Day 3 begins with Sourdough Pancakes

When we decided to go to Alaska and began researching places, buying books, and looking on-line, I noticed the claims of legendary sourdough and longstanding sourdough starters at several restaurants. Day three we were scheduled to travel to Seward. I requested eating at an establishment along the way that boasted of sourdough pancakes. I just had to try them. I had already figured out how to get to Gwennie's before I even asked to go. I got my sourdough and was so excited by the smell as the waitress put the plate in front of me. I must say once the syrup is on there, you can't taste the sourdough anymore. Oh well, at least I got a chance to try them.

The drive to Seward from Anchorage is considered an Alaska Scenic Highway and voted an All-American Road by the Department of Transportation. You drive along Turnagain Arm, through Chuguch State Park and Forest, pass by people picking blueberries in the fields, have a chance to see Beluga Whales in Cook Inlet or spot a Dall sheep along the cliffs. It is a beautiful drive and has many turnoffs so that you can stop and take in the scenery. I, of course, wanted to see the beluga whales. The Cook Inlet belugas are genetically distinct and geographically isolated from other beluga whales. That is not the reason I wanted to see these whales. I just want to see a Beluga and thought this may be my best chance. At milepost 110, you can turn into Beluga Point. From this vantage point, you may watch the bore tide or possibly see belugas as they follow the bore tide. We were there at low tide. No beluga whales. We also stopped at Bird Point. This is another turn off along this stretch of highway. Even though its Bird Point, this is the location with the beluga sculptures and information about the Cook Inlet Beglua Whales. The tide was still out.
There were options of things to do along the way to Seward. You can go to Girdword and ride the tram to the 2300 foot Mount Alyeska. There is a restaurant up there and supposedly beautiful views. You can stop at Portage Glacier and take a short boat trip to see the glacier. The glacier has receded from view from the Begich, Boggs Visitor Center. We stopped here and we could see icebergs that had drifted down to the center. We chose to not see the glacier up close since we were doing the tour of Kenai Fjords the next day. We chose to go to Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. The animals are here due to rehabilitation needs. I got very close to a moose with just a wire fence between us. The grizzly bears were equally as close but it had electricity attached to their fence. While there, the gift shop staff reported that some of the animals were used in the film Into the Wild. (I suggest reading the book before seeing the movie.)

Slowly we made our way to Seward. Which will be a day four post. Below are pictures along the way on day three.

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This Black-bill Magpie decided to pose for me at the appropriately named Bird Point.

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A view of Turnagain Arm and surrounding mountains. See it wasn't too sunny this day either.

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This was the younger Grizzly bear at the wildlife center and yes I was this close. I didn't zoom in for this shot.

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This is an iceberg in Portage Lake. That isn't Portage Glacier in the view. I believe that is Burns Glacier. For those of you who believe the glaciers aren't receding, you just need to go to Alaska and view the evidence. Every one we went to had pictures of where it had been 40, 30 or even ten years ago. The rate at which they are receding seems to be accelerating. At one time, you could see Portage Glacier from this center. You no longer can and have to take a boat to the face of it.

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This is an unknown (possibly not named) glacier high on the mountain. We pulled over to a little picnic area just below the Portage Area and this was part of our view. The water was so blue there-as it was everywhere in Alaska.

Day Two of our trip

Day two we continued to our exploration from Anchorage. Our dilemma was "what to do". The Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, Alaska Botanical Gardens, Eklutna Native Village and the Alaska State Fair were all options that were discussed. Some more easily dismissed than others (state fair for example). However, our decision was to go to Hatcher Pass. This is a scenic drive through the Talkeetna Mountains. On this drive, you pass few people. At points, we were surprised at how quiet everything was...obviously, this was when we got out of the car. You pass an old mine that while in operation searched the mountains for the mother lodes that produced the flakes that other miners were panning for in the streams. It is now a historical park and has very picturesque buildings settled in a valley in the mountains. I did not get a picture, which I regret. At the summit, there is a place to stop. There were some workers there and they suggested we hike this trail that they recently had cut on the hill. They said there is a lake at the top and it is very scenic. I was not dressed warm enough and still sore from the hike the previous day and opted to not go which I think made Todd not go. I suggested he go without me but, he didn't. This is something he regrets and I do too now. It was a rare opportunity. I learned to dress better after that day. I just wasn't prepared for the wind. I needed a windbreaker actually. These are some pictures from our drive.

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I believe this river is Little Susitna. AND yes, the water is blue. All streams, lakes, ponds were blue. (By the way, I am guessing this is a river. What is between a stream and a river?)

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This is an Arctic Ground Squirrel. I was sure it was a prairie dog of some sort and for the longest time, the only wild animal we saw in Alaska. I was starting to believe they lied about the moose and the bear. Anyway, like typical squirrels, they are not too afraid of humans and are actually hanging around for some handouts.

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This is either from the highest point or looking out from Summit Lake. I am not sure. Summit Lake is just a little ways further on the drive.

This is at Summit Lake. I don't even think I attempted a picture of the lake. This was a stream feeding into the larger body of water. I just liked that little patch of red at the top. It was unbelievable how many flowers were blooming and the variety of colors that we saw on our trip. Many times we were surrounded by wildflowers.

Day 1-Sunny (or so it said)

Upon arriving in Anchorage, we looked at the forecast. Our best day was to be Sunday. The forecast said sunny. Todd and I had plans to visit Potters Marsh on Tuesday as we drove to Seward. Since it appeared our weather was going to be poor, we decided to move Potters Marsh and our hike to Flattop Mountain to Sunday. Sunday wasn't sunny...or at least not until 4 p.m.
Potter Marsh, at the southern end of the Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge, is an easily accessible and scenic wildlife viewing area. To the south, Turnagain Arm sweeps out to Cook Inlet. Bald eagles, water birds, and spawning salmon are found here. A 1,550-foot boardwalk assists individuals in their pursuit of the plentiful birds. Spring is the best time to visit but it appeared we may be privileged to some shorebirds and swans. Here are some pictures from Potter's Marsh. Notice no birds, in my pictures at least.

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First, we drove past the main entrance and went down to another area...not as friendly to the visitor. No birds but I did find this "grass" wonderful. I really appreciated the purple horsetail affect.

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Here's the salmon. Where are the bears?.

For the second 1/2 of the day, we tried to hike Flattop Mountain.

Flattop is climbed more often than any mountain in Alaska, and that is a mixed blessing. It has a high trail head with plenty of space for parking, a mostly maintained trail (until you get to the top when you are already tired), and summit vistas from Cook Inlet to Denali. Alaska is famous for its beautiful wilderness, not for its crowds. Flattop has both. Flattop's peak is at 3500 feet. Hikers only have to climb the last 1300 hundred feet in 1.5 miles. Remember how I said the forecast was sunny. Well it was cloud covered most of the day including our hike. We couldn't tell how far we had come or how high we were. Sometimes we could barely see fifty feet in front of us. This may have been a blessing in disguise. I think Todd and I would have hesitated long before we did if, we could actually see our location or destination. We were almost to the top...the point where you have to use your hands in addition to your feet to reach the summit. This was where we both chickened out and both said we couldn't do the last stretch.

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Near the top looking over a ledge.

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This is Flattop Mountain after we came down. Notice the clouds/fog had burned almost completely away at this time.

Honey, I'm home.

Guess where I just got back from?