This was a low mileage, high satisfaction kind of day. After checking out of our UAA dorm room (co-ed nonetheless!), we made our way to the train station for the trip to Whittier. The train follows the Turnagain inlet for most of the journey, which we had already seen a few times during our local travels.
Near the junction to Portage Glacier the train enters the first of two tunnels. The first is an unremarkable train-only tunnel. The second one is a combination train/car/truck tunnel that is the longest combined car-railroad tunnel in North America at 13,300 feet in length. Cars and trains must share the tunnel, each able to travel in only one direction at a time. This can be problematic for single track vehicles (two-wheeled motorcycles), since they may get a tire caught in the rail grooves, so they are allowed through the tunnel last.
Whittier tunnel link
Once in Whittier we boarded another cruise boat to check out some more glaciers. On the way to the glaciers the boat serves a nice salmon and prime rib lunch which was enjoyed by all. It turns out that traveling by motorcycle has some nice benefits, one of which is that we had proper attire for the excursion in the form of warm rain gear - how nice, because it was cold and wet when we started out but cleared later. As usual, the views were fabulous...
 |
| Walter White has nothing on nature |
After feasting our eyes on fabulous glaciers for a while, including minor calving, we had to indulge ourselves with the obligatory glacier ice chilled Margarita (sans salt). Made with blue curacao, it was quite tastey. We found this Margarita to be a bit more 'aged' than those we usually make with fresher ice.
<<Margarita photo here>>
One thing curious about Alaska laws is that one must always present an ID when purchasing muscle relaxant (you know, sometimes spiced, often mixed with Coke to make a refreshing end of the day beverage). When we asked about this policy we were told that people who have a problem with such substances will have a red stripe on their ID, indicating that they are not allowed to make a purchase. If two people present themselves at the checkout counter, then both people must present their IDs!
Returning to Anchorage by train, we spied a small bore tide <<link here>>. Once I heard that they exist here, I wanted to see one. Of course, we saw lots more fabulous glaciers (oh look, there's another one - yawn).
Once back in Anchorage we got a head start on our trip to Haines by putting on just a few miles to Palmer, AK where we found a lovely campsite very near town for $15 per night, the Matanuska River park. We have now refined our camp setup that we can be in our sleeping bags in the tent in about 10 minutes!
Tomorrow should be a fairly high mileage day as we retrace our route back over the border and through the Yukon towards Haines Junction.
Matanuska River park.
Buckets filled today 6:
Calving glacier view
Being relatively up close and personal to a big glacier
Train ride in Alaska
Cocktail with glacier ice
View of a bore tide (although I did see one once in the Bay of Fundy)
Alaskan moose (3) and bear (1) Sea otters (2)
No comments:
Post a Comment