I am back doing laundry at Sips and Suds and it's a miracle! There was 3 open washers today (even at 9am) and I needed to do exactly 3 loads! No having to fight anyone for a washer today! Easy going for me! (Just in case anyone was interested in more laundry drama...). Anyways, this week has been really great so far. It was the week my mom and little brother (well not so little anymore) had booked to visit me in Seward since the beginning of summer. We only had Monday and Tuesday together, so naturally, we tried to pack in as much as we could to do. First off, we couldn't of got any luckier with the weather! This Monday was the hottest day Seward has ever had, EVER! It was 86 at the hottest when I checked it. Now 86 is not very hot for me coming from Sacramento, CA, but for all these cool weather folk in Alaska, they were roasting! But hot or not, the sun was shinning bright, allowing the majesty of Seward, all it's mountains, it's glittering bay, and ever glowing green plant life to be seen in full glory! (Side note-it's rainy and cold today...just stuck around long enough to give the family a good glimpse of how gorgeous it can be here). It has only been a few months since I saw my mom and brother but I was excited to see them as always and was even more excited to show them the town I've been living and all it's got to offer. To top it off, in addition to them coming to visit down from Anchorage, my great aunt and uncle and my mom's cousin Brent all came down too. I love this side of the family, they are so fun!
They drove my mom's cousin Brent's motor home down here and arrived at about noon where we met up at the best seafood restaurant in town 'Ray's'. It was good to catch up, get a beer, and chow down on some yummy food. I had a salad with blackened halibut...mmmmm!!! While eating, me and David talked to my cousin Brent about his experiences with whitewater rafting, we are really excited to try it soon! We made a plan for the rest of the day, finished our lunches and walked the shops with my mom where she picked out some souvenirs for my nieces and nephews back home. And then we decided to go to the SeaLife Center, which is a very popular stop for tourists, and David and I haven't gone yet. We spent a few hours walking through, looking at the amazing sea life exhibits and viewing the animals. My favorite was seeing the little kids scream excitedly when they got to see the 9 foot, 1,7000 pound sea lion swim by. Each time he did, the kids would jump and scream with excitement. It was the cutest thing! I also really loved the harbor seals and the puffins! We mingled around the downtown part of Seward and stopped in for a beer at the brewery where I work to get a beer and so I could show off my family to my coworkers.
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| Me and my not-so-little-anymore brother, Alec on the Rez Bay lookout! |
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| Another one of me and David. |
Since it was so nice out and would be light out forever, we decided to take a walk out by Exit Glacier which sits just a few miles out of town. Exit Glacier gets it's name (according to David) from when a Russian man thought he could trek across the Harding Ice Field (the HUGE ice field where many glaciers extend out from) and when he decided he could not, he exited the ice field on this glacier, now called Exit Glacier. Fun little history there, hope I am accurate. We drove to the park (let me add here that on the way we snacked on salmon dip that Brent's wife makes and it was AMAZING, I could of ate the whole bowl!), parked the motor home, and took a little hike (very little, just a little over 1 mile). We walked and got to the glacier, but along the way they have little sign posts with years on them to show where the glacier had once extended out to. It was awesome to see this thing and hear it cracking and to hear the water running off of it. It was also really neat to hear my mom and my great aunt Sandy describe how it looked the last time the saw it over 10 years ago and realize how much the glacier has receded since then. My brother, Alec, was having a really good time, he loved the hiking and walking through the rocks and woods. We took some fun pictures and even heard of someone sighting a bear about 150 feet from the trail (which made my mom want to run back to the car!).
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| On the walk to Exit Glacier-I'm very excited.... |
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Exit Glacier and all it's glory!
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| "We Love Glaciers!" |
We got back to the motor home safe and without any bear encounters! But saw some signs that provided helpful information in case of a bear attack or sighting!
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| Wildlife sightings the day we were at Exit Glacier. |
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Good to know information...
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After that our bellies were getting hungry and we went to get some dinner at a restaurant called Chinnooks. My and mom split king crab legs, they were sooooo yummy! The night was mellow and we ended it with making S'mores on the beach where Brent was camping his motor home for the night. My mom was on otter watch, but we didn't see any! But we all assured her the next day on our wildlife tour we would see plenty! After a few s'mores, good conversations, and some great family time, we called it a night and made plans to met at 7:30am (too early for me!) at the tour company and get set for a day at sea!
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| Yummy S'mores by the fire! Obviously Alec loves his... |
The next day, we lucked out with another gorgeous sunny day! We all checked in, got our boarding passes and hopped onto the Coastal Explorer to set out on our 6 hour tour of the bay, wildlife, and the glaciers! Since David works for the place, we were lucky enough to get a little VIP treatment, which included coffee (for me since I can't ever get enough, LOL) and 2 pairs of binoculars so my family could see everything up close and personal! :)
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| Ready for the trip! |
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Alec, his hot cocoa, and my mom enjoying the day!
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We were on our way, excited, and within a few minutes we got to see a sea otter floating along in the bay. No matter how many I see , I can't get enough of these cute little creatures! They're so lovable and adorable! I was happy that my mom and brother were with me to see all this amazing stuff! Our boat traveled along and within the hour, we spotted some Orca whales. And we were so lucky! While watching them swim about, they started to breach! It was like they were showing off and playing. They would dive down and then swim up, jump out of the water, show us their magnificent being and land with a big splash! It was so neat to see this because other than the occasional visit to Seaworld, I'd never seen this happen before! It was so amazing to see these animals do this in their natural environment! We also were lucky to see a few humpback whales! They weren't as active as the Orcas on this day, but we did see it swim for a bit, and got a flash of the giant tale of the animal right up close to our boat! As we made our way to the glacier, we also got to see the porpoises swim and jump right up next to our boat. My mom and brother loved it! It felt awesome that they were getting to see all this amazing stuff! I had hoped for an amazing day for them, full of sea life, beauty, and fun and we were getting it! My mom even got a video on a orca whale swimming right next to our boat! It was awesome!
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| My beautiful mom. |
We finally made out way out the the glacier! It probably was my favorite part! It was so amazing to see this! It is a tide water glacier, meaning the glacier comes all the way out and meets the ocean. We made out way close up to it and the captain turned the engine off on the boat. We got to just sit there and watch this massive ice form in all it glory. Every once and while we could see a big chuck break off, crumble, and splash massively into the water. My favorite thing to do was to close my eyes and just feel the glacier. You could feel the cool wind that blew off the glacier and kiss your face, you could hear the cracking and the slow moving of the ice and the massive splash it would make when it hit the water. Seeing the glacier was so amazing and humbling. It literally took my breath away. It was one of the most amazing things I've seen since I've been in Alaska. I really hope my mom and brother loved it as much as me!
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| Enjoying Holgate Glacier! |
After the boat trip was over, we got our land legs back, and prepared to say goodbye. However, we first stopped for one more bite of homemade fudge and chocolate at the sweet shop here in Seward. After our sweet tooth was satisfied, we unfortunately had to say goodbye. My mom and brother were off to keep enjoying their Alaskan adventure up in Anchorage with the rest of my family. It was sad to say goodbye because I always miss them, but it was so awesome to have such a good time with time and do so many things within the two days they were here! I'm trying to talk my mom into letting my little brother stay for a week or so longer and stay with me in Seward. I think he would love it! But we'll see! So good to have a piece of home when I'm so far away! :)
That was this weeks excitement so far and a long work week is ahead of me! This weekend is summer solstice and I guess the town loves to celebrate! I hope everyone is doing amazing and I'd love to hear from you!
Lots of love and hugs!
Jillian
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