Wednesday, June 21, 2023
It's the summer solstice (marking the first day of summer), however here in Alaska the daylight hours have been extremely long, with the sun really not setting until around 2:30 a.m. and then back up around 4:30 a.m. Endless summer days give meaning to the term midnight sun, referring to up to 24-hours of sunlight that much of the state of Alaska basks in from the end of April through mid-August, with the longest day of the year being the summer solstice on June 21. Crazy huh?
After a breakfast of pancakes, sausage and eggs, we stopped briefly at Safeway for a few groceries and then caught a few sights before going into the Alaska Sea Life Center.
A large statue in the Alaska Sea Life Center parking lot commemorated the Iditarod trail blazers. The statue, unveiled in 2012, depicts an early 1900 gold prospector with his pack dog. It marks Mile Zero of the Iditarod Trail, which went from here hundreds of miles north to Nome.
We went to the Alaska Sea Life Center mainly because it was a rainy day and what better to do on rainy day than visit a museum. We also had a coupon for a BYGO, so it only cost us $39.95 for admission for both of us. We were there for three hours from 9 a.m. until 12 noon.
Mel points out where we are in Alaska (Seward) as compared to where Russia is located.
Above and below are the various creatures that they have in the touch tanks in the Alaska Sea Life Center.
Getting to watch the Stellar sea lions frolic in the pools was a lot of fun!
We went to the special daily program on the Seabird Keeper chat, where we learned more about the various seabirds in the Sea Life Center.
Tufted and horned puffins.
Then we got to watch them feed the seals.
The Alaska Skate kind of looks like a stingray to me.
And then we learned the story behind all the marine debris (see below).
After we finished up at the Alaska Sea Life Center, we stopped briefly at the Sew 'N Bee Cozy Quilt Shop in Seward (as I wanted to pick up the free row by row quilt pattern). They didn't have it available today, but promised me it would be ready tomorrow.
We then stopped in to get lunch at The Lone Chicharron Taqueria.
I had the steak asada burrito (se below).
While Mel had two street tacos with rice and beans (see below).
After lunch, we stopped at the Seward Chamber of Commerce Visitor Information Center. It was here that I spotted the sign about the "Mural Walking Tour" in Seward.
Below is the first mural I found called "Earthquake." It was painted in 2015 by Carla Rogers and is located at the Seward Chamber of Commerce.
Above is the "Kenai Fjords National Park" mural designed by Ed Tussey in 2008. It was located at the Seward Chamber of Commerce.
Later around 2 p.m., Mel went out snag fishing again -- he returned at 6:30 p.m. with no fish (but said he had snagged one and lost it).
For dinner, we had fish and foil packets of potatoes with carrots, onions and peppers.
Thursday, June 22, 2023
Today was a rainy day with temperatures starting out at 48 degrees, which would only reach 53 degrees by afternoon.
As we drove into Seward, we noticed a drive-up coffee stand along Seward Highway that is shaped like a big coffee cup, thus the name "Seward's Cup." Pretty cool to see even if we don't drink coffee.
On my walk, I caught a few more murals in Seward. The one below is called, "Remembering Exit Glacier," designed by Dot Bardarson in 2007. It was located at the AVTEC Recreation Center.
Next the mural below is called, "The Iditarod Trail." It was designed by Jon Van Zyle in 2002.
I also walked by the Van Gilder Hotel and the Liberty Theater.
The Van Gilder Hotel became a hotel in 1921, even though it was built in 1916 as an office building. Over the decades the hotel played host to a legendary, ongoing pinochle game. It has also had its share of famous, or just quirky guests including early Seward settler Eva Lowell and her pet porcupine; railroad workers who live along the Bay during World War I; and President Harding, who came here in 1923 to drive the final gold spike in the railroad that linked Seward and Fairbanks. I was told that there is even a resident ghost, Fannie, a woman who was murdered in room 202 in 1947. She supposedly still shows up from time to time too. She inspired the novel, "The Ghost of Fannie Guthry-Baehm: A Murder Mystery" by Jonathan Faulkner.
Don Carlos Brownell Jr. was a key figure in the history of both Seward and Alaska as a whole. He served as Seward's mayor during the 1930s and was a Senator in the Alaska legislature in the 1940s. On top of that, he was a silent film actor, and his love of the arts led him to open the historical Liberty Theater which was built in 1943-1944. The theater stayed open until November 2013.
I saw a few more murals on my walk to the quilt shop. Below is the "Wildflower Garden" mural, designed by Gail Neibrugge in 2006. It is located in the Kawabe Park in Seward.
The mural below is "Snapshots of Our Past," which was designed by Jennifer Headtke and Jeannie Shirk in 1999. It was located at 224 5th Avenue in Seward.
After that, Mel picked me up and we drove back to JJK Campsite, filled our camper with potable water and then set up on campsite #1 for three days at $30/night (we had previously camped on site #16).
We then drove back into Seward and had lunch at the Railway Cantina on 4th Avenue in Seward. It is a local favorite offering burritos, quesadillas, tacos and fish burgers.
Mel had a fish burger and fries, and also a bowl of seafood chowder (see picture below).
After that we got gas at the Chevron station and groceries at the Safeway grocery store before heading back to the campground. At 3:20 p.m., Mel decided to go fishing -- he did snag one fish, but lost it. He got back at 6:15 p.m. and we had leftover pasta for dinner.
Friday, June 23, 2023
The day started out at 50 degrees with rain, fog and lots of clouds. After a breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage and toast, we went to do laundry in Seward.
Below is the Benny Benson Memorial, located in the Benny Benson Memorial Park on Seward Lagoon just off the Seward Highway. This humble monument honors Seward's favorite son, Benny Benson.
Before 1927, Alaska did not have a flag as it was still a territory. Since Alaska was purchased from Russia in 1867, Alaskans had flown only the U.S. flag. However in 1926, Territorial Governor George Parks thought having a flag would help Alaska become a state. He persuaded the Alaska American Legion to hold a contest to design Alaska's new flag -- open to all children in grades 7 - 12. In 1927, the orphaned thirteen year-old Alaska native boy, Benny Benson submitted his design for the Alaska state flag.
His stellar design includes the North Star - which symbolized the northernmost state; the Great Bear constellation - for strength; and a blue background representing the sky as well as the forget-me-not, which was Alaska's state flower.
Below in the next two pictures is the Seward Lagoon located adjacent to the Benny Benson memorial.
We then continued to look for murals and historic sites in Seward.
The mural above is called, "A Tribute to Commercial Fishing," which was designed by Tom Missel in 2020. It was located at the NAPA Auto Parts Store.
Above is the "Fjord Escape" mural located at the Harbor 360 Hotel down by the harbor and fish cleaning area. It was created by Liza McElroy in 2017.
The mural below is "Caught in Seward," located on the J Dock Building. It was designed by Jules Wolfe in 2013.
Below is the mural "Pony Cove," located at the Fish House. It was created by Mike Corona in 2013.
Above is the mural "Fjords: Filled by the Sea," while below is the mural "Feasting in the Fjords."
Below is a mural "Hometown," located at No Sweatt Auto Service. It was created by Carla Rogers in 2013.
The above mural, "Friendship Across Water," was located at Murphy's Alaskan Inn. It was designed by Justine Pechuzal in 2013.
The mural below was called, "Seward Statehood Mural," and was located at the Seward Post Office. It was also designed by Justine Pechuzal in 2009.
The mural below was called, "Endangered Species," and was located at Temple Studios. It was created by Roger Peet and Trish Tripp in 2019.
The mural above and below was "Mount Marathon," located at the Seward Senior Center. It was designed by Susan Swiderski in 2000.
The mural above was "Senior Prom," located at the Seward Senior Center. It was designed by Barbara LaVallee in 2010.
Eugene Hale was instrumental in the founding of Seward. Like the others in Millionaire's Row, his house was built in 1905 for the prominent citizens in town. The Hale family was a very visible feature of Seward's business, art scene and social life (see Hale House below).
The next three murals were created by Jennifer Headtke and are located at the Ranting Raven Gift and Art Shop in Seward.
Above is the "Raven the Creator" mural, while below is information about this mural.
Above is the "Raven Releases the Sun, Moon and Stars" mural, while below is information about this mural.
Above is the "Fog Woman" mural, while below is information about this mural.
Above is the mural, "Kenai Fjords, Where Mountains, Ice and Ocean Meet" located at the Kenai Fjords National Park Office. It was designed by Byron Birdsall in 2016.
Above a brightly colored moose stands in front of the Hotel Seward.
The mural above, "Furry Footprints," was designed by Dot Bardarsan in 2018. It was located at 5th Avenue Fitness.
The portion of the mural above and the next three pictures below are of the mural, "Alaska Aviation in Seward." It was designed by Jennifer Headtke in 2017 and was located at 5th Avenue Fitness.
Next we found another historical house, the Swetmann House. Information about this house is below.
The Swetmann House was built in 1916 by locally renowned craftsman, Gerald "Stucco" Johnson as his residence. He was famous for his beautiful and long-lasting exterior stucco work during the 1920s and 1930s.
Elwyn Swetmann arrived in Seward in 1919, and worked at the Seward Drug Company as a pharmacist. Around 1921, he wanted to buy this beautiful house from Johnson under the condition that it be moved from its steep location on Dairy Hill to Swetmann's property. Johnson agreed and contracted with the Alaska Transfer company to move it. As this house being moved, it slid down the hill, went sideways and still survived in one piece. That speaks to a well-built home!
The Malloy House, named for its original owner, Bessie M. Malloy, this house had a previous life on a hill above Second Avenue. After avalanches buried some of the neighboring houses, Malloy purchased this lot for $250 and move the house to here. This house has seen a lot including an influx of more than 3,200 soldiers in Seward during World War II, Alaska statehood in 1959, and the most exciting of all: the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake. Yet it still survived!
The information below talks about how houses were moved often due to mobile living. The Dryden House was one of them.
In Seward, buildings were frequently move and re-purposed including many homes that were uprooted from their foundations, loaded onto wooden platforms with wheels and dragged with horses to new locations. The Dryden House was one of those moved. It was built around 1920 in the small homesteading community of Woodrow and moved here in 1930. This house, which many have originally been a barn, survived the move. It is really interesting that many houses in the Seward area have moved around like a game of moveable chairs! How resourceful!
The Seward Community Library (above and below) had a colorful mural, "The Irristable Story," designed by Nicole Feemster in 2014.
The 1905 Cable/Telegraph Office (shown above) in downtown Seward has historic charm. This building served as a telegraph office that connected Seward with communications in the rest of the United States.
Above is the mural, "Whale Redux," designed by Jason Leslie in 2019. This mural is located at SeaSalt on 4th Avenue in Seward. While the mural below is "Window on the Bay," created by Liza McElroy in 2012 and located on the Alaska SeaLife Center.
Below is the "Obihiro Friendship Mural," designed by various Obihiro artists in 2014. It was located on the Rae Marine Education Building.
Information about the Saint Peter's Episcopal Church is below.
Above and below is the Railroad Station Depot in Seward.
Above is the Jujiro Wada Iditarod Trail Pioneer statue, while below is information about it.
And this is the Iditarod Campground by the city of Seward. This is also where we come to dump our RV tanks.
Above is the monument to the 1903 steamer "Santa Ana" that arrived in Resurrection Bay and then at that time Seward was founded as the ocean terminus of the proposed railroad to the interior of Alaska. (See information below.)
Mel demonstrates how you would stop a dog sled.
Above is a commemorative rock to the Phoenix, built in Resurrection Bay, under the direction of Alexander Baranof, and was launched in 1794. We walked most of "The First Mile of the Iditarod National Historic Trail.
Below is the "Mile Zero" sign.
The picture above tells about Alaska's Gold Rush Era, while the picture below talks about "Seward Gateway to the Iditarod."
The next few pictures are looking at Resurrection Bay as the fog rolls in.
The Fourth Avenue Wharf at one time was a bustling terminal.
This simple historical plaque recalls the day the 9.2 Great Alaskan Earthquake, North America's most powerful recorded seismic event killed 143 people. This is located on the east side of 4th Avenue just north of S. Harbor Street in the plaza next to the big anchor.
When we were through with the sites in Seward for the morning, we stopped at Safeway to grab some groceries and then went back to the trailer for lunch. After lunch, at around 3 p.m., we headed back to the Exit Glacier Visitor Center as Mel wanted to hike up to the Harding Icefield (bottom of the cliffs overlook area anyway).
While Mel went on the hike, I sat inside the Visitor Center and earned the Junior Ranger Badge and certificate (see below).
The next 21 pictures are from Mel's hike to the Harding Icefield (bottom of the cliffs overlook). He got some great pictures of the vegetation, waterfalls and scenery.
As the Visitor Center closed at 6 p.m., I ended up waiting in the truck for Mel to return from his hike until 6:30 p.m. We then went back to our trailer and had salmon and salad for dinner.
Saturday, June 24, 2023
Another rainy, cloudy day in Seward, Alaska with the temperature remaining in the lower 50s all day.
Today we did laundry in Seward and then went to Captain Jack's Seafood locker to pick up some more fish spices. Next we got a propane fill at the Essential gas station, where Mel decided to get us each a personal pan pizza and Mountain Dew for lunch. We sat in the parking lot at Safeway eating our lunch and then went in to get a few groceries before heading back to the trailer.
For dinner tonight, we had steaks and twice-baked potatoes. We then called it a night and dreamed of all the spectacular sights we had seen in Seward, Alaska that last few days!
Shirley & Mel
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