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Whittier and Moose PassJul 31, 2007
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Turnagain Arm
approach to Anton Anderson tunnel
in the tunnel
| Tuesday we embarked upon a journey to the Kenai Peninsula where we had booked our Prince William Sound tour that departs from Whittier. To get there we had to travel up the "Turnagain Arm" originally known as "Return" by the Russians, a branch of Cook Inlet, which borders the north side of the Kenai and reaches on up to Anchorage. This branch has 33-foot tides and is the home to beluga whales and a phenomenon known as the "bore tide". This spectacle happens after a low tide where a wall of water around 6 feet high is generated when passing through a constricted portion of the inlet. Woe to any small craft in front of it! After approximately 80Km of travel on Hwy 1 (the Seward Hwy.) we branch onto a side road that leads to Whittier. This road terminates at a 2-½ mile long railway tunnel. This tunnel was modified in 2002 to handle one-way vehicular travel, emerging in Whittier at the far end. A system of traffic controls regulates the passage of vehicles. A toll (US$12.00) is collected at one end to cover passage in both directions. Trains still use this route to Whittier as it is a deepwater port. Created in 1943 by the US Army, the location was chosen for this feature and the fact that it is almost perennially cloudy, which would deter enemy action. Unfortunately it has a similar effect on tourists.........but we did persist. We boarded the Klondike Express, a 135-foot catamaran that handles a couple of hundred people at 45 miles per hour (70 Kph). We covered a lot of territory in 4 ½ hours. Saw lots of otters and whales, not to mention glaciers. The crew recovered some calved glacial ice for those of us that enjoy a little of such under our scotch......Rose had water. We witnessed some fairly spectacular calving. The noise and accompanying waves were really amazing. It was quite amusing watching fellow passengers rushing from side to side during these events, including the British couple that we shared our table with. We also stopped by a Black Legged Kittywake (seagull) rookery. The dead trees photo is a reminder example of the destruction of the '64 'quake as the rising seawater killed them and their snags have remained ever since. Returning to Whittier, we retraced our tunnel journey to carry on south on Hwy 1 to "Moose Pass" where we stayed for two nights. Incidentally, Whittier is a favourite fishing location for Anchorage. There are numerous marinas packed with boats of all sizes, we were told that there is an 8-year waiting list for moorage. |
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