On Friday, the 25th, Chris, Bob, Judy, and I took a 4 & 1/2 hour cruise out of Whittier, which was about 10 miles from our campground in Portage. Whittier is a remote Alaskan town that can be reached via the railroad or the toll road. Vehicles and trains share the same tunnel so access to Whittier is available only at pre-specified times.
I guess I misread the cruise sailing time - I thought our cruise was at 11:45 so we got an early start. We got to the tunnel at 10:20 and had a short wait. Check out the views.
Huge glacier on top of the mountain.
At 10:30 it was our turn to start thru the tunnel.
The tunnel is 2.6 miles long and the speed limit is 25 MPH. It is only open for 15 minutes. If you miss it, you have to wait 45 minutes for the next one. The fare for passenger cars is $12.
Huge glacier on top of the mountain.
At 10:30 it was our turn to start thru the tunnel.
The tunnel is 2.6 miles long and the speed limit is 25 MPH. It is only open for 15 minutes. If you miss it, you have to wait 45 minutes for the next one. The fare for passenger cars is $12.
When we got to the other side it was raining. Anyway, we found the terminal, parked across the street and walked back. Then we found out that our cruise wasn't until 12:45 so we had an hour and a half wait. Fortunately, there was a small restaurant next door and we got some coffee and waited it out. Judy took a picture of the back of one of the chairs (rather unique).
We found our ship at the dock and boarded. We had seats upstairs.
When we got to the other side it was raining. Anyway, we found the terminal, parked across the street and walked back. Then we found out that our cruise wasn't until 12:45 so we had an hour and a half wait. Fortunately, there was a small restaurant next door and we got some coffee and waited it out. Judy took a picture of the back of one of the chairs (rather unique).
We found our ship at the dock and boarded. We had seats upstairs.
Forgot to mention - one of the reasons we took this tour is because you eat lunch/dinner on the way out - salmon and prime rib with all the fixings and deserts!!! Ummmm...good!! The second reason will come later!!
Our tour consisted of cruising around Prince William Sound which is part of the Chugack National Forest, the second largest national forest in the US. It is surrounded by the steep and glaciated Chugach Mountains. The coastline is convoluted (meaning having many twists and turns, or, in this case, many islands and fjords, several of which contain tidewater glaciers). Our cruise would include the Beloit, Northland, and Blackstone Glaciers.
The Blackstone Glacier was named by the famous surveyor Mendenhall for a miner who was carrying mail from Cook Inlet to Whittier in 1896. He disappeared in a snowstorm and was never seen again. His brother Willard searched for him but found only the mail packet atop the glacier which now bears his name.
Anyway, we left the harbor at our scheduled time (we had some onlookers that bade us farewell!!
A view back at the town of Whittier.
There are some interesting statistics about Whittier.
At last count there were 284 residents, most of whom live in Begich Towers, a condominium. There are 36 kids in school (K-12), 3 graduates in 2013.
20 million pounds of commercial fish processed here each year..
No stop lights. In 2011 they installed street signs but they have since been destroyed by snow plows and the elements
No barber or beauty salon.
No bank.
No FEDEX or UPS delivery.
No fast food.
No mall.
Very popular for cruises though. Many people arrive here by train, bus, and car. And very popular for the big cruise ships to come into port to drop passengers off for the train ride up to Anchorage and beyond.
We left the dock and made our way out into the Sound.
Sea lions watching us watch them.
Large waterfall originating from the glacier.
It was cold and drizzily but we endured.
Now, the second reason we came on this cruise.
Glacier ice used to make margaritas!!
We did sight a couple of beluga whales on the way back. They never really came out, and, by the time we got closer, they were gone.
On the way back we pulled up to this waterfall.
Check out the water color.
Thought this scene was rather unusual - glacier highlighted by an opening in the clouds.
Cruise was good. RR bridge on our way back to the tunnel
Got back to the tunnel, got in line and waited for the gates to open. The ending of another nice day.
Next stop - Wasilla. Just for an overnight. Couldn't get into Talkeetna until
Sunday night.
No comments:
Post a Comment