Alaska - Day 3: Kenai Fjords National Park

In Seward, there are two main companies that give tours on the Kenai Fjords area. I've read only good comments about both of them. So it's matter of reading what they offer and picking based on individual tastes.

Kenai Fjords tours

I decided to use Kenai Fjords Tours, and the experience was excellent. 

Kenai Fjords Tours

It's very recommended to take the longer tours, that go deep into the park. The shorter , 4 hours, tours just stay on Resurrection Bay.  The 7 to 10 hour tours are very well worth the time and money spent. The captain was very knowledgeable, telling about the sealife and animals all the way back and forth, and adding a lot of very good humor to the story.  Also, he gets very close to sea animals, and to interesting places.

Resurrection Bay - Bald Eagle

Kenai Fjords - Wale

Kenai Fjords - Puffin

Kenai Fjords - Sea Otter

Kenai Fjords - Mountain Goat

Kenai Fjords - Seals

Kenai Fjords - Bear

Kenai Fjords

Kenai Fjords - Puffins

Kenai Fjords

The ship stopped very close to the glacier, less than 1/2 mile away, giving a very nice opportunity for taking pictures and enjoying the view. Also, at this point, the wind stops and it doesn't fill so cold.

Kenai Fjords - Glacier

In order to enjoy the tour as much as possible, be ready for cold weather. Dress in layers, and take winter clothing and gloves. The weather at Seward port and Resurrection Bay is milder than closer to the glaciers, where it gets quite cold with frozen wind. Free coffee is available inside the ship, it's  a nice resource.

One of the tours includes a 1 hour stop at Fox Island for a great dinner of Ribs and Salmon... all you can eat!

Alaska - Day 2: Talkeetna and Seward Highway

Started the day with some views of the city...

Anchorage

Anchorage

Talkeetna

The first town to visit was Talkeetna, about 120 miles north of Anchorage (2.5 hour drive). The road was very nice, surrounded by pines of all tones of green.

Talkeetna Historic District

US Post Office - Talkeetna 

Tip: Public restrooms are available at this place

Talkeetna Air Taxi

Art shops in Talkeetna

TIP: If you're looking for souvenirs, always check the country of origin. As everywhere in the USA, most cheaper stuff is made in Asia. There are beautiful crafts from local artisans, more expensive, but since we're in Alaska the idea is to get native artwork. Some nice and less expensive native souvenirs can still be found.

Talkeetna  is a small town, but there's quite a lot of people walking around. Probably because lots of tours to Denali depart from this location. If somebody is looking for a flight seeing tour, this is probably the best place. There are several companies to choose from, and most of them offer some kind of discount (either through their web site or free travel magazines).  The weather changes very fast, and the flight seeing tours will be cancelled if the weather isn't optimal (refunding the deposit).
Talkeetna has some good beer, it's a good place to have a beer and a meal. People is also very friendly, as in most of the other places we visited in Alaska.

The Seward Highway

After a few hours in town, it was time to continue to the next destination,  Seward, 5 hours driving to the south of Talkeetna.  After passing Anchorage, the Seward highway has magnificent landscapes and view points.  There are lots of places to see, and thanks to the long Summer days, it's possible to be driving late at night and still be able to enjoy all views.

Seward Highway

Indian Valley Mine

Indian Valley Mine

Indian Valley Mine 

Indian Valley Mine

The Indian Valley Mine is a good stop on the way.  The people who own the place are very friendly, they invited us some tea and told their stories. It's a good place to stop by. The entrance fee for their small is only $1.  They can also teach how to pan gold (didn't have time to try it, don't know the cost).

Bird Point

Bird Point - Seward Highway

Seward Highway

Seward

We reached Seward after 10pm. Hungry, but all restaurants were closed. Fortunately, the supermarket (Safeway) is open until midnight, which saved our dinner.

Safeway at Seward

The hotel for Seward's night was the Harborview Hotel.  I would categorize it more than a Motel rather hotel. But the price is good (compared to the other options), located about 5 blocks of the port. The hotel is safe, clean, offers free WiFi and free parking. However, it will be kind of noisy after 7pm, when guests start waking up and turning on showers.

Harborview Hotel room

Harborview Hotel room