August 3

Awoke to sunlight streaming in the windows.  Sleep was a little off as we get used to these beds.  Minde is sleeping in a double bed over the cab.  She has to be a little careful not to sit upright quickly, not much room between the bed and the ceiling.  She gets into the bed using a ladder.  Pat and Chuck in a ‘queen’ bed which sits about 3 and a half feet off the floor requiring a boost to climb in. Can’t be a real queen it’s too cozy.  Minde and Pat walk up through the little village to the wedding site.  It’s still a very lovely setting with the sunlight streaming in.  They have built a substantial gazebo for the couple to stand in.  The walk through the woods is still scenic and pleasant.  Down the road back into Girdwood we stop at the Voted #1 Laundromat in the country, a favorite of Uncle Brian.  Minde pays homage and gets her pic taken.  Down the road to Portage Valley.  We stop and take pictures along the way.  The Explorer Glacier Lake is still so we are able to get a perfect reflection of the glacier and the mountains in the water.  Stop at Portage Visitors Center where Minde gets another NPS stamp.  There is one small iceberg in the lake that has come off the glacier.  They are repaving the road and as it is the only way in and out and narrow we are backed up in line waiting.  Getting nerve racking since the tunnel is open any minute and we have to get through during this one particular time in order to catch the ferry.  It’s a nail biter. Drive on to the Anderson Tunnel.  Vehicles share the tunnel with the Alaska RR so the times are rigid entering and leaving.  They charge a fee.  We drive through the 2 mile tunnel trying not to think about the tons of rock sitting above us.  We come out on the other side to Whittier and it is a rare sight with sunny skies.  There are many spectacular waterfalls plunging from the steep rise of the mountains.  Wedding guests came this way for a day’s tour out to the glaciers.  Our weather wasn’t this good.  We board the Alaska ferry. Minde was amazed by the number and size of vehicles boarding the boat.  This is one of the smaller ferries and we must drive down a platform into the bottom of the boat and park.  We are packed in like sardines and can barely get in and out of the RV. We have to leave the RV and walk up into the passenger area.  There is a movie room, comfy chairs room, a canteen, and solariums on two floors. We spend our entire time on the second floor solarium that allows us to walk around outside. We packed our lunch/snacks and ate on the boat.  The views of the mountains and huge glaciers are very beautiful.  The mountains have greened over the summer with spruce and undergrowth, looks like green velvet.  Besides the glaciers there are still spots of deep snow high up that cause crashing, long drop waterfalls.  Lots of fishing boats were out in the Canal.  The trip was supposed to be 9 hours but it was shortened because we didn’t have to stop at Tititlek. We have bright sun most of the way and then enter two banks of heavy shrouded fog.  It’s like floating in mid air.  No sign of land and barely able to see the water and everything gets very quiet.  Each time we come out into the clear.  We pass by some of the tidal glaciers, ones that still reach to the ocean.  The grand-daddy is Columbia which we can see in the distance up its fjord.  There are icebergs floating down and fishing boats bobbing around them.  There is a bright aquamarine iceberg that dwarfs one of the boats.  As we enter the passage to Valdez the clouds are high but heavy.  We are lucky to see it this well given the webcam yesterday showing thick fog.  First sight is the Alaska Pipeline terminal.  We can see the last leg of pipe coming out of the mountains down to the tanks.  This is mile zero of the line, it crosses the whole length of the state from the North Sea in the Arctic Ocean.  Our sailing has been a dream, sometimes barely a ripple on the water the whole way.  There are large fishing fleets in the area, amazing to think of the thousands of salmon they are catching.  It appears they are red salmon, favored by many for their versatility and flavor. Our animal list:  pair of Orcas, Humpback whale, sea otter, stellar seals, puffins, terns, eagle.  Not bad given the massive areas of water surrounding us.  We return to the RV, upon docking we drive to the campground about a half mile away.  There are loose bunnies everywhere .  Someone opened the cage and they have taken over.  Can’t believe the eagles haven’t eaten them.  They are very wary of people and won’t let us approach them.  The sports fisherman are cleaning their catch at the harbor, red salmon, and not an eagle in sight which is unusual.  We stop off at the Totem Inn, a long time establishment. It has been renovated and not quite as funky in design but the taxidermy and ivory displays are still excellent.  There is a moose head over the fireplace and he is magnificent.  It has to have been a world class catch he is so massive.  Our campsite is on the harbor across from the fish processing plant (no smells) with views across the harbor looking at the Pipeline terminal.  The Exxon Valdez loaded with crude oil from the pipeline hit a reef just outside this harbor in the 80’s.  Thousands of birds and sealife were affected.   It was purely pilot error and brought attention to the cheaper construction of single hull tankers.  Like a full balloon, a light tap from a sharp object and it all spills out.  An oil spill in cold water acts differently from warmer waters. There was much cleanup that had to be done for years.  Today, there is no obvious sign, but if you are on the beaches, turning over a rock might still show crude.  We have nice hot showers/restrooms a short walk away.  Settle in for an early night.  Happy 8 weeks Baby Dean.  Night.