Blogs from Whittier, Alaska, United States, North America - page 3

We've been so busy that I've gotten behind writing about our adventures, so I'm just going to go back and pick up what I haven't written about. On June 27 (was that really not even a week ago????), we took the Alaska Railroad train from Anchorage to Whittier. This was about a 2 hr drive (the train only went 25 mph much of the time). We rode on the upper level, and had a table to sit at. We saw a moose and her 2 calves when leaving Anchorage, and then saw some dall sheep on the mountainside along Turnagain Arm. There was a large cruise ship docked in Whittier that seemed to dwarf everything else there - especially the boat we went on! We went on a 5 hr cruise of the Prince William Sound. ... read more

alright, the glacier cruise. we drove down to whittier, about an hour south of Anchorage to catch the boat. the population of Whittier is about 200 or so. Most of the residents live in one of two condo buildings that are connected to the school and downtown by a system of tunnels since they get such an enormous amount of snowfall every year. unfortunately the kidddies don't get snow days but they did get a bear day when one busted into the school cafeteria - i guess you take what you can get up here ;) we left port in whittier and headed out into port wells and then college fjord. College Fjord was discovered during the Harrmian expedition (circa 1899) and the Harvard and Amherst professors on board named and all the glaciers in ... read more

Today we took the Train from Anchorage, Alaska to the small city of Whittier, Alaska. The train trip was great with amazing scenery. I wish we could travel more often on trains. The trip was beatiful with lots to look at. There were mountains, oceans, eagles, goats, and a moose. We arrived at the small town of Whittier but the weather had already turned cloudy, cold, and rainy. We decieded to board the cruise ship right away and prepared for it to sail at 9:00 pm. The next time you will hear from me I will be at sea and sailing by College Fjord. ... read more

What a rude awakening! We had to be at our disembarkation point by 7:15. We ate a quick picnic breakfast, packed the last few things, and joined the crowds on the elevator and in the hallway near our exit. Actually, the disembarkation was a marvel of efficiency. Heavy luggage collected the night before had colour-coded tags. Passengers and their departure times were organized by transportation mode and times. When we descended the ramp (into a very strong wind), we walked along a structured route into a hangar-type building, where we found our luggage and lined up for airport check-in. Whittier was hardly a town – residents lived in one high-rise, built for the military installation that used to be here. Now decommissioned, the port facilities had been upgraded by the Alaska government to attract cruise ships. ... read more