Seward, AK

Today started bright and early. . . . .

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I may or may not have run 7 miles (60 minutes) before 5 a.m. this morning.

(Don’t worry, Mom, it was brighter out this morning than it is in the winter.)

I normally am not quite that crazy about my running, (Okay, yes I am.) but I wanted to get back to my Monday – Saturday routine of running because these past fews weeks have had me running on a wacky schedule. I can change things up for a while, but I always revert back to my normal schedule. So that meant I had to get up bright and early in order to get a run in this morning.

The reason I had to be up early was because my aunt, Sue, (who is visiting for a couple of weeks) and I had a train to catch to Seward, AK.


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I enjoyed my favorite on-the-go breakfast on the train this morning:

– decaf iced coffee prepared last night

overnight oats prepared last night


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We rode the train to Seward (4.5 hours) and saw some beautiful scenery along the way.


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Views looking backwards out the very last car.


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My aunt, Sue, enjoying the scenery.

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A glacier we saw along the way.


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When we arrived in Seward, it was time to board our boat we would be riding for a cruise around Resurrection Bay.


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We rode the Chugach. (It comes from the name of the mountain range surrounding Anchorage.)


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My aunt, Sue and I on the boat.


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As we left Seward, I saw the first place I ever camped in Alaska—four years ago over Labor Day weekend.

See where all the RVs are lined up along the water’s edge? That’s where we camped, which definitely had a cool view, but we were camping in a parking lot, and all I could think was, “this is how you Alaskans camp?” (It isn’t—except here.)


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We saw a lot of wildlife during our cruise.

I apologize if some of the animals are hard to see. Most of them were still pretty far away, so I did my best to zoom out as much as possible.

Bald eagles.


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Sea Otter.


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Sea lions laying on the rock. (brown lumps on center rock)

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Humpback whales.


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We also saw dall sheep and puffins, but they were way too far away to take pictures of.

We stopped for lunch at Fox Island.


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We had a buffet-style lunch complete with salmon and prime rib. I am not a big fan of either, so I opted for the vegetarian meal, which was veggie lasagna. (I forgot to take a picture.)

None of the food was outstanding. It was mass-produced food, what can I say?

Me on Fox Island.


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Then it was time to board the boat again.


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We continued on our way and enjoyed more incredible views along the way.


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Another glacier.


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After our 4.5 hour boat cruise, it was time to board the train again to head back to Anchorage.

We didn’t get back until 10:30 p.m. tonight, so it was definitely a long day, and I am looking forward to passing out as soon as this is published!


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Good night!

Hi, I'm Michelle

I love running around the lakes of Minnesota, running after my two boys, and racing anything from the 5K to the marathon. I have been blogging here since 2010 when I ran my first marathon. I finally secured my sub-3 hour marathon after trying for 8 years.

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16 Comments

  1. 7.26.11
    Holly said:

    Wow, the wildlife is so incredible! Looks like an amazing trip!

    And 7 miles before 5 am is VERY impressive!

  2. 7.26.11
    Holly said:

    Wow, the wildlife is so incredible! Looks like an amazing trip!

    And 7 miles before 5 am is VERY impressive!

  3. 7.26.11
    lifttorun said:

    Everything looks so pretty, but oh so cold.

  4. 7.26.11
    lifttorun said:

    Everything looks so pretty, but oh so cold.

  5. 7.26.11
    Liz said:

    I’m so jealous of all the animal sightings!

  6. 7.26.11
    Liz said:

    I’m so jealous of all the animal sightings!

  7. 7.26.11

    How fun to take a train!!!!! Great idea. I love the scenery pictures 🙂

  8. 7.26.11

    How fun to take a train!!!!! Great idea. I love the scenery pictures 🙂

  9. 7.26.11
    Yolanda said:

    So beautiful!!!

  10. 7.26.11
    Yolanda said:

    So beautiful!!!

  11. 7.26.11
    dana @ my little celebration said:

    Looks like an amazing trip! Thanks for sharing!

  12. 7.26.11
    dana @ my little celebration said:

    Looks like an amazing trip! Thanks for sharing!

  13. 7.27.11
    Sarah said:

    This looks so cool!

  14. 7.30.11
    Emily said:

    We did a boat tour out of Seward the day after you! We were in AK for vacation/friend’s wedding and loved it. Seeing the wildlife on our boat tour was definitely one of the highlights for us.