Many explore Alaska glaciers and its wildlife in the comfort of a cruise ship, often with a bowl of hot soup and good food. That was exactly what we planned for the day.
Whittier is the port of embarkation. There was a 10-minute Whittier tunnel that connected Girdwood and Whittier. It is among the longest highway tunnels serving both rail cars and all kinds of automobiles. Its traffic is controlled by a set of traffic lights and is operated on a strict schedule. If we missed our tunnel schedule, we would also miss the cruise ship schedule. We were the first in the queue with more than half an hour to spare. Driving through the long and dark tunnel for minutes and minutes raised some uneasiness close to a sense of anxiety. Our relief was apparent when we literally saw the light at the end of the tunnel. Whittier is a small town with eateries and shops along the pier; and there is one apartment building that houses the majority of the locals in the town. It was relaxing to stroll from one side to the other of the town;
We had a great seat at the cruise ship, and were soon served with a bowl of hot chowder. Just as the tour was named for, 26 glaciers awaited us. These glaciers were often a stretch of whites that looked grander than the Aialik glacier of our kayaking tour a few days ago. The wildlife added to the wonder. We saw whales (again), tons of happy sea otters, and some families of seals, plus some more that I no longer could remember.
The Harvard glacier is probably the biggest of the 26 glaciers. We stopped to observe the waterfall, the glacier calving and its thundering sound while the cruise officer fished up some ice cubes. This one-day 26-glacier tour was a perfect setup to appreciate glaciers and wildlife, no more, no less.
We had our second day of comfort food for our dinner, and quite enjoyed the salt-and-vinegar flavor of the cheap chicken nuggets from the local grocery store.
Coming up Catching Salmon at Kasilof River.
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