A Side Trip to Whittier
Last night, I took an unplanned side trip driving away from Seward Highway into secondary Portage Road. I stayed in Williwow campground 10 miles west of Whittier where I would visit today. As happened many times before when I took side trips, this one was another pleasant surprise. I woke up this morning realizing the glaciated mountain stood so close to my campsite and the air smelled sweet too. I packed up early but lingered around did not want to leave too soon. I did not know if taking bus tour from Anchorage would make the trip more enjoyable or not; I did know my heart filled with joy strolling the trail that was not the experience sightseeing tour alone could provide.
I am not wealthy but I did not set a budget limit for this trip as I normally did for many other projects. I am not a big spender and I know myself well enough to believe if I follow a few simple money-management guidelines I learnt during last 20 years as a self-sufficient suddenly single and single parent, it should turn out fine. Driving and planning trip details by myself actually helps me to be more alert to what happens in the surrounding and gives me opportunity to exercise the spontaneity that, I thought, was gradually fading as I am getting older.
Last night, I took an unplanned side trip driving away from Seward Highway into secondary Portage Road. I stayed in Williwow campground 10 miles west of Whittier where I would visit today. As happened many times before when I took side trips, this one was another pleasant surprise. I woke up this morning realizing the glaciated mountain stood so close to my campsite and the air smelled sweet too. I packed up early but lingered around did not want to leave too soon. I did not know if taking bus tour from Anchorage would make the trip more enjoyable or not; I did know my heart filled with joy strolling the trail that was not the experience sightseeing tour alone could provide.
I am not wealthy but I did not set a budget limit for this trip as I normally did for many other projects. I am not a big spender and I know myself well enough to believe if I follow a few simple money-management guidelines I learnt during last 20 years as a self-sufficient suddenly single and single parent, it should turn out fine. Driving and planning trip details by myself actually helps me to be more alert to what happens in the surrounding and gives me opportunity to exercise the spontaneity that, I thought, was gradually fading as I am getting older.
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Williwaw Campground is located at 12 miles west of Whittier on Whittier/Portage Glacier Access Road. I stayed here last night.
My campsite is at the foothill of this icy mountain
There is an access to Trail of Blue Ice from campground.
Boardwalk to a creek where salmons swim up to lay eggs every year.
Begich, Boggs Visitor Center at Portage Glacier is a couple miles from the campground.
Spectacular glacier view from parking lot of the visitor center.
From B&B visitor center to Whittier, visitors need to pass a 2.5-mile-long Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel which handles both railroad and vehicles of both directions, one lane.
This is how it look like inside the tunnel. Picture was taken from my car.
Whittier, used to be a military cargo port, is now a cruise ship town to Prince William Sound.
From Whittier port look into Prince William Sound.
One Brochure says, this Begich Towers houses half of Whittier's population (total 117) and business.
The other building stands at the same hill looks run down from front and ....
.... from its back. Could not figure out why it is still here.
Exit Glacier is a few miles north of Seward.
It is compact and accessible.
The toe of Exit Glacier.
Take a short hiking trail to access the Glacier.
It is indeed close encounters with this blue Glacier.
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