Alaska Fly/Fly Day 10

We had a beautiful drive south of Anchorage, with the Chugach Mountains to the left and the water of Turnagain Arm to the right. In the area of Girdwood, AK, we made two stops at the Alyeska Ski Resort. The first was at Kobuk Jade where we watched the ongoing sawing of a huge jade rock, admired the collection of Eskimo artifacts that the owners have collected and shopped for jewelry and souvenirs. We also were impressed with the hanging baskets of flowers outside the building. We walked uphill to the bakery where large, delicious rolls were probably the most popular item, although the giant cookies weren't far behind. Just sitting outside looking at many more hanging flower baskets and pots of flowers with the backdrop of the steep glaciated mountains was a thrill. We continued south to the area of Portage Glacier where we found the 2.5 mile tunnel to Whittier. Traffic going into Whittier goes on the half hour, while traffic coming out of town goes on the hour. And because you drive on railroad tracks, the train uses the same tunnel and has right of way. It started to rain before we got to the tunnel and continued raining the entire time we were in the Whittier area. Because this is a rain forest, rain is not unexpected. It did dampen our sightseeing a bit. Our cruise boat had huge viewing windows, but when we would step out on deck to hear the waterfalls or hear the glacier calving or take pictures without raindrops on the windows, we got slightly wet. It was interesting comparing how wet our pants had gotten! The blow dryers in the onboard restrooms might have helped a few, but most of us just dried naturally. As we cruised, we saw sea otters, many glaciers, countless waterfalls, bald eagles and thousands of kittiwakes. The all-you-can-eat buffet of prime rib and salmon was delicious, and by the time they served dessert on the return, we were ready to eat again. Our drive back to Anchorage was without rain and in the low 60s. Tonight we are repacking, trying to get souvenirs safely home with us.-Laurel Johnson, Tour Director