Friday, June 18 - Travelling the Open Road - a day trip down the Seward Highway

Had a great time at breakfast chatting with the other B&B guests - one couple was from Houston (Katy) and another from Dallas (Richardson). Small world up here! We then set out down the Seward Highway.The first leg is along Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet and the scenery was breathtaking, with the snow capped mountains rising over the water. Our first stop was about 16 miles off the highway, a very small town named Hope on the Kenai Peninsula.
In the Gold Rush days, it was a booming town, but is pretty much deserted now, except for a few shops. Back to the highway and down to Seward, a cute little town, which is also a cruise ship port. We had lunch overlooking the water - we were then going to do a little hiking, but a light rain had started, so we headed north again. A short distance along the road was the turn off for Exit Glacier, so we decided to check that out.
The rain had mostly stopped, so we followed the short trail and were rewarded with amazing views of the glacier! We continued back up to Anchorage, when we drove around the outskirts of the town and through the UAA campus. Lots and lots of trees and green areas in the city with mountains forming the eastern border - a very scenic setting. We had dinner at the Bear Tooth Grill - very delicious - and of course we tried out some of their microbrews! Time to pack up and get ready for Part 2 of our Alaskan Adventure - the cruise!!