Visitors to Anchorage who come by cruise ship dock in Whittier. Whittier was a secret port on Prince William Sound built during World War II. It was almost always covered with clouds so the Japanese planes could not see it most days. It worked. It was on no Japanese charts or maps. One of the town’s unofficial slogans is “It’s Sh!@#ier in Whittier.”
Whittier is connected to Anchorage by rail through a long tunnel that goes from Whittier to Portage Lake where Portage near Portage Glacier. The tunnel is now open to cars and Whittier is where many people from Anchorage keep their boats. The tides on Prince William Sound are not as extreme as in Cook Inlet where Anchorage sits.
Those who get off the cruise ship and immediately take the train to Anchorage miss one of Alaska’s tourist attractions. Prince William Sound has many fjords and one near Whittier, College Fjord, has glaciers named after famous Universities, Many Ivy League. (Although the Columbia Glacier is further West in the Sound.) The 26 glacier cruise is a favorite excursion for Anchorage residents and their house guests. One of the radio stations I worked with in Anchorage had an annual “Blues Cruise” for sponsors, staff and lucky contest winners. These pictures are from the KNIK Blues Cruise. It was a rare sunny day!
