We started our Friday morning early, 5:00 am, so we could get to the Valdez ferry before 6:00. We arrived about 5:45 and there were a number of vehicles already there. Mark drove the bike onto the ferry and tied it down for the trip. Notice in the 2nd picture below, the very large tour bus that was also getting on the ferry. That was one heck of a driver!
The ferry ride was interesting and diverse. It would be very clear, and then suddenly encased in a misty fog. The Prince George sound was very calm.
The 2 most interesting things on the trip were the Columbia glacier and seeing a whale! The pictures below are of the glacier, which is about 10 miles away, and the chunks of ice in the water from the glacier breaking off.
This is about the area where the Exxon Valdez disaster of the 80s. We heard that the Columbia glacier was only about 2 miles away at that time, but now due to receding size, the glacier is 10 miles away. There is a marker for where the oil tanker crashed, but we didn’t see it.
When we boarded, Mark asked the captain if they point out when they sight whales. He said sometimes, but usually not. To spot a whale, look for the water spout from his blow hole. Margo spotted one! She tried to capture a picture but it just wouldn’t stand still and pose. Here is a picture that she did get… Notice the dark spot on the water? That’s the whale.
We spent much of the ferry ride inside, looking out. It was quite chilly outside.
After exiting the ferry, we encountered the next road portion that we had heard so much about – the tunnel outside Whittier. It is a 2 1/2 mile tunnel with a single lane…well, actually an active train track and motorcycles ride on the flat, diamond plate portion between the track. Of course the individual plates were damp and thus slippery. The tunnel is the longest in the United States.
Fortunately, they manage the traffic quite well – first the train goes through, then large vehicles, then cars, and then motorcycles. We rode through by ourselves, thank goodness. Margo took some pictures but she had the camera set to Auto, rather than changing the shutter speed, so you see blurry lights. Look closely and see the space for riding..
Arrived in Anchorage about 2:30 and went to the Harley Dealer, so Mark could get a t-shirt and a dealership poker chip. The tires were down a bit from all the bumpy roads so they pumped them up to specs.
Stayed at the Downtown Marriott last night and will be back here Monday as we prepare to ship the bike back and change luggage from bike packing to cruise packing..
Headed to Denali today and hoping for clear weather.