We are in Seward waiting for the big Fourth of July celebration that takes place here every year. There is a race up Mount Marathon. Back in 1908 there was a bet that someone could or couldn't race to the top and back down in under an hour. The race became an annual event since 1915. Leading racers will usually reach the summit in 33-40 minutes at a rate of 2 mph. Coming down, they will do it in 10-15 minutes at a rate of 12 mph. One of the craziest things I've ever witnessed. There are usually 400 men, 400 women and 200 juniors. The juniors run first, then the women. The men are last. You can bet there will be lots of injuries at the finish line. The massive crowd of spectators line the street like a parade route and cheer the entrants on.
This will be the fourth time we've had the honor of being in Seward for this big day. Seward is located on the Kenai Peninsula at the head of Resurrection Bay. The bay and the river were both name by of Alexandr Baranov who was forced to retreat into the bay by a bad storm in the Gulf of Alaska. When the storm was over, it was Easter Sunday. So the bay and river were named in honor of that. The opening of the film The Hunt for Red October was filmed in Resurrection Bay, with the bay serving as a stand-in for Russia's Murmansk Fjord.
Tomorrow, after the big race and celebrations, a barge in Resurrection Bay will shoot off fireworks in honor of the 4th of July.
Tonight we ate at Ray's Seafood on the bay. We had a view of the harbor and fjords across the bay. The harbor is loaded with boats. Fishing boats that go out on day tours of halibut fishing, boats to take tours to see wildlife like sea lions and whales, privately owned sail boats.
For an appetizer, I had thin slices of baguette, whole sweet roasted garlic cloves you mash onto the crusty bread and spread on a little melted blue cheese sauce. Fabulous!!! I also had Alaskan King Crab cakes. So good.
I have several pictures I want to post and tell you about, but for some reason I can't send them to my computer. I'll troubleshoot that tomorrow before we leave for the day. I should have lots of pictures of the festivities tomorrow.
Until next time,
Dolores
Back in 1997 (when I was younger and thinner), we ran the Midnight Sun 10K in Fairbanks. We finished at about 11:00PM wearing sunglasses. So cool! We also participated in a 5K on July 4 in Wasilla. The local runners are so friendly. We enjoyed meeting them.
ReplyDeleteI bet that was a lot of fun, Cheri. Here in Seward it gets darker longer than in Fairbanks, but it is still daylight longer than at home. It is pouring down the rain right now. The juniors run at 9:30-women 11:15-men at 3:00. It is 4 hours earlier here right now (l0:22am--2:22l there). The kids are just now finishing the race. It's cold and rainy and I'm wimpy so I might be forced to watch the race on the TV. LOL
ReplyDeleteStay dry and don't get sick. Sounds like loads of fun. Can't wait to see pictures.
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