Saturday June 21, 2014
When it comes to Alaska, variety is indeed the spice of life. So it was with a great deal of excitement that Terry and I had decided to mix things up over the next two days while still being true to the railroading spirit. But first, breakfast.
We met Gerald Forsyth at 8:00 AM sharp in our hotel's breakfast nook. "John, the McKeen car is sitting on a flat-bed trailer in a junk yard in Anchorage. The only thing good on it is the number '83' and the 'Alaska Railroad' signage on it. Let me give you directions on getting to it." Gerald was referring to a 1910-era self-propelled passenger car (think ancient RDC) that I had spotted on my 2000 Alaska Railroad trip. The owner at that time was Pat Hickey, but he eventually sold it to Anchorage Historic Properties in 2004. AHP put up a large temporary tent on a thin sliver of land on Orca Street to house and protect it, but had to vacate to an empty junk yard lot when it became the Homeless Hilton.
In January of 2014 I was contacted by teenager Madison Kirkman who was interested in obtaining the McKeen car and bringing her to Ramona, California for restoration. I had given him information on where the McKeen was located and how to contacted AHP. With rust and decay closing in fast, Madison would need to respond quickly. In the meantime, Gerald offered to stop by the lot and grab as many photos as possible. I thanked Gerald for his detective work as well as the many other photographic contributions he'd made to my website. [Note: Madison did succeed in obtaining #83, transporting it to Ramona and garnering various recognition including a brief column in Trains magazine. One of Gerald's photos was included in the article as well].
Our weather had turned cold, rainy and windy so I guess it was only fitting that we headed to Whittier. Thinking ourselves crazy, we paused in the downpour at Portage to hunt for a geocache at the old Rotary plow on display, and were surprised at how fast we discovered it.
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I always consider driving through the 2.5 mile Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel a real $13 foamer treat. Not only is it the longest highway tunnel in North America, but it is shared with the Alaska Railroad as well. The drive through was awesome as always and at the halfway point I rolled down my window, stuck out my head and gave my best Salicious B. Crumb laughing cackle. [Note to readers: Chances are Dave Blazejewski and/or Frank Keller will rib me for inserting a Star Wars reference here as they despise the films.] Popping out on the other side, we were greeted by fog and misting rain. Welcome to beautiful downtown Whittier!
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| We are waiting for the go ahead enter the tunnel. Traffic leaves Whittier on the hour and returns to Whittier on the half hour. Of course, trains have priority. | "A sound is formed by the sea's flooding a river valley. This produces a long inlet where the sloping valley hillsides descend to sea-level and continue beneath the water to form a sloping sea floor." -- Wikipedia. The sign above shows orcas, but we didn't see any today. |
GP40 #3007 on the head end of the Glacier Discovery. |
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| DMU #751 (Chugach Explorer) is a double-deck self-propelled railcar, but today is operating as part of the Glacier Discovery | Mechanical reefer #11509 was originally used to keep perishable items cold. Today it serves a second life as a storage shed for the nearby business. | On June 16, 2001 CGA Station Whittier, known affectionately as "The Caboose" was commissioned. Click here for more info. |
"Being on a boat that's moving through the water, it's so clear. Everything falls into place in terms of what's important and what's not." -- James Taylor. Through the generosity of Princess Cruise Lines employee Robert Krol had coordinated a Coral Princess cruise ship tour complete with lunch buffet. We met Robert at the Whittier Cruise Ship Terminal and felt like celebrities as we bypassed the regular security check and boarded the ship with not another passenger in sight. Robert informed us the ship hosted 2,000 passengers with an additional 1,000 staff members. The ship was amazing huge and had numerous lounges, bars and restaurants as well as a theater, library, Internet cafe, beauty salon, medical center, art gallery, casino, smoking room, chapel, teen center, pools (4), hot tubs (5) and Terry's favorite....an ice cream bar! The cruise line also offered "The Sanctuary" which is a private getaway of greenery, individual MP3 players, massages, attentive service, mixed drinks and light snacks.
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| The Whittier Cruise Ship Terminal was constructed in 2004 and services three different cruise lines bringing approximately 200,000 visitors here during the summer months. | The Coral Princess was built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique, St. Nazaire, France, at a cost of $330 million and was initially launched in 2002. It has 16 decks and 1,000 guest cabins. | A view of Whittier and the cruise ship terminal from the desk of the Coral Princess. In the distance at right is the Begich Towers and at left the abandon Buckner building. |
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| A sea of empty lounge chairs. | Movies under the stars! | One of the hallmarks of my wife's family is their love for ice cream. Even after gorging on a buffet there is always room for ice cream as it melts into the cracks. |
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| Lotus spa pool is a free covered adult pool on Lido (14) deck. | The photogenic hallway at the photographer's desk. I took this photo because it just looked so cool! Sabatini's restaurant is nearby. | Just another day in paradise! Overcast skies really bring out the blue tint in the glaciers and ice. |
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| The Princess casino features slot machines, video poker, roulette, craps, blackjack and more. | Robert has a wonderful office plus a good view of operations. | Two eagles on a nearby communications tower. |
The lunch buffet was a foodie's delight. There were fifty five offerings including meatballs, buffalo chicken wings, Cacciatore chicken, veal, sweet and sour pork, scallops, grilled cheese, roast beef sandwiches, pizza sandwiches, soups, salads, breads and desserts. And if that didn't appeal to you there are another dozen restaurants onboard offering a wide variety of oral sensations. After Terry and I had stuffed ourselves, we sought out the ice cream bar for her favorite dessert. One thing is for sure, before we go on a cruise we better lose at least ten pounds to compensate for the weight we would gain. And if that isn't enough, Princess offers a free room service menu.
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After thanking Robert profusely for the "rock star" tour we headed back through the tunnel and spent our remaining hours along breathtaking Turnagain Arm. The weather had began to perk up and the evening melted into a picture perfect paradise. To add to the fun we caught the regular Whittier train and happily chased it for several miles. I really love Turnagain Arm. Although I don't fully understand why, this stretch of mountains, rocks and water always sends an exciting yet peaceful surge through my entire being.