Anchorage

We're off! Arrived just after midnight after 25 hours of flights & airports. Straight to hotel & sleep.
Woke up to a beautiful sunny day & headed to the local market for halibut & corn fritters. Then wandered around the streets - a really nice feel to the place with friendly locals making us feel welcome.
Visited the info centre to see a live hawk owl & then wandered along Ship Creek to see the locals fishing for salmon.

Salmon fishing in Anchorage

 Day 2 saw us board the Glacier Discovery train to Whittier. The train wanders along the shoreline then dives through 2 tunnels under the mountain range to Whittier. Spectacular views of water, mountains, snow & glaciers. Then boarded the Klondike Express catamaran to cruise Prince William Sound. We saw otters, sea lions, seals, a bald eagle and a hump back whale in addition to close up encounters with glaciers.

A tidewater Glacier

On the return train journey we saw large areas of dead trees caused by the 1964 earthquake & tsunami which washed sea water up over the trees.

Trees killed by earthquake and Tsunami

 We then witnessed 2 hardy surfers riding the bore wave caused by the incoming & outgoing tides meeting & creating a wave which can be ridden for 70 kilometres. The water is close to freezing & the sand beneath the water is like quicksand so not for the feint hearted.

Surfers on bore wave

Dinner sitting on the deck at our hotel in the sunshine until after 10.30pm (the sun sets about 11pm). A great start to our journey.