check out the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, Kenai Lake/Cooper Landing, Exit Glacier, and Portage Lake, but we got more than we bargained for and it was MARVELOUS. The route from Anchorage to the AWCC takes you right past Beluga Point on the Turnagain Arm. The Alaska Railroad was going by, the wind was blowing through the changing trees, the endangered Cook Inlet Belugas were playing in the water, and the sun was out. It was so beautiful we had to make an unscheduled stop. Freya and Rupa, my two feisty four legged charges were loving the unexpected start to our adventure, and so were we.
I was told repeatedly that the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center was a must see. When you come to Alaska, you want to see all of the things that make this destination so unique. The animals are a huge part of that, and a considerable chunk of my budget went to wildlife observation on boats, thank goodness I’m overcoming my aversion to them. It was a welcome change to check things out on land, and this preserve provides ample opportunities to see so many unique species. I walked under a tree with a black bear in it, waved to the caribou and reindeer, walked along the brown bear boardwalk, watched bison romp and moose get fed, lynx basking in sun, muskoxen and elk lounging, and even a prickly porcupine play. It was pretty spectacular. You can drive through most of the park, but it is definitely better to get out and walk around. The gift shop had some sweet local treats, I think the caramelized jalapeño cheese balls are a must. This spot is perfect for all ages, relatively inexpensive, and a really fun way to spend a couple of hours.
We continued on to Seward. As a Texan, I was skeptical, but I received several recommendations for Firebrand BBQ. It was good, but I wouldn’t put it on a must eat list. I walked the pups while Michael hiked up to Exit Glacier. We all went to play in the outwash as I showed them my magical campsite discovery. Then we wandered toward Whittier, took a quick field trip to the Y and to Cooper Landing/Cooper Landing Brewing.
We decided to head over to Portage Lake to see the glaciers near sunset and it was GORGEOUS. My favorite part of every revisit I did was that in different times of day/light and with the onset of Autumn, it felt like a completely different experience. Watching the sun go down over the mudflats on Turnagain Arm and a flight at Glacier Brewhouse were the perfect way to wind down an amazing adventure day. I drank their Raspberry Wheat all over Alaska, and the rest of their line up was stellar. Their Peanut Butter Pie secured a place on my top treats list of the past year. It took everything I had to not lick the plate and I was pretty disappointed I couldn’t make time to head back to do it again before we left.
It was a really solid and stellar day, but we moved at a pretty fast clip. I definitely recommend an overnight in Seward and to not try to cram it in with so much, but it was a perfect crash course day in southern Alaska. I would absolutely do every part of it again any time.
