Day 19: Seward, Alaska to Anchorage, Alaska

We drove back to Anchorage along the beautiful Turnagain Arm Bay and dad parked the RV in downtown Anchorage. He didn’t really have a plan so we walked through a few tourist shops. Tommy was bored and wanted to do something more in town, so I suggested the Anchorage Museum, which was nearby and sounded like something Desmond would enjoy. Dad’s back was bothering him, so he headed back to the RV while the rest of us went to the museum. 

We had to buy some nesting dolls here

Cool roof!

The Anchorage Museum houses art exhibits and historical artifacts as well as a planetarium and hands-on science and technology exhibits for kids (like the Cleveland Science Center or COSI in Columbus). This was the perfect place for Desmond. He loved playing with their massive LEGO collection, building circuit boards, and making large bubbles. Trudy liked watching the balls roll around the large metal machine that hoisted them up, slid them down tracks, and bounced them around.

Snap circuits. Santa, take note!

Look, Mommy, I'm going down a slide!

Fooled you. I'm walking down it.

After the museum, we met Dad back at the RV and he felt more recharged, I think, and had chosen a campground for us for our last night in Alaska. We decided to go out to eat and walked to a place called Yes Bistro near the RV park. The food was good (although our waitress was a bit forgetful) and then we had to head back to pack.

At Yes Bistro

I dreaded packing, because we had been in the RV for almost three weeks and our stuff was everywhere. Tommy and I both lost hoodies (we eventually found them under the couch, thankfully) and we did as much as we could before going to bed. We were blessed with some decent weather and Desmond was entertained with sidewalk chalk and bubbles while I packed his stuff, mine, and Trudy’s. That night we went to bed dreading what we knew would be a long journey home, but thankful for such a great experience.

Desmond impressed us by writing out Trudy's name in chalk. I didn't know he could write those letters!

Back at Great Alaska headquarters in Anchorage, we dropped off the RV and they did a quick inspection before we waited (and waited, and waited) for a shuttle to the airport. We marveled over the excessive amount of luggage required for all of us (Trudy, the smallest, had the most; the largest suitcase contained her bed, a travel bassinet).  

Waiting is the hardest part...

And waiting...

Two car seats, two strollers, seven suitcases...

The journey home was arduous. We had several layovers, first in Seattle (cue Nirvana music) and then in Atlanta. They were overnight flights interrupted by the layovers and nobody slept. Well, Trudy slept. And Dad. And Tommy. There was a lot of crying on the part of the kids, a poopy diaper mid-flight thanks to Trudy, and a lot of anxiety about flying from Desmond. I think I can travel anywhere with them after that! Plus, I didn't even mention the ridiculous treatment I received from airline security in Anchorage over the UNOPENED baby formula I had in my carry on (which I don't even think I used because I just nursed the whole time), which resulted in my being patted down in a very humiliating manner, while Desmond cried hysterically and I had to get someone's attention to watch both him and Trudy in order to be taken aside by security. Not sure the logic in pulling away a woman who is clearly the mother of two small children to give her an extra security screening over BABY FORMULA. This in an airport dominated by men traveling for hunting and fishing (don't worry about that pocket knife or fish scaling knife... get the lady with the Enfamil!). Grrr. I'm still bitter.

On the airplane, heading out of Anchorage

In the end, we made it back to Cleveland safely. The cats were ticked and left us a treat of shredded cardboard everywhere. The boys slept upon our return and I hung out with Trudy on the warm front porch as I reflected on what an amazing journey we had.

Back home

Day 18: Seward, Alaska

Dad made a point of including Seward in our itinerary because he wanted to take a cruise out to see whales and glaciers. However, it was clear when we woke up that the weather was not going to cooperate and we would just waste our money if we went. The fog had rolled in and reminded me of San Francisco. Instead, we headed back into town. I was disappointed and wondered what we might do in such a sleepy town.

Fog in Turnagain Arm Bay, between Anchorage and Seward. Not ideal cruising weather.

We started at the aquarium, which received a favorable review in The Milepost. It was funded by the Exxon-Valdez settlement and was very impressive! Their bird room was the most interesting, especially the puffins who seemed to want to perform for us. They would swim/fly right up to us and surprise us with a splash. Then you could go down a level and watch them dive at the fish below. There were other two-story tanks that house massive sea lions and some cute harbor seals. Desmond was a bit scared of them, but Trudy was mesmerized. Desmond enjoyed the touch tanks, where he could touch a lot of little creatures, including starfish and sea cucumbers.

Petting starfish

Charismatic puffins

Seals and sea lions

At the Seward Aquarium

Cool hotel in Seward; rent a train car!

After the aquarium, we headed over to the harbor to walk around a few shops, watched the fishing boats start to come in and the fishermen showed Desmond their catch of the day, and we ate some ice cream. 

The harbor in Seward

Boats in Seward's harbor

Dad had been told we could walk up a mountain to see a glacier, since we didn’t take the cruise, so that is what we did. We drove out to the foot of the mountain where Exit Glacier is located and Dad, Tommy, Desmond, and I started walking. Mom stayed back with sleeping Trudy. We took a stroller for Desmond, because the path was paved and looked like the mile hike up the mountain wouldn’t be too strenuous. We were accompanied by several other hikers and spotted the many warnings of bears in the area and Tommy and I had quiet conversations about what we read regarding what to do in case of a bear attack. We didn’t want to scare Desmond.

Exploring a glacial stream

When we were about a third of the way up the mountain, a friendly ranger alerted us that the trail would become more difficult and we probably would not be able to bring our stroller up and that we shouldn’t leave it because the scent would attract bears. We decided to go ahead and see how it was. Indeed, the trail did become rough. We took Desmond out of his stroller about a half mile in because we had to cross a creek on a narrow bridge and I didn’t want to dump them both in the water. Tommy pushed the stroller up the rocky trail and carried it, when necessary. Other hikers, I’m sure, thought we were crazy for lugging the stroller all the way to the top. Desmond, we noticed, had wet through his pants, but I didn’t bring anything to change him, so he just had to hike wet. He was a trooper, though, and hiked all the way up on his own without being carried and he loved it. He chatted and observed everything around him and was genuinely upset when I told him we couldn’t hike any further. Aside from the wet pants, it felt like a parenting win.

This bridge is plenty wide for our stroller!

Um, yeah... trail not meant for strollers, even if it has bike tires

Officially a mountain climber

A brief respite before heading down

Checking out Exit Glacier

We got to the glacier (not close enough to touch it or walk on it) and the air was noticeably cooler and breezy. It felt good because we were hot! I was thankful I had worn my tennis shoes, for the first time the entire trip because the rocky trail was not an easy hike. The glacier was beautiful, with streaks of blue running through the white ice (I heard this is because the ice absorbs all colors of the rainbow except the blue, which is why it is visible to us). Desmond was a great hiker back down as well, and I offered to handle the stroller on our descent. The hike was a good one, the kind that leaves you satisfyingly tired when you are done. We hiked 2.3 miles each way, 2475 feet. I was proud of Desmond for doing it.

We made it to the top! 2475 elevation

Mom and Trudy back at the RV

Day 17: Denali National Park, Alaska to Seward, Alaska

The drive from Denali to Seward was very long. We paused to take some pictures of Mount Denali, formerly Mt. McKinley. We passed through Wasilla and we made the necessary Sarah Palin jokes. Wasilla appeared to be a smallish town, with a good bit of sprawl on the outskirts.

Mount Denali/McKinley

Windy air in Denali

Another view of the mountain

We followed Turnagain Arm Bay out of Anchorage into Seward. The bay is enormous and beautiful. The Milepost said you might see beluga whales in the bay (we didn’t) and bald eagles (we did; Dad was happy). You also saw what appeared to be a sandy beach, but warnings let you know not to be tempted to walk in the sand, since some of it was quicksand (Ooooh! Quicksand… I’ve never seen that before... why worry, can't you just press "jump" repeatedly, like in Super Mario 2? Or is it more like the sadness in "Neverending Story?"). You can also see a lot of dead trees in the water, which were killed when salt water came rushing through after an infamous and very destructive earthquake impacted the region in 1964. 
 

Remember this? Neverending Story

Jump, Mario!!!

We arrived in Seward and the weather was crummy. We walked around the downtown, which was not terribly exciting. There were a few restaurants and tourist shops. I bought some fudge and Desmond asked for a chocolate covered cherry at a little chocolate shop. Desmond wanted to walk to see a fountain he spotted from the car. Seward is a fishing town and a lot of tourists go there (or come in on cruise ships) to charter boats to catch halibut or to take day cruises out to see whales and to see glaciers calving. We didn’t spend much time in town, since it was late when we arrived and it was drizzling.

It was a lot crappier outside than this pic shows

We stayed at an RV park a few miles outside of town, Stoney Creek, and fixed some dinner, did some laundry at the laundromat, and went to bed. The rain zapped all our energy, so we showered and went to bed.