,Wednesday, June 23, 2010.

We left Anchorage around 11 AM to drive to Seward on the sea coast. Stopping at several places along the way to take pictures didn't take too long. At the first stop the tide was out therefore there were no beluga whales to be seen. They are the only all white whales and it would have been really neat to see them. Maybe when we come back to pick up Tyler and Noah it'll be high tide. Along this coastline the Alaska Railway runs bringing passengers from Seward and Whittier to Anchorage. They also take coal down to Seward to load onto ships. When the tide goes out it leaves behind sand that is made up of glacial silt and loamy soil that turns into quicksand. There are warning signs all over the inlet. It's a shame because this is a really pretty beach.
Driving down the mountain towards Seward is similar to the ride down to Skagway; just not as steep. We tried to stop at several spots along the way to fish; but most of them had too small of turnoffs for this RV and the car in tow. When we finally found one, Daddy went down to fish and I packed up a picnic lunch and carried it down to him. The area was called Jerome Lake and was supposed to be stocked with rainbow and Dolly Varden up to 22". We sat down there forever and there was not even a bite!
All along the sides of the road the local flowers are blooming in profusion. The green weeds are really high too, and the dandelions are going to seed. The white fluffy cotton is blowing all over the place along with the cottonwood trees and willow trees. The wild Queen Anne's Lace is really tall and in bloom. Also there are spiderwort flowers and Jacob's Ladder. They have hedge like shrubs with tiny leaves and close together with bright yellow flowers. I haven't found out the names for them yet. All in the small towns are lilac bushes blooming that smell heavenly. I remember having a bush in the yard when I was a small child. It's a shame it won't grow in Florida. There are pretty blue lupines and fire weed growing wild on the roadsides.
We are staying at the Bear Creek RV Park. There are some RV parks right on the water; but you can't make a reservation ahead of time. The town of Seward is starting to fill up with people early for the 4th of July.So we decided it was best to take 1 out of town. The people that pulled in next to us in a F350 cab and camper attached came outside with the same BBQ that we have. We looked over because all of a sudden there was lots of smoke. She had placed long stringy meat on it and never turned the flame down; so the flames were about a foot in the air! We were afraid she was going to set something on fire. These 12" long strips of meat ended up being 3" long. I'm glad that wasn't our supper.
There was a cruise ship in the town today that was backing out to the channel around 7PM. They used to get about 100 cruise ships a year; but only 50 come now. The town is apparently not interested in them. The owner of the RV Park said the town won't let in any fast food joints and no new businesses that are started by people from out of town. They are real snooty. And this is coming from a lady that grew up here!
At the 1 edge of town is a huge waterfall coming down the mountain from a high snow pack. The water is flowing down so fast that it sprays all over the road and cars for 2 lanes. It flows under the road and then goes out into the estuary and into the ocean. This water is from a glacier and it is a different color when it hits the estuary water. It almost looks like a line has been drawn between the 2 waters. This town is rather small; but not as small as Skagway and it doesn't have a bunch of cruise ship stores like the many diamond and jewelry stores we found in Skagway. The really old historic buildings that survived the 1964 earthquake are being renovated, but no new looking construction in the town. They have 1 veterinarian, but no specialists for people. When someone gets hurt, they have to be medo vacked to Anchorage. Anchorage is a 3 hour drive by car.