Cross Gulf Ferry

Within 3 hrs. of getting back from the Glacier Tour, we boarded the Cross Gulf Ferry and left Whittier. Had a reindeer sausage right before we got on-board. Figured they wouldn't have any of them on the Ferry.
Lynn boarding the Ferry. That was all she packed for 3 weeks....all I had was a normal sized backpack and my computer bag. We do some laundry every 3 days or so. No checked bags anywhere we go. No cotton only a pair of jeans a piece. Lots of nylon/synthetics. Packs small and dries quick.
The first evening and the next morning were uneventful. Thick fog but calm seas. Ferry has a nice bar and Alaskan Amber on tab. Played a game of scrabble one night in the bar. Lynn won 5,328 to 7....(damn cheater!)
We watched a couple movies in the small theater, as well.

We rented a berth with a private bath and 4 bunks, 2 of which made into a couch. Lynn slept on the bottom bunk. I slept great...nice rocking motion combined with the low hum of the engines agreed with me. Lynn was up before me both mornings, never heard her leave the berth.
Our berth location.
The Ferries seem to be the Greyhounds of Alaska. See all kinds of folks here. Old, young, some carry on their own food and make P&J sandwiches for every meal, some have expensive vehicles or RV's they are moving across the sea. We met a couple from Wisconsin that we talked to some and with my Boston Red Sox cap on, it was quite easy to have a kindred spirit from The Nation that would strike up a conversation with me and we instantly had something in common.
Morning coffee.
A group from Mexico came on these.
After 1.5 days at sea, the Ferry stopped for 2 hrs. in Yakutat, about half way between Whittier and Juneau and the home of the biggest National Park in Alaska and North America, St. Elias/Wrangell.
Heading up the hill to the visitors center from the Ferry at Yakutat.
The parks up here are bigger than some States and Countries in Europe, and one single glacier in St. Elias/Wrangell Park is bigger than Rhode Island....yes, it is some huge country up here.
It was too foggy to see any of the surrounding mountains and glaciers, though.

The trip down to Juneau from Yakutat brought us into Southeast Alaska. We started seeing some Dall Porpoises. These guys were speeding by. Sometimes they will surf in the wake of the boat, but not today. We also saw some of these guys for a fleeting few seconds on our glacier tour out of Whittier.

Folks on the ferry pointed out some Orcas. All we could catch was a far-away dorsal fine sticking out of the water for a few seconds. As we got into the Inside Passage, though, we started to see spouts from Humpback Whales. They were quite far off, but with binocs and even the naked eye, one could catch flukes lifting out of the water once in awhile and of course, the water spouting as they refilled their lungs for a dive.
Lynn glassing some whales, waiting for them to surface.
There were about 5 in this pod.
I took a movie, but didn't focus it very well. It was cool to watch them with binocs.


The fog started to lift and with my iphone, I knew the weather was supposed to be great. We started to see what all the fuss is about. Mountains everywhere.


Ferry heading out of Juneau as we came in.

Mountains 360.

Whittier

Whittier was built in WWII by the US Military. There were many reasons for this, but mainly due to it being an deep water port open year round and after the Japanese had taken 2 islands in the Aleutian chain.

They dug a tunnel for trains only through a mountain about 2.5 miles to connect it to Anchorage and the bases of the Interior of Alaska. Fuel was brought inland from Whittier.

It only was able to receive vehicle traffic since 2000 as they alternate with the trains now through the tunnel. It is an hour from Anchorage and a fishing destination for the City and jumping off port for the Cross Alaskan Gulf Ferry we'll be taking tomorrow..

Very foggy and somewhat rainy the 2 days we were there. I hiked around the roads above the town for a couple hours, just checking out some cabins a small salmon stream. Nothing running in it, though.
Interesting town with a really nice place to stay, the Inn at Whittier. From our window.
I saw no point in kayaking in the pea soup, couldn't see 100 yards out once on the water. Will save kayaking for a better day in either Juneau or Ketchikan.
Noticed something the crew up in northern WI would be impressed with sitting in the parking lot.
Went down to the dock to see some fish that were brought in. Halibut (fillet job) and Ling Cod. No salmon were caught, between runs up here.


From here were took a 6 hr. tour of a small portion of Prince William Sound.

The areas we covered were not affected by the oil spill of the Exxon Valdez back in 1989.

Boated up to a shear cliff where a certain type of Sea Gull were nesting by glacial run-off streams. All these streams were being fed by glaciers that we could only catch glimpses of when the fog and clouds would part for a few seconds. I talked to a local and he said the saying is "When you go to Whittier, the weather get Shittier."

A little closer.
Saw a number of Sea Otters.
And Steller Seals, and for some unknown reason or reasons, are slowly becoming extinct.
Came into a bay with the largest salmon hatchery in the US. Supposed to be 40 eagles in the bay, I saw about 8-10.
Visited tidewater Surprise Glacier on the tour. Our first close-up look at a large glacier. Almost 300 feet tall and a mile wide. Although we did hear it creak and crack for the 20 minutes we sat there with the engines off a 1/4 mile away, it did not calve, but there was plenty of activity to prove it had.
More glacial torrents near the glacier.


3 seals on an ice chunk.