Day 66 of Our RV Journey to Canada & Alaska 7/17/14 - Went to Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, Looked at the Glaciers around Portage & Visited Whittier, Alaska

Sorry this is late being posted.  I'm not getting fast internet on my hotspot.
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We left at 10:00 am for a roadtrip to Whittier, Alaska.  On the way, we stopped at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center.  There was a voucher in the Alaska Tour Saver for 2 for 1 on the admission to get in, so it cost us a total of $12.50 for Bob and I to get in.  It was well worth the money.  It is a animal refuge where they take care of injured, orphaned wildlife.  They rehabilitate the animals and provide them with a home until their final permanent home is found.  Some of the animals will end up being at the center for the rest of their life, or moved to a different facility.

It has a 18 acre brown bear enclosure is the largest bear enclosure in the United States.  They have some very nice raised boardwalks where the bears can be viewed.

brown bear

black bears

They have wood bison, moose, caribou, porcupine, Sitka black-tailed deer, lynx, owl, red fox, elk, eagle, musk ox, moose calves, black bears, and  brown bear.

elk

caribou

baby musk ox

baby Sitka Black-Tail Deer

a moose just chillin

"Snickers", the porcupine

It has a nice gift shop too.

There seemed to be a steady traffic of visitors coming to see the animals.  They are in the process of Phase 2 of expanding the bear area.

After leaving the conservation center, we drove to see & take pictures of the the Glaciers around Portage area.

Then we headed on to Whittier.  We drove through what is referred to  as the Whittier Tunnel. It cost $35 round trip, based on the size of Jesse's truck, to go through the tunnel to Whittier (which is the only way to get there).  The tunnel passes under the Maynard Mountain.  It is the second largest highway tunnel in North America.  It is a single highway lane with the railroad tracks sunken slightly below road surface.  The interior is exposed rock and has several 'safe houses' in event of emergencies.  It is all controlled by two computer-based systems:  The Tunnel Control System and the Train Signal System.  The tunnel is 13,300 ft long. (or 2.52 miles).

Whittier has a boat harbor and freight yard where trains load on to ships & vice versa,  as well as have a lot of fishing boats.

inn at Whittier--love the look

 

commercial freight in the harbor freight yard

a glacier that can be seen from Whittier

We ate dinner at Varly's Swiftwater Seafood; the food was good .  We walked along the harbor and returned to the truck.  Jess got his truck in line for our return trip through the tunnel.  Every 15 minutes, traffic or train is let through.  The tunnel is not open 24 hrs./day.

 This is the Whittier side entrance to the tunnel.

Have a wonderful day!!!

Adm. $12.50 Cab/

Misc. $7.99 Cab/

Fd $27.83 Cab/$6.50 Cab/

Souv/Gifts $2.00 Csh/

Postage $5.80/36.15 Cab/

Camping $15.00 (no hookups) Cab/

jl