Day3
On this day we took the train from Girdwood to Seward with Goldstar Service. On the outdoor viewing deck we saw a black bear and a couple moose. It was really picturesque, and worth the Goldstar upgrade.
Once in Seward we went to the SeaLife Center and checked out the animals. Later that evening we took the late night Bridal Veil Falls kayak adventure. We had a number of issues with the company we went through. But it was still a cool trip. We had Otters swim very close to our kayaks. The trip back we went into the wind, and for awhile it took all our strength just to stay put, let alone make progress. We had a couple waves wash over the kayak too and got pretty wet from the chest down. Eventually there was a point where we were paddling and going backwards due to the wind and waves so we had to be rescued… errr… I mean we braved the elements and fought though it!
We stayed overnight at Hotel Seward. It was a nice place with all the amenities you would need. Very close to everything “downtown” but a bit of a walk to the train depot and boat harbor. But that’s what you have to pick, you can be close to one, but then you wont be to the other (downtown vs. train depot and boat harbor). The room was more than big enough and had the right amenities.
Day4
We took the 7.5 hour Major Marine Kenai Fjords National Park Tour. I think we hit the jackpot! I believe the only animals we didn’t see that we possibly could’ve were dolphins. We saw humpback whales, had an orca breach twice, a pod of 6 orcas swam around the boat, porpoises, stellar sea lions, harbor seals, puffins, lots of other birds, mountain goats, etc. It was unreal. The time flew by and I would recommend them again. I cannot compare them to Kenai Fjords tour as I haven’t taken theirs, but Major Marine did a nice job.
A lot of pictures from the trip sadly didnt turn out with all the rain, but still an awesome trip!
After the boat cruise we immediately hopped on the train back to Girdwood to get our rental car and head up to Talkeetna. The train ride returning we also saw a black bear and moose, but this time the moose were closer and the black bear was father away. It was fairly windy and cooler this time around so I spent less time on the outdoor deck. I enjoyed the dining car and the complementary soda this time. Once we got to Girdwood we grabbed our rental and drove to Talkeetna. There was a considerable amount of construction and the drive took longer than the GPS expected, but thanks to the advice of others before hand we knew what to expect. Even at 11:00pm at night it was still plenty bright out.
We arrived at Denali Fireside around midnight and settled in for the night. They have really nice little cabins. I actually turned on their TV to catch up on news and Olympics before I went to sleep. It was the only time I watched TV the whole trip. The rooms and bathrooms were more than adequate size and priced better than many other options in the area. The owners were friendly and offered excellent advice during our stay.