Happy Father’s Day to all the special dads in my life: the fathers of our beautiful and brilliant grandchildren, (+ one soon to be), and the father of my beautiful and brilliant daughters.
Things look different in reverse. We back track to Soldotna on our way to Seward. Taking the Kalifornsky Beach Road loop affords the opportunity to see a working fish cannery, (not very glamorous), and several most likely million dollar homes with million dollar views.
We’re socked in today. It’s a relief because I’m running out of words to describe the mountains in this place. Maybe they need a rest too, consequently they’re undercover.
Father’s Day brings out the fishermen in even greater numbers, by the hundreds in fact. The pullouts are jam packed with rigs, the rivers are wall-to-wall rods and reels.
As we turn south towards Seward we’re in new territory and we find the tiny community of Moose Pass (population: 189) celebrating the summer solstice with the Annual Moose Pass Summer Festival. White tented booths hold carnival games for the kids, firemen grilling sausages, local crafters displaying their work; the ASPCA’s petting booth and the filling station selling “Moose Pass Gas” T-shirts. The firehouse is decked out with painted swallow houses. They tell us they love their swallows….who feed on mosquitoes.
Another stop at Bear Creek Weir to watch the red salmon crowding in the creek and leaping a small manmade waterfall. The creek is intentionally dammed by the Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association to stop “excess” fish from returning to their spawning grounds in nearby Bear Lake . As we watch the fish being scooped out of the water and dumped in boxes to die it all seems like Machiavellian manipulation, but evidently it’s being done in the name of science and for the protection of future salmon, but certainly not the ones we are seeing today.
When we reach Seward we drive out along Resurrection Bay to Lowell Point on a narrow gravel road fronting the bay. Another no guard rail experience, this time nose to nose with the harbor seals.
Exit Glacier is just out of town and then an easy walk from the visitor’s center to great views of this three mile long ice flow descending from the Harding Icefields.
Our site for the night is right on the bay with views of both water and mountains in this “city” named for the man who arranged the purchase of Alaska from the Russians in 1867. Quite the acquisition, even though at the time it was known as Seward’s Folly.
Wildlife count: 14 eagles, 2 harbor seals, 2 moose and one calf, 1 swan
Airstreams: 2
Miles: 240
Gratitudes: PKB: glacial sparkle JMB: my beautiful daughters
Gin Score: J: 2055 P: 2015
Glad the road in reverse provides a new perspective and continued enjoyment!
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