Unfortunately we had to part ways with the Cruising Clemons as we both headed in separate directions today. Luckily we’ll be seeing them again down the road!
Elleny and Kennedy were already texting each other before we’d even left the campground. 😆This afternoon we had a much anticipated reunion with Nana and Papa outside of Anchorage!Riggs was happy to have his Papa back.We met up along the Turnagain Arm and checked out Beluga Point before continuing towards Portage Valley together.The Begich, Boggs Visitor Center, which is part of the Chugach National Forest, was fantastic. After the film was finished the curtains in the front of the theater parted to reveal the Portage Glacier in front of us. 🤩The Chugach, which manages an astounding 5.5 million acres, is America’s farthest north national forest. 🌲The Visitor Center was named in memory of Congressmen Nick Begich and Congressmen Hale Boggs. Both men were killed in a 1972 plane crash en route from Anchorage to Juneau.The exhibits at the visitor center were hands on and very engaging.Elleny got in some practice for our upcoming sea kayaking excursion!Chugach National Forest Junior Rangers (Great job kids, but we spent most of the time chatting with the ranger about what it is like to live in Whittier! 😮)Adler was perfectly happy to stay here all afternoon but we had a tunnel to catch.The Portage Valley is a showcase of glacial activity with a number of “hanging” glaciers on the encircling mountains.It was a windy day on Portage Lake so we skipped the boat ride to see Portage Glacier up close and opted for a visit to Whittier instead. We left the RV behind and climbed into the car for a new experience unlike any other…The tunnel through the mountain into Whittier is the longest combined vehicle-railroad tunnel in North America. 🏆The tunnel opens every 30 minutes to vehicle traffic and it takes about 6 minutes to drive through the tunnel.We survived the tunnel and made it to Whittier! We were off to find out why it is known as the “town under one roof.” 🧐At the top of each hour the tunnel is switched to railway traffic and closed to all vehicles. Two sophisticated computer systems ensure that trains and cars are never in the tunnel at the same time.In 1941 the U.S. Army built a railway line and tunnel to create the port of Whittier.Whittier is important because it is a year-round, ice-free, deep-water port and located only 50 miles from Anchorage.This means that all the Alaska Railroad’s railcars with freight must enter and depart via Whittier. Begich Towers Condominium, where nearly all of the residents live, was built during the Cold War era. Most of the community services are inside the building, so residents can remain inside for long periods of time, which can be useful during the long winter. Even their K-12 school (which serves about 60 students) is inside this building!Everything is prettier in WhittierIt’s hard to believe that the average annual snowfall is 20 feet here.After we ate dinner and checked out the town, there wasn’t much else to do. 😂 We were treated to these wonderful Whittier waterfalls while we waited for the tunnel to reopen. (Fan of alliteration much?!)There’s a light at the end of the tunnel…Thank goodness for 20 hours of daylight because we still had a bit of a drive ahead of us. We got back to our RV and continued down the road to the Kenai Peninsula.The drive into the Kenai Peninsula was spectacular and kept us wide awake even after the long day!
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