Seward

This last three days we have been in Seward. The town is a small (3,000) fishing and tourist destination, on the Kenai fjord. Named for the Secretary of State that negotiated buying Alaska from Russia, it is the home of the Exit Glacier.

In 1964 Stewart, and much of lower Alaska, was hit by a earthquake 9.2 on the scale. That combined with a tsunami at speeds over 400 miles per hour. destroyed the waterfront and much of the commercial fishing and coal industries.

The city has slowly recovered, becoming a tourist destination. Beautiful harbors with the fjords providing deep water access, allows the large cruise lines access.

We walked up to the Exit glacier, named because it was the only exit point for people traveling across the ice field. The ice is almost a luminescent blue. This is caused by the tremendous pressure the ice is under.

During the walk up to the ice field signs designated where the glacier was in the past. In the last decade it has retreated about 200 yards.

Our campground is on a river where salmon are available for fishing, and a number of them were caught by our group.

A family of eagles fly around and above the campground looking for a fish dinner. It is an odd pair, a bald eagle with a golden eagle.

 

We are off to Homer Thursday morning.