There is specific criteria to make a glacier a glacier. Whittier receives between 15 feet of rain and 20 feet of snow on average a year.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
The glaciers......
There is specific criteria to make a glacier a glacier. Whittier receives between 15 feet of rain and 20 feet of snow on average a year.
We know what we will do
We signed up for the 26 Glacier Cruise of Prince William Sound. Again the experienced cruisers vs. the non-experienced cruisers. I bet you can’t tell which one we are. We may never learn….
Whittier Here we Are!
Welcome Whittier!
Situated at the head of the Passage Canal on the western edge of Prince William Sound, the community of Whittier is approximately 60 miles southeast of Anchorage.
Whittier is a photographer's paradise. You can see birds, sea otter, seal, whales, sea lion, porpoise, glaciers, waterfalls, goat, deer, bear and more. Stay tuned to see what we saw???
Cat at it again
Does it look like Cat is looking for something.... Yes, we trashed our tickets to reboard train as we were getting off the train. Thank goodness for friends, our friend the brakeman, allowed us to jump back on and get them before the train left the station.
Our New Friends
We made some new friends on the train ride to Whittier, , the train conductor and the Brakeman, we twisted their arms to take a picture with us.
A place you do not want to get stuck in!
On our train journey we passed through two tunnels. The first we had to take slow as we only had 5 feet between top of the train and the tunnel. The second, Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, was 2.7 miles long through the Maynard Mountain and has over 200 feet of solid granite ice above your head. This 2.7 mile tunnel was blasted in one years time. This is the second longest highway tunnel and longest combined rail and highway tunnel in North America.
The tunnel is named after Anton Anderson, an army engineer who in 1941 headed up the construction of the railroad spur from Whittier to Portage.
Earthquake of 1964 (The Good Friday Earthquake)
This is how the land still looks after an earthquake hit the area. In certain areas the land was very soft and the house dropped between 8 and 12 feet. The trees are preserved in the silt. When the tides come in the soil transforms from hard mud to quicksand making it very dangerous.
Informing the public
For those who have not traveled by train, this is a sneak peak of one reason you should. A train’s bathroom is very spacious, nothing like a plane’s.
Busy kids…
The kids in the train are hard at work as passengers trying to plan their day in Whittier. The kids on the mountainside are confidently walking along the rocky terrain. It is amazing how easily the goats were able to maneuver along the mountainside.
A first for both of us.
A new form of transportation that neither of us has ever ridden. No driving, no navigating just passengers and picture takers.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Stunning Glacier
Matanuska Glacier is the largest glacier in North America accessible by car. What an unbelievable experience. The lower end of the glacier is 3 miles wide by 27 miles long. You just have to watchout for the silt. We brought home a souvenir from the glacier, a glacier-borne rock!
One is mine, but who left the other?
Alright what’s the deal? I know one is mine, but who left the other one.
Headed to Matanuska
As we headed to Matanuska we were only 60 miles away when we entered Palmer. Matanuska has a glacier you can walk onto, guess what we are going to do?
Look out we are on the run again!
Hollie found her favorite car on the lot. I’m taking it back to another era. I almost left my potted plant behind.
Look out Eric we are downsizing!
Look at this little cabin. Hollie and I stayed here one night after many, many hours of driving. No deadbolt, but who could get in with all of this in front of the door (our new security system).
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