The weather wasn’t ideal but we had things to do and hanging out with Nana and Papa on the schedule for today.
The eaglets in the nest right by our campsite woke us up every morning with their insanely loud screeching.We picked up Nana and Papa and took a drive down to a different, and apparently less stable, area of Seward.We followed Lowell Point Road past the waterfall where it turned into a one lane dirt road.The reward was the edge of the ocean right at the end of the dirt road.Miller’s Landing, located in the tiny community of Lowell Point, is just about 2 miles south of Seward. It has a very unique Alaskan charm, and is literally at the “end of the road.” Lowell Point is home to a large inter-tidal zone that attracts marine wildlife of all types.It was super cool to be surrounded by the mountains rising straight out of the ocean in every direction. Seward is where mountains, ice and oceans meet!Next up was a visit to the Alaska SeaLife Center.It is the only facility in Alaska that combines a public aquarium with marine research, education, and wildlife response.The SeaLife Center also had “sweet lighting” according to Everett.Sure, marine life is interesting but Everett was mostly there for the technology.We enjoyed the antics of the Steller sea lions and seals in the Rocky Coast exhibit.A marine touch tank is always a fun time (for the humans at least)!The Discovery Pool Exhibit was brand new and pumps 2,000 gallons of seawater from Resurrection Bay through it every minute.After I saw these beauties I vowed that I would find a purple sea star out in the wild before I left Alaska! 💜The Red Sea Urchin would grab onto our fingers when we touched it. Crazy!The Sunflower Sea Star was covered in fur. 😱We loved the up-close and hands-on learning experience!Starfish have been rebranded as sea stars. As someone who grew up calling them starfish it was hard for me to remember their new name but I’m getting better! ⭐️Next up was an exhibit about salmon.We learned a catchy saying to remember the five types of Alaskan salmon. Ask any Hutton kid the next time you see them and they’ll teach you. 🖐️Learning about the life cycle of salmon as they spawn was mind blowing. 🤯We caught another glimpse of the Stellar sea lions from a different viewing window. When I first heard them called “Stellar” sea lions I thought that someone was just adding a catchy adjective to their name. Turns out it is because they are the largest member of the sea lion family!Did you know that a group of jellies is called a smack?Watching the diving seabirds do their thing was super fascinating too.After our time in the museum we walked along Resurrection Bay. At an astounding 960 feet deep, it is the largest fjord along the coast of the Kenai Peninsula. Seward is Mile 0 of the Iditarod National Historic Trail.As early as 1908, dog teams traveled over the Iditarod Trail to bring mail and supplies to gold rush prospectors. Only 938 miles to Nome, Alaska from here!We were reunited with the Clemons family and were excited to spend time together over the next few days in Seward!But first, we’ve got a date with a sea kayak bright and early tomorrow morning. 🛶
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