Day Fourteen Cheyenne to Alaska and return

[dlennox]

Well when we got underway this morning it was cold and a hint of rain was in the air, in fact the forecast for Seward was for cloudy with showers. The ride down highway 1 was wet roads but things were going great until we passed a sign that said no gas for 85 miles; since I was already at 57 miles we didn't want to chance it, we turned around and went back to Girwood to top off; turned out to be a smart choice as we got held up several minutes( ABOUT 30) for road construction and we were running late(hate to admit it but we did some white knuckle riding) for the cruise ship. As we were proceeding dpwn the road we kept asking the Lord for traveling mercies as we always do as well as some better weather. When we arrived in Seward the clouds broke into a beautiful blue sky the sun came out and the gray cllouds turned into the fluffy white cotton ball type making everything seem fresh and clean, a perfect chamber of commerce day; Our God is great! We then checked in for the cruise into Ressurection Bay and into the Pacific Ocean (Bering Sea); the water was as smooth as could be with an occasional swell which made the boat trip very nice. We encountered: Humpback Whales,Orca Whales,Sea otters,Harbor seals, Various Puffins Birds,Mtn Goats,Eagles,Dolphins, and so much more; it was great seeing everything up close and personal as the Captain took the twin hulled boat right up clsoe to wherever the attraction of the moment was. Had a nice snack onboard then it was on to see an active Glacier that was calfing(Chunks of ice falling into the sea) and to slowly work our way through the mini-icebergs flow, what a sight. The ship tour was very informative and lasted about 6 hrs. After the tour was over we checked into our motel and went to visit the Alaska Sealife Center spending about two hours looking at the exhibits and the live water tanks with myriads of local sea life right before our eyes; Again Awesome! Long tiring day but well worth it. Later.

[ARtraveler]

Glad to hear you made it safe to Seward and had such a good time on the cruise and at the Sealife Center.

I forget to mention a couple things that may be of interest on the return trip.

If you take the Hope cutoff before reaching Turnagain Pass, there is a scenic 15 mile drive to the town of Hope. This used to be a center of gold mining in the early 1900's. There are currently about 130 people that populate the town. Most of the buildings are from that vintage of time and are mostly log cabin type. There are a couple places where you get to see Turnagain Arm from the other side. Two miles or so across--but 50 miles by road to get to the other side. Discovery Cafe is a great place to stop in Hope. This is a very nice 30 mile sidebar to your trip back to Anchorage.

As you approach Turnagain Arm on the return trip, note all the dead petrified trees that you will see in the wetlands area. Those trees stand as sentinals and were killed by the salt water from the tsunami that occured on Good Friday 1964--when the biggest earthquake recorded in the US hit this area. Between Portage and Girdwood you will see a train station and information place for those wanting to take the train to Whittier--the right side of the road. Almost directly across the road you will see the remains of a couple old buildings and a car. This is all that is left of the old location of Portage that was also taken out by the tsunami.

We also went to Hope today for our Friday ride--and as you mentioned the weather turned out to be just great. Looking forward to hearing about the rest of your adventures.