Glaciers and Borscht

Once again, the look of the blog has changed and I think it's pretty close to done at this point (unless you are a super awesome web developer and want to help me overhaul it into something unbelievable for free... ;-))

This post is a day early because tomorrow morning we leave for Valdez (pronounced val-deez) and wifi will be spotty at best. Valdez is located in Prince William Sound and is home to all kinds of wildlife, glaciers, and so much more. You'll just have to check back next week to see how it went.

We actually spent last Saturday in Prince William Sound too. Being the hybrid of local tourists that we are, we wanted to ride the rails and take a glacier cruise. Those are just basic must-do's when you're in Alaska. Especially if you're like us and love trains. So, we booked our trip with the Alaska Railroad and Major Marine Tours and headed to Anchorage to board the train to Whittier.

The train ride alone was beautiful. We've driven through Anchorage, along Turnagain Arm, and down the Kenai Peninsula several times since we've been here, but it's an entirely different experience taking the train. The rails go along paths where cars just can't go and you pass a lot more scenery that you wouldn't normally see, especially if you're the one driving. You're also able to hear some of the history about areas you're moving through from one of the high school student interns who make up part of the crew. They're a part of the tourism program at their schools and really have a unique local perspective on the area. Plus they are friendly and enthusiastic, and that really makes all the difference.

Whittier is one of the main hubs for marine traffic in Alaska but it is very secluded. Yes, some people live there, but not many. In fact, most of the people who go to Whittier never even leave the docks before they're whisked away by either train or ship. The ones who live there live in one of two buildings and really have to pull together for the months where food is scarce and the snow is high.

There's only one single lane tunnel, for both inbound and outbound traffic that is shared by both automobiles and trains. It's only open for fifteen minutes at the top of the hour for one direction, and fifteen minutes at the bottom of the hour for the other direction.

Once we arrived, we boarded the boat for our tour of Blackstone Bay.

A Chugach National Forest Ranger was there to greet us and promptly enrolled the younger two in the Junior Ranger Program. All along our ride, the ranger told us about the area we were in, what we were seeing, and the history surrounding the areas. She also had books about the wildlife and people could look through binoculars to see things like this Bald Eagle.

We took a cruise through the Inside Passage for our tenth anniversary and had seen Glacier Bay, so that was the experience I was expecting. Just being about to sit back and enjoy the scenery. Boy was I mistaken! Because this boat was much smaller than the cruise ship we were on in 2009, we were able to get a lot closer to the glaciers. It was so cool! Amazing and freezing at the same time. It was raining, so that's why the pictures are a little fuzzy, but you get the idea.

This one's for scale. See that boat in the water? These glaciers are massive!

At one point, one of the crew threw out a net and snagged a couple of floating chunks of glacier ice that had broken off and were floating nearby. One chunk was for pictures and close examination, and the other was for breaking apart for drinks! They offered alcoholic and non alcoholic options, so our whole family tried a drink with glacier ice in it. I ordered the non-alcoholic drink, which was a mixture of pineapple juice and something else (guava?). It was delicious! The glacier ice tasted just like regular ice, but was crystal clear, a little bit colder, and a little bit harder (more dense). Just the experience of drinking glacial ice while steering next to glaciers was an experience of a lifetime.

The captain of the boat was very skilled and when we were passing next to a glacial waterfall, he steered us up right next to it- like splashing on the boat close! Our youngest had a great time reaching out to touch that icy water from the deck. The water below us was that milky turquoise blue.

After our waterfall experience, the boat was turned around and we headed back to Whittier. Our kids finished the requirements in the Junior Ranger booklet and helped the ranger pass around animal pelts and a small vial with an ice worm in it. Then she lined up all the kids who were participating and officially swore them in as Junior Rangers. Each one received their own badge.

It was a great experience, and one I would recommend. You can even opt to purchase an all you can eat salmon and steak lunch, complete with dessert, which was wonderful and very tender.

The rest of the week has been spent doing the everyday things that we all need to do, like laundry, cleaning, and grocery shopping. My daughter and I went to the local junk store (as we like to call it) yesterday and had fun checking out the offerings. After that, we walked the strip mall next to it and found an Eastern European market and deli. If you know me, then you know I love all kinds of food. Especially Mediterranean and Eastern European. This little shop didn't disappoint. We bought some hot borscht with warm, freshly baked, bread for lunch, along with pierogi and sour cream for dinner. Some gingerbread cookies and a few other sweets may, or may not, have made it into the basket as well....

Visiting this little store was part of a history lesson in itself. Alaska was once a Russian territory (and before you ask, no. You can't see Russia from Wasilla ;-)). This is a fact we knew from growing up in the lower 48, but being up here brings a whole new perspective and curiosity that we never had before. We have been learning about the history of relations between the Russians and the native people, the Russian communities that still exist up here, and the traditions and art that the descendants of these people practice today. It's really interesting and something I would encourage you to research for yourself.

Hope you all have a great weekend! As for me, on to packing!

- Jen