A Sponto Trip to Seward!

First weekend back home - 2 days actually - and I read a Facebook post about a fundraiser at SeaLife Alaska in Seward, 2 1/2 hours away - a wine and beer tasting with silent auction.  I saw it at noon, and by 1:00 we were packed and on the road, stopping for a hike at Johnson Pass along the way!  We drove through a little snow, a little drizzle, and finally clear skies before arriving at Hotel Seward.

The drive south along the Seward Highway between Anchorage and Seward is worth it in itself, and the hike was fun but flatter than we had expected.  We had forgotten to take our guide book with us, and we only had 1 1/2 hours to spare, so we went out about 45 minutes or so then turned around.

The Hotel Seward is just 2 blocks from the SeaLife Center.

It was originally built in the early 1900s as Seward’s Best Hotel.  Since it was so close, we could safely sample the beers from a number of microbreweries from around Alaska, vote on the 3 outstanding seafood appetizers (smoked halibut mini-tacos were our choice!), and then vote again on the desserts (below).  It was a tough decision!

We met some friends there who had originally posted the Facebook announcement and also came home with way too many things from the silent auction!  Including a "Puffin Encounter" for me the next time we go back, a float trip down the Kenai River, and two kayaking trips in Prince William Sound.

Home the next day with another stop for hiking, this time from Bird Creek with a seemingly vertical climb right from the road!  We didn't go to the top, constrained again by time, but we'll go back there - it was a great workout!

What a weekend!  Did we mention that we love our lives here in Alaska?!