The Alaska Railroad & Cruising the Glacial Waters

A trip on the Alaska Railroad to Whittier Alaska was our ticket to Alaskan adventure today. The Alaska Railroad carries passengers from Fairbanks to Seward, a 470 mile route.

We boarded the train at 9:45am in Anchorage, climbed to the upstairs observation deck and in no time were watching the small towns glide by our window. A highlight of the trip is the Whittier Tunnel. A single lane tunnel with the train and cars from each direction taking turns on a timed schedule. Whittier is a town with one 14 story building where most of the town's 200 residents live.

Disembarking the train at 12:15pm, we joined a queue walking toward a well appointed catamaran. We looked into the ship’s large windows and people were sitting at tables waiting for the promised buffet. We smiled. All was going according to plan. A rainy day but the accommodations were terrific!

Our smiles slowly faded as the Major Marines tour personnel redirected us to a much smaller vessel, the aluminum hulled Yukon Queen. If the catamaran was filet mignon, this boat was chuck. Sitting low in the water, the queen carries a maximum 45 passengers plus crew. Boxed lunches and glacier ice margaritas provided. We weren't supposed to return to Anchorage for another 7 hours... Our excitement dimmed.

Our Boat is in the Middle!

Just like a book, don't judge a glacier cruise by its cover. The Glacier Discovery Tour did not disappoint. The crew was knowledgeable and friendly. Our seat mates were 35 Korean travelers and their interpreter starting their Alaskan tour. One part small boat, plus a dash of rainy, windy weather and a heavy pour of lots of animal sightings mixed together made for a memorable day with new friends.

Black bears fishing for salmon provided entertainment; salmon at a fish hatchery repeatedly jumped out of the water; sea lions rested on a haulout; and sea otters floated around seemingly unconcerned with our presence.

But the big aha moments were the glaciers and the ice fields. Icebergs bumped the boat as our Captain maneuvered us closer to calving glaciers. In spite of the rainy weather, we climbed onto outside decks to take photos, gawk and be awed by our natural surroundings.

Alaska fact: Glacier ice looks blue because when light hits a glacier the denser ice absorbs all colors of the wavelength except the shorter high-energy blue wavelength. The blue wavelength is reflected back, making the ice appear blue.

Moose sightings on the train ride back to Anchorage were anticlimactic. Ho-hum, more moose.