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Whittier, Alaska is a freaky little town that can only be
reached by a one-lane tunnel under a mountain. Just outside the
tunnel, on the Anchorage side, sits Portage glacier. |
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The tunnel is only open for 30 minutes each way, and then
occasionally closes for an hour or so while a train goes through.
Here is the line of cars waiting for the opening to go through. |
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Once inside the tunnel, it's about a 10 minute drive to
the other side. Notice the train tracks on the road. The
walls, which you can't really see here, are bare rock. I took this
picture out of the moon roof because there's no stopping in the tunnel. |
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Whittier is a very small town, wrapped with mountains on
three sides and Price William Sound on the fourth. Notice the tall
building in the background--the entire population of the town lives in
that one building! |
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Whittier was originally established as a military
base. This monstrous building was a dormitory that the locals moved
into when the military left. At one time it was the largest building
in Alaska. The residents erected the new building when this one was
gutted by fire. |
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A good place to go in Whittier is Smuggler's Cove, where
we found a nice little beach with an observation deck. |
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Tanya hangs out at the beach, a good place to find slimy
rocks and dead fish. |
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We also found a fantastic hiking trail. We followed
it about a mile into the backcountry but had to turn back since we were
short on time. |
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Our turn-around point, at the crest of a hill above the
town. The water out there is the very top of Prince William Sound. |
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The backside of the old military dorms. The sound
reaches south (to the right in the picture) and then east all the way to
Valdez. |
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Whittier from the hillside, framed by trees. That's
pretty much the entire town there in the picture. |
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