The Last Day :(

Finally - the last of my Alaska posts! After our boat tour in Seward, we headed to Exit Glacier so Ron and I could see a glacier up close and personal! I guess that means we did see some of Kenai Fjords National Park because it encompasses the area we visited. In fact, it's the only area of the park accessible by car.

We first walked the lower trail that took us to the outwash area at the glacier's base. We touched the water just to see, and it was FREEZING! We got a kick out of it though. We didn't want to cross that cold water in our shoes, so we next hiked the upper trail that goes closer to the glacier. As we neared it, we started to feel the icy air flowing toward us from over the hill. It was like standing near an open walk-in freezer door. The air was extra fresh and crisp. The glacier itself was beautiful. It's an alpine glacier that is part of the ancient Harding Ice Field. You can hike the 7 miles to the ice field, but we didn't have the time or stamina. That's another on our list for next time! Click here for an account from someone who did. It's very interesting. My favorite part was seeing the blue spires in one section of the ice. I had always seen those photos of gorgeous blues in glaciers and was happy to find them on that one section there. This photo gives a decent perspective on size and color.

We stayed overnight in Seward in a lovely Army townhome, and visited the Alaska SeaLife Center the next morning. It's a beautiful center of native sea animals, made possible by money from the Exxon oil spill years back. We highly enjoyed ourselves and managed to get a closer murre photo.

We then headed back to Anchorage and explored a little more of it before our 1am flight to Phoenix. We were very very sad to go. Both Ron and I could have easily spent another week there. And it was made all the more wonderful by our fabulous hosts whose love of Alaska is infectious. Thanks and love ya!

This chocolate waterfall at the Mooseberry store in Anchorage has nothing to do with wildlife, but I think it was Ron's highlight (aside from the whale sightings), so I had to post it just for him. :)