Anchorage to Seward, Alaska - April 2012

A group of us rode from Anchorage to Seward to have lunch and tour one of the new tug boats the company I work for owns, which is sailing out of Seward to western Alaska soon. Joining me were ADVBMR, JustinConsistent and his female friend (whose name I don't know how to spell), Blue Rider, Justin's friend Josh. Full Power rode over from Homer and met us in Seward. From my house it's a little over 250 miles roundtrip. We encountered some rain drops between Girdwood and the base of Turnagain Pass, then the rest of the day we had sunshine with a few clouds. Not bad considering Seward gets a lot of rain!

Here's part of the group at a stop in Girdwood.



ADVBMR had work to do so we stopped at Turnagain Pass to view the scenery and say goodbye to him. There were quite a few avalanches.







The Turnagain Pass area is pretty cool as one side of the highway is strictly for snowmachines and the other side is strictly for skiers. I spend time over here, on my backcountry skis.



We didn't make many photo stops, but I did a few nice photos near Summit Lake.







Here's Justin Consistent, in my rear view mirror. I really admire his riding ability and daredevil attitude!



We had hoped to have lunch at a Ray's Restaurant, but it wasn't open for the season yet. I got a few photos at the harbor.









This is almost a nice "mirror" photograph. I should have changed the settings on my camera.



We parked our bikes on the dock right next to the tug. The captain hadn't been warned that I was coming. I wonder why the poor guy wasn't told some "bikers" were coming to invade his boat?



For some reason I have problems refraining from causing mischief. Since the captain was below decks somewhere, I decided to check out some of the controls within easy reach of the fancy captain's chair.



Some of the food items the crew will need for their long trip.



Here we are, outside the tug, the M/V Naniq. The barge was berthed at a separate dock.



A couple more photos from the Seward harbor.





On the way home we stopped at Turnagain Pass. It was a spectacular day for a ride and I sure enjoyed it!

Great post. I used to live in Anchorage (20 years ago). Made the drive (cage) to Seward many times. Lots of familiar places. Always beautiful. Really appreciate you taking us along.

Looking forward to more.

Fantastic. Makes me cold looking at all that snow. We hit 103 down here in Phoenix today. I took the same trip two years ago in the fall so it was neat to see the same sights... covered up with snow.

[QUOTE=HayDuchessLives;18520934]For some reason I have problems refraining from causing mischief. Since the captain was below decks somewhere, I decided to check out some of the controls within easy reach of the fancy captain's chair.


[/QUOTE]
:eek1 Duchess, you better hope that that tug makes it to it’s next port without incident. Man! After postin’ that there’s no tellin’ who or even what might DRaw attention if some strange problem comes up with that boat.
Can you imagine the possible headlines in next week’s newspaper?!




Judge ----> ------>

Alaska is definitely a land of extremes. The day before we rode to Seward I was backcountry skiing in the cold snow!

The company I work for owns two new sets of tugs and barges that will start delivering fuel and cargo to western Alaska this spring and summer. Vitus Marine operates and maintains our vessels and they have years of experience. Our two tugs use the "articulated tug and barge" system (ATB) and hook together using a notched system. Our two tugs are identical, named the M/V Cavek and M/V Naniq, and our two barges are identical, except they are two different lengths, 208 feet and 183 feet. The tugs are shallow draft so they can maneuver up Alaska's rivers to deliver fuel and cargo to villages that are off the road system.

Here's a view of our first tug and barge, taken in Seward in late August.



The barges can carry three different types of fuel and have a very complicated piping and pumping system.





Here's a closeup view of the Cavek, and you can see where the tug fits snugly into the barge.





Here's the sophisticated array of technology devices up in the captain's area.



We're proud of our new tugs and barges and are having a christening ceremony in Dillingham at the end of May. I'm sorely tempted to use some leave time to sail to Dutch Harbor with the Naniq. What a great opportunity to cruise through Alaskan waters for free! Although I'm sure I would earn my keep by cooking or turning wrenches.

Good one Tom! Unfortunately for the crew of the Naniq my infamous, albeit Lovely, DR was parked right next to the tug for about 30 minutes. Good thing the crew are all top-notch, experienced personnel that can deal with whatever comes up. I don't think I actually touched much while I was sitting in the captain's chair... The irony here is that Justin Continent thought it would be funny to send you this photo so you could doctor it up somehow. Great job!

Boy, I'll be lucky if any of the states in the Lower 48 allow my DR to ride through.

I'm flying down to Albuquerque in a couple days and the heat is going to be quite a shock to my system. I'm still getting out on my backcountry skis and sometimes can wear shorts! The snow is getting pretty slushy though so I'll be spending lots more time on my bike.

Why, thanks, glad you liked it. You will have to show it to Meera, I bet she would appreciate it.
Oh, sorry about the typo .... a couple of the capital letters misplaced.

This is a good one too... oser

You were only on the boat for about 30 minutes? That was a quickie. I figured you would be at least an hour.
Never knew that AVEC had those tugs & barges. Impressive.

Thanks for the great ride all!

Josh

Thanks for posting that great ride report HayD. I always mean to take pictures but never do as well as you. Great writeup too! I had a great time with everyone out there, from folks I knew to the ones I just met it was a nice group to wander to Seward with.

Awww, gosh. Thanks. But for a daredevil attitude shouldn't it be a picture of YOU in MY rearview? Yeah, I saw that trooper following you and thinking about it, Granny Gone Wild.

I was rolling when I saw that Tom! You really came through. I was frantically trying to capture that same picture in hopes that I could get it to you for a creative rework. I even told her I was going to send it to you. Too funny!

Thanks for the great company everyone! And it was nice meeting you Blue Rider & Full Power.

Oh yeah, HD, her name is spelled Maqana. Yup, a q without a u. She's crazy like that.

Great ride everyone. See you all around!

Nice Rack!

Since things are a little slow right now, I thought I would post a follow-up to this RR. In late September I had the privilege of sailing with the outstanding crew on one set of the new fuel-delivery vessels the company I work for owns. I had a BLAST! Those poor guys, especially the captain, didn't know what hit them when I joined them, but I sure increased the amount of smiles and laughter while I was on board!

The captain was actually a little bit upset to have the complete surprise of an official "ship owner's representative" on board for this particular fuel delivery, which was very challenging, and he was a little uptight part of the trip as he didn't want to run aground with me there. Things turned out well and he ended up telling me he thought I brought him and his crew "good luck." He succumbed to my cheerful charm and said I'm welcome to sail with them again anytime. Therefore I am plotting future trips, some involve using an inflatable kayak to get dropped off on some rivers and picked back up again....

A feature story I wrote, along with photos, are on pages 4, 5 and 8 of the magazine below. And yes, despite my personal visit to both sets of our tugs and barges, they are both still functioning! I will ride down to Seward again next April to see the crew before they sail off on their next voyage, bringing more good luck.

http://www.ruralite-digital.com/ruralite/201211_AVEC#pg1

Happy November! As usual, I'm eagerly anticipating lots of snow this winter.

Speaking of plotting. They will drop you off ... but will they pick you up again?
Public relations officer? Propaganda Minister.
Nice story, Amy.

Oh, you would! :ddog

I lost some good friends here in 99....