Alaska is a paradise for all kinds of festivals, some of them making me just smiling and nodding (and thinking ‘uh-oh, really?’) There are slush cups for the end of skiing season, sled dog races of all distances, there is an Iceworm Festival in Cordova, ice golf events …. and then there is Polar Bear Jump Off in Seward, AK. I wrote about the jump already in January but was going through some pictures for my photo agency, and decided to share a few more with you as well.
Polar Bear Jump Off is a hop into chilly, 39F (4C) ocean water for the good cause – supporting American Cancer Society. People dress up in the costumes, and wait freeze in line for their turn to jump into the Seward harbor. Seward is a town in Alaska’s Kenai peninsula, a couple of hours south of Anchorage. The town is known as a cruise ship stop in the summer, as well as it is the southern endpoint of Alaska Railroad. The ocean life around Seward is simply incredible. Humpback whales, orcas, Minkes and gray whales love the Gulf of Alaska and Resurrection Bay waters where they return from their calving spots in Hawaii and Mexico. Sea kayaking on these waters is a real blast – seals and sea otters are always ready to keep paddler (or themselves) entertained.
Maybe the water feels less cold when holding the best friend’s hand?
Bikini style a la Alaska.
Especially in the summer Seward is a great place to visit. All the businesses are open and town is full of life. In the winter time, the entertainment is limited to Alaska SeaLife Center, and a handful of average restaurants. SeaLife Center, while small, has some cute exhibits. You can close and personal with some sea birds – puffins being my favorites, although sea lions and seals never fail to put a smile on my face either. Salmon fishing is a huge deal in Alaska, so no wonder SeaLife Center has a rather extensive exhibition of the salmon’s lifecycle.
A volunteer playing with a seal at Alaska SeaLife Center.
Close and personal.
Gotta love the whiskers.
My travel shopping on the Denali trip was limited to some fabrics and yarns. Right now there is an Alaska Quilt Shop Hop 2012 going on. The idea is to visit as many quilt shops as possible, and collect a different quilt block from each store. I decided to join the fun and am now collecting blocks for myself and my mom. The completed quilt has 20 blocks, each being different and representing something Alaskan.
