June 19 Left the camper with it raining around 9:00 to get to the entrance of the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel going from Portage Valley to Whittier, AK. The one way tunnel allows traffic to move east towards Whitter on the half hour so we needed to be in line by 9:30. The traffic moves from Whittier to Portage Valley on the hour. This 2.5 mile tunnel is the longest in North America and has a speed limit of 25 MPH. Trains also use this tunnel when scheduled on the 15 and 45 minute marks.
We got to Whittier around 10:00, parked our pickup (for $5), and check in with our cruise line to get our tickets. It sprinkled on and off during our walk around the town. Boarding for the glacier cruise was 11:45. This gave us ample time to roam Whittier and get some photos. Whittier has a permanent population just over 100 persons. However, Whittier has 1/3 of all goods and products brought into Alaska go through its port, so it is a happening place. Container trucks and freight trains haul the materials through the tunnel to the interior of Alaska.
Fishing is also big in Whittier. Many, many fishing ships are bearthed in the town’s harbor. The town also has some small, touristy shops and restaurants. There appears to be only one hotel (inn) for visitors to stay in. The locals live in a 14 story apartment building as there really is not a lot of room for other homes as the mountains leave little space in this part of Prince William Sound.
At 11:45 we board our cruise ship, the Fairweather II. We had assigned seats at a table since we had signed up for the all you can eat salmon and prime rib (from OMAHA, NE) dinner. (The boat crew made a really big deal about the fact that we were eating Omaha prime rib!) We shared the table with a young couple from Kansas City, MO. They were very friendly and easy to visit with. They mentioned they had a good time with us, also.
The cruise lasted 5.5 hours, and we were hosted by a ranger with the National Forest Service who spoke about various sights and history along the way. We saw eagles, sea otters, and a bird rookery. But we also saw many, many glaciers. The tour featured the Surprise Glacier which was beautifully colored. It had an area of ice that had a very deep blue color indicating it was extremely old. And, we were treated to this glacier’s calving where a section of it breaks away and falls into the water. Not only was is fun to see, but the sound of it breaking away was like cannon fire!
When we returned to Whittier, we drove back through the tunnel and went on to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. Orphaned animals are brought to the center to be cared for. Most are not able to be returned to the wild. We saw moose, musk oxen, elk, black and brown bears, and both bison and Wood bison, along with black tail deer and caribou.
Since we were below a 1/2 tank of fuel we drove the 10 miles back up the Seward Highway to Girdwook, AK. We filled the tank and then realizing it was about 7:30 p.m. decided to find a pizzeria. Peggy had noted that there was a place called “Chairs 5”. We found the place which must be quite popular as there were many people there. We ordered their signature deep dish pizza, and yes, it was very good.
From there is was time for this old couple to make the drive back to the campground, copy the photos onto the computer and edit them, and to put the day’s post for the blog together in a text editor before we forgot what had transpired during this busy day!
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