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Saturday, August 16, 2014

More Alaska Travels


So we met in the morning and wondered what our tour guide Eric had planned for us! We were going to be driving back to Anchorage along Highway 1 and it is just so scenic. These are a couple pictures I snapped as we were driving, from my car window.




We were seeing glaciers again-part of the Chugach Mountain range, so Eric pulled off on the Portage Glacier Highway so we could get closer for some better pictures. That glacier blue is something I will never forget.




There was a little salmon viewing station, so Eric stopped so Jimmy could walk down and take a look. It was such a pretty area.



This is actually a female and a male salmon. The male was courting her and sending other males on their way when they came close. I have only seen this in films, never in the wild. The salmon's life cycle continues to amaze me.



We were getting low on gas, so Eric said we would drive down to Whittier. Well, as we were driving, we came to this structure which is the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel. Eric had never been through it and we really had no idea what this was all about. It cost $12 for the ticket and we said, ok! Oh my goodness. It is a 2 mile tunnel cut through Maynard Mt. Cars share it with trains and you wait as it can only go one way each time. It's very dark inside and we had no idea where we were. It was once just a for trains and used by the military.  They replaced the old tracks in the early 2000's with tracks that are flush in the concrete so cars can use it too. It is amazing.



You end up in Whittier, which is a strange town. It's mostly used by cruise ships that take you on glacier trips. Guess what? There is no gas station in that town! So we all held our breath and went back out through the tunnel and yes, we made it to a gas station!

We met Eric's family again for another yummy dinner and then retired back at the Capt Cook Hotel.
I took this photo out of our window as our room was on the 18th floor . It was still light at almost 11 pm. What a day...thank Eric for another amazing tour!


7 comments:

mamasmercantile said...

An amazing tour indeed, what a wonderful trip with such beautiful scenery and of course people to share it with.

Rose said...

Wow, great photos and looked like an amazing trip! Thanks for sharing.

Linda @ Life and Linda said...

Such a great trip and you sharing the photos is amazing. Truly a trip of a lifetime.

Susan said...

Oh yikers, Linda. That tunnel would have wigged me out. And almost out of gas! Oh Lordy Lord.

Great trip, though. So glad you could experience it. Susan

Aida said...

What a ectacular view of the glacier. I can imagine it was cold there. You did a good job in taking a good picture of the salmon. I would be scared too, driving in that tunnel with almost no petrol

Enjoy

Unknown said...

Hello from Spain: fabulous trip. An adventure in the tunnel. Beautiful photos of your trip. A great keepsake. Keep in touch

Red Rose Alley said...

Hello Linda,
I came across your blog, and had to stop and visit. I see you have many of the same blog friends as I do on here, Linda, Susa, and precious Aida. Fairies, flowers, tea cups, and nature - all the things I love. I noticed that you have two daughters also. Me and my daughters have a blog, and we would love it if you could visit us and follow. It's so nice to meet new friends, and your blog is filled with beauty and simplicity. I hope to hear from you, and have a sweet day.

~Sheri at Red Rose Alley