Saturday, June 14, 2014

Alaska 2014 – Day 1, June 14th

We woke up this morning to overcast skies with a bit of rain. After breakfast, we made a quick run to Wal-mart and picked up some water and a few snacks in case we got caught out in the middle of nowhere with nothing to eat or drink.

So the first run or objective was Whittier, which I added at the last moment because I wanted to drive through a tunnel that shared by trains and automobiles. At the top of each hour, all traffic flows west and at the half hours, all traffic flows east. How they manage the train times is unknown to me. The tunnel itself is 2.5 miles long. The entire highway and tunnel can be read about by clicking HERE.

After Whittier, we traveled to Seward for lunch at the Chinooks Restaurant. I had a Red Salmon sandwich and Veggie Chili. Lori had some type of Seafood Soup, but I can’t remember what type. It was good and filling. Afterwards we did a little driving around the small community and then headed for Exit Glacier. Here we did a 1.5 mile hike up to and around the Glacier. There was a 16 mile loop that would really give you top down views of the Glacier but we didn’t have the time for a 6-8 hour hike. You can see by the pictures below, when you click the link, that we still had some incredible view. Well worth the hike.

Leaving Exit Glacier it was time to head to Homer for our second nights stay in Alaska. What a beautiful drive from Anchorage, Whittier, Seward, and Homer. Once in Homer and check-in, we went out for dinner at AJ’s for Prime Rib. Mmm.

Shortly after dinner we drove out onto the beach and ran into Debbie Fanatia and her friends visiting from Denver. We chatted for a bit, made some tentative plans for tomorrow and parted ways. From here Lori and I drove the Spit and called it a day.

Even though we had mostly overcast skies and drizzle, it was beautiful as only Alaska can be. Ending the evening in Homer with sunny skies and awesome views, was just the icing on the cake. Enjoy the pictures and tomorrows plan is nothing. Just kidding, Debbie will show us around Homer and what she has learned since moving here. Also we will have lunch and or dinner with her.

Pictures of the Day

1 comment: