From Anchorage to Seward

It was gloomy the next morning. Our itinerary was to take a bus ride to Anchorage, visit the Museum in downtown, and then continue to Seward, a port town and the gateway to Kenai Fjords National Park. The ride along Seward Highway was very scenic. We passed Turnagain Arms of Cook Inlet, with intermittent showers and clouds hanging over the mountains along the road. I was thinking the best time to travel this road is probably a sunny morning or afternoon after some rain so that clouds would form over the mountains against the blue sky background.

In Seward, we stayed in Seward Windsong Lodge, located on the side of the Resurrection River. It was a rustic facility with clusters of lodges dispersed around a large area. The water of the Resurrection River appeared grayish with volcanic ash from upstream. The hotel had free shuttle service to downtown. Our travel package included a cruise to Kenai Fjords National Park. The cruise was to leave at 11:00 a.m. So, we had a couple of hours to tour the town of Seward. The Resurrection Bay was beautiful with sail boats and yachts against the snow-capped mountains as the background.  

Kenai Fjords National Park

The boat we took for the cruise had two decks. I picked a seat on the upper for better views and photo opportunities. Shortly after the boat took off, a light lunch was provided. The views of the various fjords were fabulous. Our boat was small and can get pretty close to the shoreline and approach wildlife. We saw lots of seals, sea lions, some dolphins, killer whales, and humpbacks. There were quote a few yachts, some fancy and luxurious, some classic and practical. Some were kayaking. We saw a young couple sitting on a small hill, enjoying the glacier in the front. 

Our captain waited in front of a major glacier long enough to let see some glacier calving. We had a stop at Fox Island for a grilled salmon dinner. The catering facility seems to be exclusively for tourist groups; there was no other business or service or residence on the island. 

We had an extra day to spend in Seward. The itinerary was to visit the Sea World Center in the morning and return to Anchorage by train in the afternoon. On the docks, we saw some fishermen return from a finishing trip with their trophies:  dozens of halibu.

Train Ride back to Anchorage

The train ride from Seward to Anchorage was very scenic, with lakes, meadows, and snow-covered mountains on both sides. At some points, we even saw some glaciers. The upper parts of the doors at the ends of the carriages were open so that people could reach out to take photos.

Cruise in Prince William Sound

Back in Anchorage, we checked into Anchorage Grand Hotel, located right across from the train station. No need for cab or shuttle service; we simply dragged our luggage up a hill slope to the hotel. From our room window, we could see the train station.

We booked a cruise of Prince William Sound via Phillips Cruises & Tours. A bus picked up from downtown. On the way out of town, we were amazed to see a moose dash across the highway. The driver said she'd been driving in Anchorage for 12 years and it was the first time she had ever seen such a scene.

Seats were pre-assigned on the boarding passes, but we found our window seats taken by a young couple. They asked if we could use their aisle seats instead. As the boat was about to leave and we saw some vacant seats in the front of the deck, we moved over there. It turned out those seats were unassigned and a few others soon joined us taking the remaining seats next to us with a vantage view of the scenes ahead. 

It was an overcast afternoon, but no rain and visibility was good. The Klondike Express, the boat of our ride, was the largest, fastest and most luxurious catamaran in Alaska. Because of its size, the boat couldn't get very close to the shorelines, but the ride was much smoother. We didn't see as much wildlife as we saw in Kenai Fjords, but the glaciers in Prince William Sound were generally on a more grandiose scale.