Our next stop was at Williwaw NFS Campground in Portage Valley. The town of Portage was destroyed and never rebuilt after the 1964 earthquake. As you enter the campground you have a marvelous view of Middle Glacier from the Columbia Icefields. In the foreground the fireweed is starting into bloom. The flowers bloom from the bottom to the top. I don't know why they call it a weed: it is absolutely beautiful and blooming in profusions along the highways.
The National Forest Service parks in Alaska are awesome. This one has spacious, paved sites and a wonderful view of the mountains. With my Access Pass, we only pay $9 a night to camp here.
No, Bill wasn't walking around in his bare feet, but these are bear feet! Sitting in the RV around 9:30 am we heard something hitting the side of it and when I looked out, there was a black bear. He had his feet on the side and was trying to look in! I went to grab the camera, but Bill had left it in the truck! The first night we camped here a woman left the door to her motor home open and a bear started to go in-she screamed and a fellow camper scared it off by firing a gun into the air. The next night the bear wasn't so lucky. He refused to leave a campsite and was threatening a camper and the man shot and killed him. But evidently there is still at least one more around trying to break into campers. We have finally seen a bear in a campground-up close and personal!
Portage Lake has a really nice visitors center with a film and a museum. Portage Lake has 3 glaciers surrounding it: Burns, Portage, and Byron Glaciers.
The only way to Whittier (other than plane or boat) is through this 2.5 mile long Anderson Memorial Tunnel. It is the only tunnel in the world that is shared with a railroad. You actually drove over the railroad tracks when you go through it.
Whittier, another little coastal town that was started as an Army base during WW II, is now a fishing and tourist town. The harbor, surrounded by mountains and glaciers, is similar to the other harbor towns we have visited on the Kenai Peninsula. Fishing boats and cruise ships are evident. We had lunch at the Lazy Otter Cafe overlooking the harbor.
The Begich Building, left over from the Army base, now houses about 1/2 of the population of Whittier which is about 250 people total. The harbor, train tracks, fish processing plants, and of course a few little gift shops and cafes make up the town. Notice the waterfall behind the building coming down from the icefield far above it.
We have spent 3 weeks on the Kenai Peninsula and have had a good experience here. It is truly beautiful and the place to be if you like to fish!
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