Cody and I went on our first day-cation here in Alaska, and we tried to pack everything into just a few hours. We left sunny, warm Anchorage about 9:00 yesterday morning, coffee in hand. Our first destination was the Portage Glacier. Of course it turned cloudy and starting raining about 20 minutes from Portage. We still enjoyed the visitor's center, complete with a great video about glaciers and lots of things to see and touch (including a penny press!). We braved the rain briefly, then drove a smidge further to catch a glimpse of the glacier (which is apparently only visible from the boat tour since it's been receding in recent years). We drove out of the park, saw Middle Glacier and a few trails that would have been lovely had it not been raining.
Leaving the park, we decided to drive down to Seward. Little did we know what a gorgeous drive it is (Scenic Byway, etc). Reading a few travel books we packed, we decided to head to Exit Glacier, just north of Seward. It was amazing!
Then we ventured into town, checked out a few little shops, and ate dinner at the Showcase Lounge- was quite an experience. We gassed up (@ $4.59!) then headed back. We stopped by Girdwood to see the chapel, resort and a waterfall before making it back to Anchorage. Perhaps some of your eyes will glaze over with the scenery pictures, but they really don't do it justice...
 |
| Very sad it was raining so much |
 |
| Very happy to have happened along a penny press--- which imprinted on both sides! |
 |
| Kayak much? |
 |
| Checking out an otter's vision |
 |
| Portage Lake |
 |
| Cold and rainy |
 |
| Toe-in Portage Lake |
 |
| The blue sliver-looking ice in the middle is Portage Glacier |
 |
| Middle Glacier |
 |
| First use of the Sibley book |
 |
| One of many waterfalls along the road |
 |
| One of the most beautiful spots we stopped at... unmarked, just a random pick |
 |
| Glacier melt makes all the rivers/lakes a gorgeous blue |
 |
| One of my favorite pictures |
 |
| Classic |
 |
| Kenai Lake |
 |
| First hike with our new Camelbak! (Found at the BX for 1/2 price!) |
 |
| First view of the glacier |
 |
| Exit Glacier |
 |
| It was amazing to see how much it has receded in the last 100 years, even the last 4 years |
 |
| Cody wanted to hike all the way to the top (8.2 miles roundtrip) but we saved that for next time... perhaps with the family in September?! |
 |
| We now know lots of glacier terms, like firnification, ablation, and why the ice has a blue hue |
 |
| It was about a 2 mile hike, and besides sitting in a puddle, it was a great trip |
 |
| Super excited to find this at the Seward Chamber of Commerce |
 |
| Downtown Seward, Alaska |
 |
| Beauty on the way back too |
 |
| Virgin Creek Falls in Girdwood, AK |
Wildlife count:
3 rabbits
2 bald eagles
1 huge mosquito
No comments:
Post a Comment