Our ship docked at Whittier before 7am. A thick fog blanketed the inlet. We had breakfast and headed off the ship.
Whittier isn't much more than a port. It is at the head of Prince William Sound and is otherwise hemmed in by mountains. It was nothing until WW2, when the US forces decided to build a secret port here. This was because of the deep water and because the place was defensible - it is protected by mountains and the frequent fog shields against attack.
The Army cut a long single width rail tunnel through the mountains to enable entry and exit. The rail tracks were paved in 2000 and the tunnel is now shared between rail and, alternatively, traffic in and out. Exit traffic gets 15 minutes from the hour.
We found our bus and waited for everyone to arrive and for the exit timeslot. Whittier is about 90 minutes from Anchorage. We had a photo-stop to see Portage glacier and then a stop at a wildlife refuge where we saw a few disinterested moose, elks and bison.
We got to our Anchorage hotel about midday. Anchorage isn't really an attractive city, and the gloom and rain didn't help. Nonetheless, Anchorage is by far the largest city in Alaska, with about 300,000 inhabitants. The city is spread out over a very large area. The city started as a rail town and then boomed as a service town for the Alaska Oil Pipeline.
We had a wander around. The best thing is the Anchorage Museum, which is excellent. It has displays of northern art and an very good display on the history of Alaska and its people.
We've only got half a day here - tomorrow we get on the train to Denali. Half a day is about right, I think.
We stayed at the Ramada Downtown. It's not flash, but it is clean and the staff are very welcoming. Next-door is the Slippery Salmon Bar and Grill, which has cheap and filling meals and good cold beer and wine.
Whittier isn't much more than a port. It is at the head of Prince William Sound and is otherwise hemmed in by mountains. It was nothing until WW2, when the US forces decided to build a secret port here. This was because of the deep water and because the place was defensible - it is protected by mountains and the frequent fog shields against attack.
The Army cut a long single width rail tunnel through the mountains to enable entry and exit. The rail tracks were paved in 2000 and the tunnel is now shared between rail and, alternatively, traffic in and out. Exit traffic gets 15 minutes from the hour.
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| Photo stop on the Whittier Road |
We got to our Anchorage hotel about midday. Anchorage isn't really an attractive city, and the gloom and rain didn't help. Nonetheless, Anchorage is by far the largest city in Alaska, with about 300,000 inhabitants. The city is spread out over a very large area. The city started as a rail town and then boomed as a service town for the Alaska Oil Pipeline.
We had a wander around. The best thing is the Anchorage Museum, which is excellent. It has displays of northern art and an very good display on the history of Alaska and its people.
We've only got half a day here - tomorrow we get on the train to Denali. Half a day is about right, I think.
We stayed at the Ramada Downtown. It's not flash, but it is clean and the staff are very welcoming. Next-door is the Slippery Salmon Bar and Grill, which has cheap and filling meals and good cold beer and wine.
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