On Saturday four motor coaches departed Denali for Whittier. I was one of the drivers for this trip.
We left at 8:00am, stopped twice between Denali and Anchorage, then stopped in downtown Anchorage for 1 1/2 hours for lunch. From there it was only another 1 1/2 hours in the motor coach to reach the ship. We arrived at the ship about 5:00pm.
If you are interested in some history, please read the blog about Whittier and World War II.
One of the unique aspects of traveling to Whittier is that you must go through a 2 1/2 mile long tunnel. But the tunnel is only one lane and, besides motor vehicles, the train goes through there also. Since it is only one lane, vehicles use it on a schedule, traffic goes one way for 30 minutes, then it switches and traffic from the other direction goes through. When the train comes along, all vehicles stop and the train gets the priority. So, if you arrive at the tunnel a little late you have to sit and wait until it is your turn again.
We made it down to Whittier, spent the night there, then drove back to Denali on Sunday, a roughly 650 mile trip. All went well. It was fun to get out on a long trip for a change.
Here are some pictures from Whittier.
Three of our coaches parked for the night, mine is the one on the right.
Part of the Terminal where people go through customs, etc., and part of the Diamond Princess ship the people were preparing to board,
The building in the center is a 14-15 story apartment/condo. About 90% of the 200 year round residents live in this one building. Princess has an apartment here, where we spent the night.
The Whittier yacht club.
A small glacier in the mountains around Whittier
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