Alaska: Part One

On the 19th of this month, Gail and I took off for Alaska - a twelve day trip.  My sister Sarah, who has lived in Anchorage since 1973, was our host and travel planner.  We can't thank her enough for having us and helping us plan our itinerary.  Alaska is an impossibly large state to cover in such a short time, but we got our feet wet (literally), and can't wait to come back for more.

The following is from our first full day in Alaska.

 Our excitement built as the clouds parted and mammoth glaciers started to appear (see middle of photo).

We're not in Southern California anymore!

After a night's rest, the three of us headed down to Whittier to take a boat tour in Prince William Sound.

Leaving Anchorage, we were soon driving along the Turnagain Arm, a long tidal inlet.

There were glaciers off in the distance.

 The drive to Whittier involves driving through the Whittier Tunnel, the longest highway tunnel in North America at 2.5 miles long.

The tunnel was originally a train tunnel only, but in 2000, it was modified to serve trains and vehicles.  Since it can only handle one direction at a time, you need to be aware of the schedule.  The tunnel is controlled - no meeting a train coming the other way!

A selfie at the dock in Whittier in front of our boat.

 In just a few minutes we came across a pod of Orcas just cruising along.

 Thar she blows!

 Eventually we arrived at Surprise Glacier.  You can see calving that is coming down in the middle of the picture.

 Captain Lauren at the outside controls.

 Last summer, the Surprise Glacier extended a quarter mile further out into the bay.  Like most glaciers, this one is in retreat.

 On the ice below the glacier were a number of Harbor Seals.

 We spotted numerous rafts of otters.

 The fjord wall, ice, and waterfalls.

 Glacial ice is blue due to the air in it being highly compressed.

 Harbor Seals

 Hi otter!

 An otter with her pup on her chest.

 Another glacier off in the distance.

 These three kids brought around an otter pelt for us to touch.  Otters have a million hairs per square inch on their bodies!

 The rain had stopped for most of our cruise and the water was glassy.

We saw a Bald Eagle perched near this tiny island.

 We shared our assigned table with this man, Charles Bronson, his wife, and her Chinese co-worker.  I enjoyed talking about cameras with him but had a serious case of lens envy.

We passed some Stellar Sea Lions lounging on an island.

In Alaska, baby!

 We pulled into a salmon hatchery for a little look.  Just under the surface were hundreds of returning salmon.  We were surprised the sea lions weren't there, too.

This is the town of Whittier, and most of its residents live in that large building, Begich Tower, which used to be an army barracks.  The average annual rainfall in Whittier is 198 inches!

We drove back to Anchorage where left over pizza and refreshments awaited us.  Tomorrow, Saturday, Gail and I will do a hike, and then go with Sarah to explore downtown.