The Turnagain Arm

The Turnagain Arm is a body of water that comes off of the Cook Inlet. It was named by Captain Cook during the 1700s when he sailed up the body of water looking for the Northwest Passage and was forced to turn again. The Seward Highway runs along the Turnagain Arm and this highway is traveled by all who go to Seward, Homer, Portage or Girdwood from Anchorage. The Potter Marsh is close to Anchorage and is abundant with vegetation and waterfowl. The Bore Tide is an incredible phenomenon and of the 60 places in the world that it occurs, the only location in the U.S. where it occurs is near Anchorage on the Turnagain and Knik Arms. Essentially the tide comes in as a wall of water that can range from 6 - 8 feet high based on the new and full moon periods. We were very fortunate to see a bore tide and get a picture of it as it passed. When the tide is out the Turnagain Arm turns into a giant mud flat. Along the Seward Highway, it is often possible to see Dall Sheep on the ridges. The wildflowers are abundant along the Turnagain Arm. As you approach the turnoff to the Portage Glacier and Whittier, you come upon remnants of the 1964 Good Friday earthquake. These consist of collapsed buildings and forests of dead spruce trees that were flooded with saltwater from the Turnagain Arm when the ground level dropped and the sea water rushed in. We also spent several hours at a place called "Big Game Alaska" where injured and sick animals are cared for and rehabilitated. It is similar to a zoo environment with animals in enclosures. We went to get a close up look at some of the animals that we've seen in the wild but could never get that close to. The highlight was a little black bear cub named "Berry" who was found huddled next to his dead mother that had been shot. He was adapting real well. We also attended the Girdwood Forest Fair which was a three-day festival in the woods. There was live music and plenty to eat & drink. It was where the hippies of the 60s & 70s intersect with modern Alaskans. Another of our adventures was a trip through the Whittier Tunnel. It is a railroad tunnel that was recently opened to vehicle traffic. The tunnel is one way and changes on the half-hour. Several times a day vehicle traffic is stopped to allow the train to pass through the tunnel. While on the Whittier side of the tunnel, we hiked up the Portage Pass trail, a steep mile plus trail that took us to an incredible overlook where we had a 360 degree panorama with the Portage Glacier, the Whittier Glacier and the Prince William Sound in view. When we came back down and went back through the tunnel, we took another hike to the Byron Glacier where we got to play in the snow in July.

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There is a total of 48 photos.
Er zijn in totaal 48 foto's.