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Where The Sea Breaks its Back

There is such a deep and rich history surrounding Alaska. Every bit of this land seems to be saturated with legend and lore. Yet those legends are true, and the knowledge of the people and the wildlife that used to walk the same grounds that we now do is staggering and nearly incomprehensible.

In roughly 14,000 BC the first wave of humans crossed the Bering Land Bridge from Asia into what is now Alaska. The Tlingit peoples, the largest group, settled into Alaska’s panhandle. The Aleuts settled in the Aleutian Chain, and the Haida’s settled on the coast of what is now British Columbia, Canada. The history of these locations is breathtaking and mind-boggling (if you’re a history nerd like I am, that is).

Bering Land Bridge

The name Alaska derives from the Aleut word Alaxsxaq, also spelled Alyeska, which translates to “mainland”, but literally means ‘the object toward which the action of the sea is directed”.

Alaska boasts more coastline than the all the coastal states in the U.S. combined, and the smaller islands that cling near the shore are so numerous that no one even knows exactly how many there are. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, are unnamed and uncharted. And one in particular keeps a fascinating history…

The island of St. Paul is known as one of the last strongholds of the woolly mammoth, and it is recorded that these great and wild creatures existed on St. Paul for 6,000 years after the ice age ended, and perished a mere 5,600 years ago (it seems like a long time ago, but in the grand scheme of time, it’s shockingly recent). It was determined that the reason for extinction of the woolly mammoth on St. Paul Island was the disappearance of fresh water. Humans didn’t set foot on St. Paul Island until long after the woolly mammoth died off.

St. Paul Island, Alaska. Photo: stock

The human history and the natural history of Alaska is a deeply intriguing one, and even in today’s quickly-changing modern world, vast portions of Alaska seem to be untouched and pure. We live in a state that is so far removed from the rest of the lower 48, or the “outside” as Alaskan’s refer to it, that it’s easy to forget that we are not our own little world. But Alaska really is its own world, and it’s a world that is soaked with history and beauty and magic beyond belief.

Eagle in Seward, Alaska. Photo: Liberty Miller

Book your stay at Sauerdough Lodging and immerse yourself in a time of yore.

Blog by Liberty Elias Miller. Visit her website here: https://www.libertyeliasmiller.com/

The Fairest of Them All

The Seward Highway. Photo by Liberty Miller

The Seward Highway was recently voted the most beautiful drive in America.

Even if we weren’t partial because we live here, we would have to agree. There’s no denying the breathtaking beauty of the Seward Highway.

Within moments of leaving downtown Anchorage, the Seward Highway whisks you away on a sweeping journey through the most stunning landscape your eyes may ever behold. Swaddled between the Turnagain Arm and the Chugach Mountains, the highway winds its way towards the Portage Valley and will strike awe into your heart at every corner.

Along the way, falling straight out of the heart of the mountain, is a water spring where people stop and fill jugs. I’ve tasted that water myself, and it’s like drinking the purest liquid life directly from the source.

Large turnouts rest along the banks of the Turnagain Arm so that travelers may stop and soak in the majesty of it all. When I first lived in Alaska, back in 2003, my cousin and I would sit upon large boulders at the waters edge and watch the summer run of beluga whales as they chased fish up the Arm. We also watched as daring surfers paddled out to ride the bore. A tidal bore is a phenomenon in which the leading edge of the incoming tide creates a wave that races up a narrow bay against the direction of the current. The height of the wave varies, but it’s always exciting to see.

Filling jugs at the water pipe. Photo: stock

As you round the curve and come into the village of Girdwood, the snow-capped peaks make your breath catch. This valley of ice is where I first witnessed the Northern Lights. Kissing the top of Mount Alyeska one evening, the green lights swam though the cold night sky and seemed to touch my soul.

Further down the road is the turn to Whittier, the town whose road shares a tunnel with the train. And yes, it’s as spooky as it sounds.

The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center sits at that turn and is well worth the visit. A legit wildlife rehab facility, AWCC is a non-profit that rehabs and releases native Alaska wildlife such as bears, moose, caribou, wolves, bison, and lynx.

As the Seward Highway meanders through the valley and around its corners, you pass serene Summit Lake, the quaint town of Moose Pass, and eventually find yourself at the end of the road, in the town of Seward. Resting on the shores of Resurrection Bay, Seward is sleepy and vibrant at the same time, with Sauerdough Lodging sitting at the center of it all.

Downtown Seward at dusk. Photo by Liberty Miller

Numerous car rental companies are located within the Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage. The Alaska Railroad is a relaxing and memorable alternative to car rentals, and drops you in Seward, only one mile from Sauerdough Lodging.

Book your stay at Sauerdough and experience the Seward Highway, the most beautiful drive in America.

Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center website: https://www.alaskawildlife.org/

Anchorage Daily News article about the water pipe: https://www.adn.com/features/alaska-life/2017/04/22/the-curious-popularity-of-a-water-pipe-on-the-seward-highway/

Blog by Liberty Elias Miller. Visit her website here: https://www.libertyeliasmiller.com/

Aerial view of the Seward Highway and the Turnagain Arm. Photo: stock

The Awakening Land

Photo by Liberty Elias Miller

The snow is (kind of) starting to melt, the sun is (kind of) starting to shine, and all throughout Alaska, creatures, human and animal alike, are beginning to emerge from their hibernation.

Spring in Alaska, and Seward in particular because we’re partial, is a glorious time of year. We’re rested, we’re hungry, and we’re ready to feel the blood pumping through our veins again. It’s a time of year when everyone is all smiles and the hope for summer is infectious. Don’t get us wrong – we love the winter as well and the activities it brings, but summer….ah, summer.

Now that it’s technically spring, Seward is in the throes of tourist preparation. Kayaks are being hauled out of storage and dusted off, small cruise boats are doing spring maintenance, and our café, the Sea Bean, will shortly be stocking coffee, baking pastries, and welcoming customers.

It’s a fabulous time; one we all look forward to. It’s a time when seasonal workers begin returning to Seward and bonfires are had on the beach, a grand nomadic reunion. We all trek back to Seward each spring so that we can spend our summers showing you Alaska and sharing with you why we love it so much – why it deserves to be loved so much. Because Alaska truly is a magical place; a place that touches your heart and soul so deeply. And Seward is a special place indeed. Nestled on the boundary of the Kenai Fjords National Park, and tucked into the foothills of the Chugach Mountains, Seward rests quietly at the literal end of the road. It is a mecca for outdoor adventure, and the launching site for majestic ice and primitive wilderness. Your outdoor activity adventures while in Seward are astounding and quite possibly overwhelming. But just ask us – we’ll be happy to point you in the right direction.

When you book your stay at Sauerdough Lodging, you’re investing in the memories of a lifetime.

Fireweed blooms on the banks of Kenai Lake. Photo by Liberty Elias Miller

Blog by Liberty Elias Miller. Visit her website here: https://www.libertyeliasmiller.com/

When the Mountain is Out

To the north of Seward, there lies a wonder that astounds; an example of the awesome power of Mother Nature. You might know it as Mount McKinley, though her official name, is Denali.

However, due to the fickle minds of man, Denali has known many names. For centuries, the Koyukon Athabascan people referred to the mountain by her proper name of Denali. Though they lived in Yukon, Canada, the Koyukon’s were the first people to access the mountain. The word Denali derives from the word for “high”, “tall”, or “great”, and is commonly labeled “The Great One”.

In the late 1880’s and early 1890’s, Denali was named Densmore’s Mountain, after prospector Frank Densmore (he must have been a good prospector to have a mountain named after him).

In 1896, another prospector named the mountain McKinley, after then-presidential candidate, William McKinley, who was elected President the following year. Though Alaskan locals have typically always used the original name of Denali, the name McKinley stuck for 119 years, until President Obama announced an official name change in August of 2015…back to the original name of Denali. Not surprisingly, this caused a stir in the state of Ohio, which is President McKinley’s home state.

An interesting fact is that the name ‘Denali’ can be found in seven indigenous Alaska languages. I didn’t even realize that many different languages existed in our state!

In addition to being a gloriously stunning natural exhibit, Denali is also a force to be reckoned with. Rising 20,310 feet above the earth, she drapes herself in five large glaciers and an unimaginable amount of snow and ice, with crevasses so deep no one really knows just how deep.

The first attempt to climb Denali was an unsuccessful venture in 1903. In 1906, a man falsely claimed to have summited the mountain (I’ll bet he felt like a jerk when it was revealed that he lied…), and in 1913, a team of four successfully ascended Denali. More than 1,000 climbers per year tangle with Denali’s brutality, facing temperatures as low as -75 degrees, with a wind chill of up to -118. Yikes. The influx of hikers and climbers leave a piece of their hearts and souls within the icy flesh of Denali. They also leave behind 4,400 pounds of human waste, an issue that remains a constant battle for the powers that be. Rules and regulations are continually being deliberated and discussed as to the best and most environmental procedure for disposal (the common action was to toss the waste into crevasses, however, due to glacial melting, toxins were finding their way into deltas, rivers, and drinking water sources far below. Not cool.

Creating its own environment, Denali is so rarely “out”, remaining elusively shrouded in clouds and away from the eyes of the estimated 600,000 tourists that visit Denali National Park each season. But when she is out, she takes your breath away, and has the power to bring tears to your eyes.

Book your stay at Sauerdough Lodging, rent a car, and journey into the heart of Denali.

Blog by Liberty Elias Miller. Visit her blog here: https://www.libertyeliasmiller.com/

Denali shrouded in cloud cover. Photo: stock