SPOKEN BY LEONARDO DICAPRIO ON THE TITANIC
We woke up early in order to go through the Whittier tunnel which is unlike any tunnel Ive ever seen. First its a railroad tunnel wide enough for 1 train going one way with tracks on the ground. The tunnel goes one way for cars at a certain time then closes so cars can go the other way then closes again for railroad traffic. There are no walls but rather the carved out rock. Its 2.5 miles long and as you go on the tracks the rv goes side to side. The light at the end of the tunnel can be an approaching train if someone has screwed up the schedule.
We then arrived in Whittier which is the saddest town Ive seen in Alaska. In world war II it was a secret hiding place for destroyers and battleships because its surrounded by mountains and is always cloudy thereby preventing Japanese attack. During the cold war it was a secret base. So secret that it wasnt on any maps in the 1950's. There are large abandoned government buildings that reminded me of the Soviet Union. The town is pretty depressing as all they do now is process fish.
We then boarded the Whittier-Valdez ferry which saves us 400 miles of driving. The ferry was really modern and to our pleasant surprise we met our camping neighbors from Denali. Dede and Walt who are extremely pleasant and also own the same model RV as we do. We had a pleasant 6 hour cruise through beautiful scenery and wildlife.
We arrived in Valdez which for you gas guzzling owners of automobiles is the end of the Alaska Pipeline. There are dozens of fuel tanks that look like you are in Elizabeth New Jersey. And many supertankers waiting to fill and bring the lifeblood of america, oil, to the lower 48. Of course this is where Captain Joseph Hazelwood of the Exxon Valdez got drunk and spilled 14 million gallons of crude oil into the harbor. Of course as Murphys law would have it he now teaches maritime navigation at SUNY maritime college. Thats all for now folks!
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