Day 23 – Hope to Seward

Happy Birthday to my brother Rick Dullum.

I left the tent rain fly open to get some nice mountain air. I got the air, and a nice coating of dew in the morning. So far the iKamper roof top tent has been almost flawless. We had an issue with one of the latches coming undone and then it bent slightly. We were able to fix the latch and have been careful to make sure its buttoned up tight when we pack it for travel. I also accidentally broke one of the strut mounts when I left a flashlight up on the edge. I was able to pound the bracket and rivets back into the floor and so far it has held. I think that happened on the 3rd or 4th night and so far it has held up without problems (on night 24 today).

We continued the 10 more miles down into Hope, AK, since it was recommended to check it out. The town has about 110-200 residents but apparently is a hot spot for campers, hikers, fisherman, and bikers. The whole town was filled up with cars, tents, camper vans, RV’s and people were camping along the streets, in between houses, and in parking lots. Maybe the night life is not to be missed?

One of the newer items in Hope, AK

About 60 miles from Hope is Seward. I had learned from Lifestyle Overland that this was a great stopping place, so I had it on my list. The town is a combination of fishing and tourism. We picked up a guy whose truck broke down (yes, Carl climbed in the back on top of the gear to help this guy out). The guy, Dan, had retired here about 5 years before and had built a home. He had lots of suggestions for things to do. We asked about a good local establishment and he gave us many, but one hot dog stand who was run by his grand daughter (we thought) was suggested. So we stopped and had reindeer sausages. They were pretty good and the conversation with the lady who owned the thing helped us learn more about Seward.

A commercial fishing boat in the harbor

We drove and walked the cruise ship tourism section and then headed into old town Seward. We found lots of cool shops and things to see. We decided to camp at the local campsite so we could walk and bike around. We are both tiring of travel and needed an afternoon to chill. Tonight there is supposed to be a band at the Yukon Bar, so we will be checking it out.

Seward is the start for the Iditarod dog race