Twelve Things To Do in Seward, Alaska

by Chef T on August 18, 2010

Greetings everyone, as I write to you while on vacation. Pardon my time between posts, however, after 62 days at sea, I simply shut my brain and my body down for awhile. Part of my time off has been spent in Seward, AK and here is a list of my “must-do’s”:

underwater with Woody

Go see Woody the stellar sea lion at the Alaska SeaLife Center. The SeaLife Center was funded through the civil and criminal settlements against Exxon, after the Valdez oil spill. It is a fantastic educational opportunity in coldwater/local, marine research.

Check out the Seward Museum. This non-descript building houses a bevy of history in great displays with lots of artifacts and photographs.

Quite an ice cube

Go see Exit Glacier, before it melts. This is a rare opportunity to approach a glacier by car and then foot. As you drive up to the Exit Glacier Nature Center, it is amazing to follow along the two miles of markers that show you how far the glacier used to extend into the land.

Photograph your way around the twelve Seward murals that make up a walking tour of town and makes Seward the “mural capitol of Alaska”!

Me on Mt Marathon - thankful for little tripods

Climb Mt. Marathon.

Sleep, drink and wash at the Trailhead Lodge and Suds-n-Sip. You can grab comfortable lodging, wash your clothes and get a great latte or smoothie all in one place.

Mile 0 Iditarod Trail

Walk to mile 0 of the original Iditarod Trail for some great scenic shots at the shoreline of Resurrection Bay.

Hang out at the Ranting Raven for great pastries, coffee and fabulous artwork. This is my favorite place to shop as it has the best offerings from local, Alaskan artists. Plus you can grab up Ray Troll merchandise, which is a must.

Drink responsibly. Start out at the Seward Ale House for fine pints served in jelly jars and play a game of pool. Then, head over to the Yukon for live music and shake your Alaskan groovethang.

Eat. My favorite spot is Resurrection Roadhouse which is on the way to Exit Glacier. I will review them in a later post. Also check out the Salmon Bake and for an awesome breakfast or some fine BBQ for lunch hit the Smoke Shop.

Enjoy coffee and more local artwork at Resurrection Cafe and Coffeehouse. A block off of main street, it is good to have options to take a rest during your walkabout and take in the local color.

SHOP. There are a variety of shops both downtown and off of the harbor area. The SeaLife Center has a fine gift shop. I love Urbach’s for hats and shoes and Once Upon a Blue Moose – not just because it has a cool name. Shopping warning – you do have to inspect closely for “made in Alaska” items.

taking off on the coastal train from Seward to Anchorage

Bonus tip: Take the scenic, full-service train ride from Seward to Anchorage and beyond, as far as Fairbanks. This is a wonderful way to see the interior. You even get a chance to see moose and bear, oh my.

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The BEST at Moorings in the Bering Sea

by Chef T on August 11, 2010

The following is a post from the Bering Sea part of our trip that was not published on August 2nd, as it should have been. I think too highly of David Leech to ignore this oversight!

Dave Leech and his toys

You may not guess by the snappy dress, but you are looking at a mooring master. Though he would be humble and scoff at the verbiage, David Leech’s vast experience makes “master” simple, proper usage. Dave is responsible for the building, deployment and recovery for all of the moorings used in the Bering Ecosystem Study. These devices rest on the ocean floor and collect data over time. In the case of BEST, the moorings collect data, like that of a CTD, every thirty minutes for an entire year.

To do this job, a mooring technician must employ skills in engineering, physics, chemistry, oceanography, electrical work, weather, computer technology and be a mariner on top of all that. Below is one of Dave’s “babies” which needed a little assistance in recovery. The moorings are controlled by unique, acoustic signatures and sometimes even though they can “talk” to a device, it may not release properly. This poor guy was down for two years, requiring the aid of two divers from the University of Alaska Fairbanks to bring it back home.

2 years down and finally back up

The level of teamwork and commitment to fulfill the cruise objectives and successfully recover all data is superb. Key to this expedition was the support of Shawn Harper and Heloise Chenelot, both research diving technicians with the University of Alaska Fairbanks. To achieve the recovery of this mooring, the divers had to go to depths of 80 ft. in water reaching 30-32 degrees F.

Bering_phase 2 web 011

Sometimes you need a little help from things operated by Playstation controllers. This little ROV took a swim in the Bering Sea and lived to tell about it.

Baby sea otter ROV

Dave talked about the enormous pressure he feels during the recovery phase and that he would not want to know his own blood pressure reading during those moments. As he is waiting to recover all of his moorings and the precious data they hold, he thinks about the people who’s jobs are depending on the success of the recovery and the research and the future grant money riding on that critical phase. Hearing that made me think that instead of mooring master, it may be even better to able to just be able to call him a friend.

T and the Mooring Master Dave

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My Top Ten Discoveries during 60 Days at Sea

August 6, 2010

It is day 60 of my summer sailing extravaganza. When the sun rises tomorrow, I will be on land and I will be smiling. Both the Aleutian Island dive trip and our part of the Bering Ecosystem Study are over. The summer was a huge success and that had a lot to do with incredible [...]

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All About the Water – Sampling in the Bering Sea

August 4, 2010

Dr. Tom Weingartner and the BEST project are all about the water. During this trip int the Bering Sea, CTD casts into the hundreds have been conducted. I thought the best way to share some more insight on the CTD is to hear from an expert. Here is contributing blogger Ben Jokinen, our Senior Marine [...]

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Who’s Who on the Point Sur – Part III

August 1, 2010

Meet Ben Jokinen. Ben is our Senior Marine Technician and has the primary responsibility to make sure everything on the boat is working related to science and technology. One of the most important aspects of Ben’s role is to act as a liaison between the science party and the crew to provide the necessary support [...]

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The Bering Sea, Quest for the B.E.S.T

July 31, 2010

A glimpse of the sun rising in the morning over the Bering Sea is a rare sight. Fog is the norm and, of course, water is the constant. Chief scientist, Dr. Tom Weingartner is all about the water. A physical oceanographer and professor at University of Alaska-Fairbanks, Tom is leading the B.E.S.T….as in Bering Ecosystem [...]

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Roasted Red Beet and Goat Cheese Bake

July 29, 2010

Dinner the other night was a pineapple-curry glazed ham with brown-butter, parsley egg noodles, salad with a maple cider vinaigrette and a root vegetable bake. The bake was made of layers of roasted red beets and a saute of celery, red onions and garbanzo beans which was topped with toasted pine nuts and goat cheese [...]

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A Little Break in Dutch Harbor

July 26, 2010

After the Aleutian Island diving trip and being at sea for twenty-four days straight, a break in Dutch Harbor was welcomed. Dutch Harbor is actually a small island connected to Unalaska by bridge. When I think of Dutch Harbor I think of eagles. They are everywhere. Bald eagles are gorgeous and majestic creatures and they [...]

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Happy Birthday, DAD!

July 23, 2010

Last year I carried a “Hi Mom” sign around in my travels and the pictures were seen by my dad who commented, “What about your dad!” If I was on my toes I would have written a dad message on the other side and flipped the sign for photo ops all over the world. Well, [...]

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The Aleutian Islands – It’s a Wrap, or rather a To-Go-Plate

July 22, 2010

The Aleutian Island diving-orca-otter-urchin-kelp-carbon dioxide-arthropod-fish count-cooking and eating extravaganza is officially over. I hope everyone enjoyed following along and learning a bit about what goes on, on the R/V Point Sur and the work of this cruise which was, overall, to study how the habitat in the Aleutian chain effects what lives here. Here is [...]

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