Whittier
Whittier came about as a military base in response to the Japanese invasion of Alaska and the Aleutians. It was chosen because it offered a deep water harbor that was under near constant cloud cover and therefore difficult to bomb. It is now the jumping off point for tour and fishing boats.
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The road to Whittier cuts through a huge mountain via a very narrow, one lane tunnel that is shared alternately by two directions of traffic and a train. Needless to say, they take turns. |
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Sarah picked us up in Anchorage at the Sleeping Lady Bed and Breakfast and drove us to Whittier in a van. This was one of the Ghost forests along the way that were created during a huge earthquake (in the 60s?) that caused huge shifts in elevation for chunks of land. This chunk dropped in elevation flooding with salt water that killed the trees. |
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This is Whittier Harbor, home to the Discovery, miscellaneous tours and fishing boats. |
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This is the one hotel in Whittier. It is apparently for sale ($3M?) if you have the cash. |
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Great Pacific Seafoods, Inc. with some hungry kittiwakes hovering around their bait tank. |
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The Alaskan Ferry. Pretty important when you live on island rainforests. It's fast. Real fast. Bad for otters, good for people. |
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One of the little day tours coming back into the harbor . |
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The view from the back deck of the discovery as we left Whittier. |
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