Portage to Whittier, AK

 We stopped at the Portage Visitors Center, and had a hug with Smokey the bear. We paid the fee to take the tunnel in towards Whittier. We paid to park, then walked around the town. The town could use some tourist help centers, as we tried to find a trail to one of the falls. No one seemed to know how to get to things, or what there was to see!? We spent time visiting the very few shops, and enjoyed the bright sunshine. We were told Whittier can be cloudy, but not today. There is housing here for the many people who work the cruise ships, and the fishing industry. Its not really a tourist town, but a working park of Alaska. We headed back through the bridge and parked next to Portage Glacier Lake. A family was in the lake, and we were hot. We decided to take a polar plunge. Yes, the water was ice cube cold, while we viewed the snow, ice, and glacier across the lake. Invigorating! The rv parked near the Lake was form Maricopa, AZ. Boy we went a very long way to find a neighbor. We drove around a bit, in a confusing loop, but managed to take a gravel drive toward Portage Creek. The nimble Sylver Gypsy backed into a narrow space near the creek, and we again took a polar plunge. What a great day, enjoying the summer sun, and warm weather!

























Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bryce Canyon National Park, then almost home

Image
​ A great night in the Utah desert, and a rather chilly morning, surprisingly, but I got up and hurried out of there with the intention of getting to Bryce Canyon National Park. I wondered if I would have enough time and decided it was only 20 minutes one-way, out-of-the-way as I continued on my route home. This would be my third time visiting Bryce and I’m so glad I did. As with any National Park, there are some new changes and the Ranger told me that because I’m over 20 feet I would have to park in the main parking lot and take the shuttle bus in to see the viewpoints. She gave me a tag to hang in my window. My heart sank to the bottom, since I know the shuttle buses will not except pets, and I was not willing to leave Jo Jo. However, upon examining the tag, it indicated vehicles over 23 feet to park and shuttle. My Travato is 21 feet. Hmmmm, I was annoyed. So I ignored the directions and went straight to the parking area at the sunrise amphitheater and not only did I see other campe...
Read more

At home now… from the great 2023 Alaska Road Trip!

Image
​ Jo Jo and I are home, from the trip of a lifetime! 106 days, 11,539 miles, 675 gallons of gasoline, a ton of fun, beautiful views, and amazing experiences. Other than a brief head cold, no other mishaps, except my souvenir windshield chips. The Sylver Gypsy performed wonderfully. She kept me safe and warm. My last days were drive heavy, but I managed a quick stop at Bryce Canyon National Park. My last night was in the Coconino Forest near Flagstaff, where I also made a brief stop at Sunset Crater. I’ll need a few moments to adjust being back to reality, but it’s nice to be home!
Read more

Montana to Blackfoot, Idaho

Image
​ Well, other than spending the day driving I didn’t do much else. Unless you consider the excitement of filling up my gas tank for $80.00. It’s the first time in a long time when I looked down I saw my gauge in the red and the yellow warning light came on indicating low fuel. I never do these things, but I must’ve been in “the zone” while driving. Either way, I made it to the next gas station and I also have 2 gallons as a spare mounted to my ladder. I wound up staying in the same place that I stopped in May, as I was traveling up north. It’s Rose Pond Park near the town of Blackfoot, Idaho. I even recall exactly where I stayed and it was open and available. However, there was a radio concert going on right around the corner. I wasn’t into listening to the “boom boom.” I found another spot just as a truck came with three ATV, mini bikes and kids who spent the next two hours driving around, mostly in the parking lot. I was actually concerned that they would come by too closely or lose ...
Read more