South to Seward

The drive down to Seward is along the sea for a bit, which is interesting visually. Its really more of a giant cove with huge swings in water level with the tides. I’m tempted to catch the comings and going of the ‘bore tide’ which sounds more like a tidal wave to me. On my way down I’m more or less marking side hikes and things to explore if I’m so inclined on the way back up. I do stop into Cambell’s knives, a tiny roadside shop, at the recommendation of one of the gals I met on the Chilkoot hike. I was really stopping in to chat with the knifemaking owner, but he was out of town. I hear he is inexhaustibly interesting and quite charismatic. His wife is running the shop when I arrive and she’s a pleasure to talk to as well. We chat for a while, about a little of everything and I do learn a bit of their very unique knife making process. I thank her and move along down to the town of Seward.

Immediately I’m drawn down to the harbor to admire the boats. It is a fishing and sightseeing by boat kind of town, very much built around the water. There are a bunch of seafood themed bars and restaurants along with chartering companies along the harbor. I’m more interested in the boats. Some part of me has always thought I’d live or work on board a boat someday. Perhaps in another life, or maybe it’ll be my next chapter. Fantasizing a bit and peeking into the interiors, I’m not sure how much time I spent wandering the docks. I drive about a bit, exploring some side roads and I spot a few more sea otters lounging about on the waves. The NPS office here has some info on a couple local hikes that sound interesting, but the town’s visitor’s center is closed. I make a few phone calls while I have service and then find a spot to cook some dinner and plan.