Serenity in Seward

above: Our “front yard”

Every once in a while you find a place that speaks to you, that makes you want to sit down, put your feet up and stay a while. I knew the minute we pulled into the Riverfront Park Campsite in Seward that it was one of those places.

Maybe it was something about pulling the rig right up to the beach front, maybe it was something about the mountain and glacier view across the bay, maybe it was the way the light shimmered on the water or maybe it was that it only cost $15.00 a night!

Whatever the reason, I had a vision of sending the boys off to fish for one, two or even three weeks while I planted a chair on the beach and got out all the books I haven’t read so far on the trip.

Once I got over that fantasy, I decided that our stay would still be more than a “one nighter”.

The port town on the Kenai Peninsula is bustling with activity with fishing boats and large cruise ships making their way in and out of the harbor all day long. There is just enough boat traffic to add interest without disturbing the serenity. I would also like to congratulate and thank whoever decided to make a huge part of the waterfront a campground instead of putting up condos and restaurants. Having a front row seat to watch the activity is great fun and within the backdrop of an amazing view makes the place calming and peaceful.

There is a hike and bike trail along the riverfront which enable one to make it from one end of town to the other without encountering a car while enjoying the amazing scenery the whole way. There are great “fishin’ holes” nearby, hiking trails up to Exit Glacier in the Kenai Fjords National Park a short drive away and of course, for those of us desiring to do nothing, a beautiful beachfront to hang out and watch the sea otters play and the bald eagles fly overhead.

There are fire rings made out of the beach rock in front of every site and the endless evenings (it NEVER gets dark, more on this later) find the campers parked around the campfires chatting and enjoying the endless sunset.

We are now on our fourth day and I have been inspired to take approximately 900 photos. OK, so I got a little carried away …. again but, what fun! We’ve been lounging, fishing, biking and the highlight (will probably turn out to be a lifetime highlight) is a boat tour out to Aialik Glacier.

There is a serenity that comes from experiencing the beauty of such a place and it’s creatures that makes it hard to leave (which is why we are still here). Be patient as it will take a few posts to try to convey what we have experienced here.

 “Journey with me to a true commitment to our environment. Journey with me to the serenity of leaving to our children a planet in equilibrium.” Paul Tsongas