We set out from Anchorage to ride the tram at the Alyeska Resort in Girdwood and ended up going to Whittier instead. Why? There were too many clouds and we definitely would not have a view from the top of the mountain. We are saving the tram ride for a good weather day. Luckily, we will be in Anchorage for several days and we can hold out for some sunshine.
As we got closer to Girdwood, we made the decision to keep driving about 9 more miles toward Portage and then we saw the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. This is the same type of facility as the Marine Rescue in Seward, but it cares for land animals.
All of the residents here have stories and reasons why they can’t survive in the wild. For example, an eagle with an amputated wing, a tiny bear cub that was found in downtown Juneau without a momma, and a lynx that survived frost bite on her paws, legs and ears.
Once you enter the conservation area, you can drive or walk the 3 mile road throughout the reserve. We opted for driving and walking. There were plenty of places to pull over and park.
I was excited to see the reindeer. I’ve seen a couple around Christmas time when they are used for photo props. They look more comfortable in their natural environment.
There were two males with big racks. They are hollow but they look like they would be terribly heavy. I got a close up when this guy came over for a drink of water. I like the white markings around their hooves.
After 90 minutes we were ready to go and decided to drive even farther from Anchorage. We knew that Whittier had glaciers all around, but we didn’t know much about the town. It was twelve miles away, so why not go check it out?
We paid a $13 toll and entered the one lane tunnel, not knowing what to expect. Trains also use the tunnel so there is a strict schedule for going back and forth. We had to wait 30 minutes during our return trip.
We had no idea what we would see when we exited the dark tunnel. Well, it turned out to be a small village with a population of 200 people. I think there were just as many boats in the harbor as people.
About seven large cruise ships arrive in this harbor per month. They are quickly loaded on to buses or they walk across the street to the train depot. Cruisers do not have a lot of options for things to do in Whittier.
We had about three choices for food and opted for the Swiftwater Seafood Cafe. Mom and dad ate halibut and I ordered shrimp. The food was great and the surroundings were even better.
After filling up our tummies, we drove around to see what was there. We covered all nine short roads in about 8 minutes. It was mostly occupied by shipping companies that transport containers from barges to trains. We saw an abandoned military building that was once the largest building in Alaska back in the 1950’s. The second 14 story military building was converted to apartments, and it appeared that most residents lived in that one building.
We completed our tour of Whittier and headed back through the tunnel. After another shorter tunnel, we spotted a visitor center overlooking a lake. The lake was surrounded by mountains and glaciers.
We watched a movie in the visitor center and looked at all the displays and learned about the history and wildlife of Prince William Sound, the large body of water that the port of Valdez sits on as well. Whittier is on the west side and Valdez is on the east side of the Sound.
Just to show you how cold the water must be, these chunks of ice were floating in the same lake where he was kiteboarding. Brrrrrr!
It was a fun little day trip from Anchorage. Whittier would not be around if it were not for the military that wanted a presence in that location during WWII. The abandoned building was depressing to look at, but I hear the fishing is good.