Jim and Lyndi ZR-1 Road Trip 2019 - Back to Alaska

[QB93Z]

The village of Moose Pass, AK had a nice lodge and restaurant named the Trail Lake Lodge on the edge of Upper Trail Lake:




We went to the Exit Glacier portion of Kenai Fjords National Park north of the town on Seward.






Exit Glacier is accessible for viewing from some very well maintained trails:

We choose the lower path to try to get close to the "toe" of the glacier. We crossed the outwash field to get a view of the glacier:





Along the way to the glacier we got a nice view of the mountain to the east:




We scrambled over the rocks until we reached an area where we weren't comfortable traversing then stopped for a photo:



Jim

[QB93Z]

Day 16 Sunday Kenai Fjords National Park

Our lodging while in Seward was The Seward Military Resort. At the end of World War II, some of the cabins occupied by soldiers were converted to use by military for recreation. Over the years the resort has been enlarged and improved. Now the resort is a very nice facility that is well run and has nice lodging and amenities.




We boarded a Kenai Fjords Cruises ship to take a 6-hour trip to see glaciers and wildlife. The cruise company is not operated by the national park. It is one of several cruise companies that operate in Seward. We were absolutely satisfied with the professionalism and customer care from Kenai Fjords Cruises.

We got underway from the Seward Small Boat Harbor on a modern and comfortable cruise ship and headed for the Gulf of Alaska:




Seward is a cruise ship departure point. The was one cruise ship in the outer harbor:




This American Bald Eagle, perched on a navaid at the edge of the harbor was keeping an eye on all the activities:




The morning early weather was beautiful, blue sky and no clouds overhead. The rocks, trees and shoreline were very picturesque:






Not very long after departure, we spotted our first whale:



The ship's Captain took us very close to these spires, and then threaded the needle between the spires:




We left Resurrection Bay and entered the boundary of the Kenai Fjords National Park. We sighted another whale near the terminal moraine of Bear Glacier:




to be continued.....

[QB93Z]

Along the shore line we spotted another American Bald Eagle on a rock near the shore. We looked at the trees on the shore and about 100 yards away we spotted another Bald Eagle in a tree, probably the nest:








The weather turned hazier and clouds rolled in with a ceiling of around 500 feet. We couldn't see the mountain tops but still had lots to look at.

Bear Glacier is visible in the distance across a line of trees. The trees are growing on the piled up material from the glacial moraine. As the glacier retreats, a fresh water lake has formed from the melt water contained by the moraine dam. We spotted an ice berg from Bear Glacier behind the moraine:






to be continued.....

[JFFerner]

As a young man, I think I remember being in the Moose Lake area. Then having traveled that area for the first time, I was awe struck. When I walked into the restaurant I announced to the waitress, cook & owner, (Same person) that I believed I had found God there. She then asked me "What is her name?"

[ZR-1 Franz]

Hello from Switzerland,

Thank you very much for sharing these great pichtures
with us. At the moment your posts are a highlight every day for me.
I wish you all the best and a safe trip.
Take care and have a good time.

ZR-1 greetings from Switzerland,

Franz

[QB93Z]

Continuing the Glacier Adventure Cruise we reached Aialik Glacier. It is one of about 40 glaciers "draining" the Harding Icefield wich is located in the Kenai Mountains:






These kayakers give a scale to see how large the glacier is:




When we got close to the face of the glacier, the Captain turn off the engines and we got to listen to the ice popping and cracking:




The glacier produces a continuous supply of ice chunks that provided resting places for the wildlife:







to be continued......

[QB93Z]

As we left the Aialik Sound we went close to the shore to see the Sea Lions resting on the rocks:







We also saw this Puffin resting on the water:



Jim

[QB93Z]

Day 17 Monday We are on the Alaska Ferry from Whittier, AK to Valdez, AK. We left Seward at 7:00 and drove north on AK-1.

As we were leaving we heard the whistle of the Alaska Railroad Seward to Anchorage train. The AKRR tracks parallel the highway for most of the trip so we stopped and got a picture of one of my favorite trains:




As we went north up the Kenai Peninsula, we encountered evidence of the Swan Lake Forest Fire burning in the north of the peninsula:





The road that goes from AK-1 to Whittier crosses the mountain range thru a tunnel. The tunnel was built by the US Army Engineers during World War II to provide a supply line to Anchorage that could not be interrupted by Japanese warships in the Pacific Ocean. The town of Whittier and the tunnel were built, and several forts equipped with 6-inch guns were built to defend the fort.

The tunnel is only one lane wide (all that was needed for trains at the time.) Today the Alaska RR, east-bound and west-bound car traffic all share the tunnel using allotted time periods for passage. The western portal:







Whittier, like many other parts of Alaska, was severely damaged by the earthquake of 1964. The city was rebuilt but there many signs of having to live the threat of another quake:




Our travelling protector, ArmyMan, got in a picture. ArmyMan joined our trips in 2012 here in Alaska.:




After a brief wait in Whittier, we boarded the Alaska Ferry for passage to Valdez:




Jim

[WARP TEN]

There is a good TV series called "Railroad Alaska" that I have watched that recently featured the Whittier Tunnel in an episode because the rails had to be repaired so trains could get through. I am embarrassed to say that all of my knowledge of Alaska comes from watching Railroad Alaska and another series, "Alaska State Troopers". I enjoy them both but my wife thinks I am nuts.--Bob

[Ccmano]

Jim and Lyndi, I just want to tell you this continues to be your best photo journal yet, hats off to you...
H