Day 11

I got up early and went for a hike back to look at the Portage Glacier. The Big Bear campsite is tied to a trail system with bridges and walkways.

We had to get to Whittier for a 12:30 sailing to see the 26 Glaciers. To get there you have to be lined up on the half hour. We  went into the portal at 9:30 and drove along the railway tracks through the 2 ½ mile tunnel to Whittier.

 

We had time for breakfast and opted for the world famous salmon bagel.

The boat ride was 5 hours long. Sturgis was in the care of the parking lot attendant. One of the first things we saw were porpoises.

 

Then we saw the Steller's Sea Lions.

And the seals.

Then we learned there are 7000 sea otters in Prince William Sound even though they were once nearly extinct from hunting. The Exon Valdez oil spill reduced the number by 2500, but the numbers are back to approximately 7000.

 Later in the tour we got a close up look at the glaciers along with some calving action.

There’s that other boat again!

After returning through the tunnel we went to get a room in Anchorage. We were horrified by the condition of the rooms at the Mush Inn near the Anchorage airport, so we drove 100 miles to the Dry Creek Campsite.