Journey to Alaska Day 11: Whittier and Turnagain Arm

On Saturday, July 1, we woke up in Whittier.

Off the balcony, I could see the train that many people take from Whittier to Anchorage.  We would be taking one of the buses.

 

Since we didn't have a flight to catch, Princess put us in the last group to get off the ship. We waited in the Wheelhouse lounge. There was juice, pastries and coffee.

 

Around 9:15 am, we disembarked the ship and took the Princess transfer to Anchorage.  I tried to snap some pictures of the glaciers we saw along the way.  

We got our luggage at the airport which was an easy process.  We rented a full-sized car at the Anchorage airport and too late realized the error of our ways and tried to upgrade to an SUV but they were sold out.  We were prepared to hold some suitcases on our lap but miraculously, the trunk of our Ford Taurus held our 2 huge suitcases, 1 mid-sized suitcase, 1 small carry-on, 2 duffle bags, a backpack, a dirty clothes bag and my souvenir bag.  Ben packed it all in like a pro!
 

We headed out on the drive via the Turnagain Arm to Seward, which is thought to be one of the most scenic drives in North America.  I was armed with the wonderful travel guide I found on Trip Advisor so I know where we should stop and what we will see along the way.  We decided to wait for lunch and get right on the road.  

 

We encountered a small traffic jam right away due to a small black bear in the road!  It even stood on its hind legs and put its paws up on the bed of the truck 2 cars in front of us!  Then it ran away—already a bear and we aren’t on the road 5 minutes!  

 

Our first stop was the McHugh Recreation Area where we got out and took pictures of the waterfall and Ben and I walked the stairs to the top of a scenic overlook. 

 

 

 

The next stop was Beluga Point which gets its name because Beluga whales are often seen there.

 

We stopped in the town of Girdwood and had brunch at Jack Sprat near the Alyeska resort which was a nice place and the food was good.  

I got a yummy omelet.

 

After brunch, we walked around the resort and I wanted to do one of the short hikes in the area so Ben and I hiked the lower Virgin Falls trail to a small waterfall.  It was somewhat challenging so Fran hung back but Harvey was a real trouper and hiked it with us.  

 

We bought some souvenirs and then continued our drive to Seward, stopping at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center.  This is a reserve for injured Alaskan animals that cannot survive in the wild.  We enjoyed seeing the moose and other animals that you don’t get a chance to see often up close.  The center has beautiful grounds and they obviously do what they can to replicate a natural habitat.

 

Moose selfie!

 



 

 

 

We made it to the Bell in the Woods B&B a little after 7:00 pm after starting the drive around noon. 

We loved this little place and the owners were wonderful.  We checked in and looked all around and saw our rooms.

Our room had a full kitchen.

 

We then regrouped and went for dinner at Resurrection Roadhouse at the Windsong Lodge.  Fran and I shared a salad and a burger and it was delicious and Ben got a steak. This was a cute place with a nice view.

 

Back at the B&B, the owner had some local beers for Ben that we put in the fridge in our room and I took a shower, put on my comfy robe from the B&B, and made a cup of green tea in my room before falling asleep—we were pooped!

Tomorrow would be our tour of Kenai Fjords National Park.