July 11th, 2024


THE DETAILS:

Cloudy progressing to rain. Temps in the 50s

60 miles/ 1.5 hours

Whittier

We had plans to visit my favorite place on earth… the port of Whittier. We awoke to cloudy skies but temps were mild. As soon as we set out south towards Whittier it became cooler, rainier and cloudier. The drive along Turnagain Arm is gorgeous no matter what. Every turn held another reason to snap the next picture. 




We arrived at Portage Glacier and meandered through the visitors center before lining up to enter the tunnel when it opened for passenger cars to pass through. This is the longest combined vehicle-train tunnel in North America. It is unique and feels very mysterious as you pass through the 2.5 mile length of tracks beneath a mountain. The light at the end of the tunnel opens up to a small village where the mountains surround you and the waterfalls can be seen in every direction. A bit of a Shangri-La atmosphere. 




While waiting for our cruise boat we went to get a very needed warm cup of coffee. 


The boat departed port around 1:00 pm and we headed out into Prince William Sound. Having been on this tour before I was excited to see lots of wildlife. Maybe seals, otters or sea lions? We did not come across any of that unfortunately but almost caught sight of a whale breaching but he disappeared as quickly as he arrived. We continued on to a couple of glaciers but the most impressive was Blackstone Glacier where we watched it actually calve! 





We were served a cup of delicious hot fish chowder, a roll, crackers and cheese, and cole slaw - all topped off with a warm chocolate chip cookie. Not only was the food warm and welcoming but so was the company. We met Mandy and Darren from Australia …


And Vicky and Gordon from Bay Point, California…


It was a good day all around. 

Our trip ended with a close up view of a 60 foot hidden waterfall with a white capped sentinel in the trees above!



Alaska is a gateway to so much beauty…



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