Our trip starts out in Whittier Alaska, on the western coast of the Kenai Peninsula. Whittier is on a fiord leading out to Prince William Sound, it is a very tiny town, just one short main street. It does, however serve as a ferry port and port for other cargo - the deep fiord waters do not freeze in winter.
To get to Whittier we have to gothrough a one way tunnel, over 2
miles long, that is shared by
train tracks. So cars go westbound for 15 minutes every hour on the 1/2 hour and westbound on the hour. The other 15 minute windows are for eastbound and westbound trains.
There are many glaciers to be seen along the way to Whittier, and many spectacular waterfalls.
Right next to the tunnel there is a magnificent waterfall that cascades down from snowfields thousands of feet above. There is also a large Glacier hanging just up the valley.
We spend a bit of time taking photos and enjoy a delightful lunch at a chinese buffet! We are told it is an unusually beautiful day - so often cloudy and/or rainy here! Our weather karma is working for us once again!
The train is a double-decker with a panoramic car that provides fantastic views in all directions. The train travels through a part of the Kenai mountains where there are no roads, so the scenery we see is only visible by train.
There are more glaciers to be seen, the most prominent being Spencers Glacier.
And, Wild mountain streams crashing through deep rocky gorges.
Another significant Glacier is Trail Glacier, a river of ice flowing over 25 miles.
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