Seward

August 24: This morning we has a tour of the gold mine and learned about placer mining. The mine is basically an historical tour. Lots of old buildings and beautiful flowers There are signs that mining is going on, however we think a lot of their income comes from weddings. Out camping was on a gravel lot in the middle of nowhere! The drive alone was worth the trip.

Headed for Seward, our desintation for a few days. In Seward we stopped at the Kenai Fjords National Park Headquarters. The ranger was very helpful. The National Park Service partners with several tour companies. We selected Major Marine Tours and chose the longest tour on a slower boat with a park ranger on board. We then walked the tourist street and headed for Sea Life Center. This lived up to our expectations. Spent hours there and only left because we wanted to find a place to park for the night.

 King Salmon

Cooper Rock Fish

Seward has a municipal park that runs from the boat harbor to the sea life center. It has RV spaces with and without hookups. We will stay here for 2 days. We walked the bike path which goes into town. It is still light about 10 PM. However , we did watch the moon come up over the mountains reflect in the harbor.

Off to the Kenai

August 23 Off to the Kenai, by way of Anchorage. I need to order a battery for my laptop. I can pick it up on our way back through Anchorage. We went to the Musk Ox Farm as Edna wanted to see Qiviut. The yarn that is spun from thie undercoat. The Musk Ox Farm was interesting, but would not recommend it. It is a farm as we are and we are escaping from that.

Stopped at Potters Marsh, but did not see many birds and Edna was disappointed. It was the wrong time of day..

Started driving along Turnagain Arm. The views are stunning with lots of turn offs. Alaska law requires you to pull off if 5 or more vehicles are behind you, so they can pass. This applies even if you are doing the speed limit. We pulled over a few times. The beluga wails come up into this area to feed. We watched a large pod of them on the incoming tide. They are not as showy as the humpbacks, but exciting to see as their numbers are diminishing.

Looking for a place to stop for the night Edna found one of her specials: Crow Creek Mine National Historical Site. It was quite a drive through Chugach National Forest on a gravel road. We saw signs for the Iditarod Trail. When we reached the mine, it was closed so we parked and had dinner. Our adventure will continue tomorrow.