Day 15: Palmer to Valdez, AK by ferry

110 miles driven (plus 90 miles by water)
7:45 AM-6:25 PM

Thank you, Lord, list:
Safe passage
agreeable shipmates and comfortable chairs
didn't rain ALL the time
waterfalls
sea caves
sea lions
orcas

We pushed to be off early this morning because we didn't know how much rush-hour traffic around Anchorage might hold us up. When Steve picked hotels via the Internet, he didn't realize how far north of the city Palmer was. (Our B&B was not cheap by any means, but less than places closer to the city. Steve was tempted to ask for a refund given the crying baby again last night.)

It took us maybe 5 or 10 minutes longer to get through Anchorage than it had yesterday mid-day so we arrived in Wittier way early. The Seward Highway south of Anchorage was spectacular and would have been more so if it hadn't been raining. It was lined with tantalizing signs for trails and photo spots we couldn't stop for. Mountains plunge straight into the sea like Norwegian fjords. Waterfalls tumble down the sides--waterfalls that I can't imagine anyone ever being able to walk to because of the steepness.

We had been told by the ferry company that we needed to make the 10:30 tunnel, whatever that meant. It turns out that the tunnel is one lane--that's literally one lane, not one lane each way. The directions take turns. The space is also shared by trains that have their turn. So the way in is 15 minutes out of every hour. If you miss it, you wait. Since we got through Anchorage so quickly, we arrived as the 9:30 cars were going through and never even stopped. The tunnel is rough hewn and two and a half miles long (the longest in North America.) Steve was not enthusiastic about driving on the railroad tracks, but I thought it was cool.

We had plenty of time to wait in the tiny village of Wittier. (By the way, fully half the town is parking lots, railroad and docks.) We had coffee in a tiny restaurant "downtown" between the parking lots and the sea. The servers wore Wellington boots. A sign on the wall said "Wittier girls (heart) rain" so I guess it rains a lot there.

We dodged the raindrops back to the car and went and sat in line for an hour and a half, but since we have been spending way more than that in the car on other days, it was no big deal. When the ferry arrived, we had a front row seat to watch it unload and the little tow cab back in and come out with semi-trailers.

It was nearly 1 PM when we loaded. We ate our pb&j in the lounge. Seats were more comfortable than airplanes by a mile. Besides, it was much easier to get up and walk around. My only complaint was that we discovered we weren't supposed to eat in the lounge. So to snack or sip my tea I was supposed to go to the cafeteria in the back. Not uncomfortable. Just a pain to have to move if I wanted tea. (I am normally never without a cup in front of me.)

Spectacular views of mountains, waterfalls, caves ...

sea lions (here on rocks) and orcas (too fleeting to photograph). 

Yes, it would have been even more spectacular if it hadn't been raining, but it was still awesome. Mom commented, "I know Alaska is part of the United States, but I still feel like I'm in a foreign country."

The town of Valdez is almost as small as Wittier. The oil refinery stuff is across the fjord. No crying baby tonight!

Afghan update: Lots of time to sit and knit while watching. But somewhere I made a major error that has thrown the pattern off. Sigh. I thought I had this down. It will take some thought to fix.

Tomorrow will be a long day in the car headed for Canada.