Update for 8/31 through 9/2 Wittier, AK and picture link

Hello blog readers,

link for new pictures with descriptive captions

I have had a few question and comments that I will answer in this blog.
Several have asked how I send the pictures and blogs to Goggle and how do you connect.
I have learned to do most of the writing and organization of the blog while sitting in the RV where it is comfortable. The blog is composed just as any Google email and sent to a special address. Google makes it easy, they have a good offline email program except the spell checker doesn't work when offline. When we leave the campground for a day trip, I might hunt a convenient hotspot. We almost never have internet access while at the campsites. Wifi signals don't travel very far. I have some favorites such as Holiday Inn and some other unsecured hotels, they reach out farther because they have more power and access points . I have learned where to look and often I find a signal easily. Several visitor and welcome centers and almost all libraries have wifi available and if they don't, I ask the person working there. Most know exactly what I am asking and direct me to a hotspot that is nearby. I paid for access on two occasions, the first cost was $3 for 15 minutes and the second was $6 for 24 hours. I can receive my email from two accounts within a minute or two and then transmit my picture files and blog. Total time is less than 10 minutes. I can usually can answer most emails at the same time. Of course, browsing the net takes a little longer. Once at a gas station in Jasper, I was able to get the job done at the gas pump.

Another question is How do I leave a comment to the blog?
I am not sure, I think at the bottom of the page there is a button that will post a comment. I don't see the completed blog unless I am on line. Maybe someone else can help out. If that doesn't work, just drop me an email. I will try to look next time I get hooked up.

And the last question for the day is When are you coming home?
We are not locked to a date, but sometime during the first 2 weeks of October. We are still having fun and you can not see Alaska in just one summer. I will say that fall season is on top of us, the leaves are changing color and some are falling. The temps are in the mid 50s to mid 60s and those long days of sun are gone, but about normal for this time in the lower 48 states. The days will get much shorter and some of the campgrounds will start to close in the later part of this month, so I guess we will head south like the snowbirds do.

The last 2 days have been somewhat slower than normal. Just outside of Hope, we stopped at a scenic overlook and saw dozens of Beluga whales swimming in the Turnagain Arm bay. They put on a good show, sometimes clearing the water while jumping The salmon are spawning and the whales are feeding on them. Our 100 mile drive from Hope took us out of the Kenai and into the Chugach National. We arrived at Walliwaw, a USFS campground on the banks of the Portage Creek about 2 miles from the Portage glacier. Portage glacier is just one of the many large glaciers between the east end of Turnagain Arm and the seaport of Whittier on the Prince William Sound. Lots of history around here... earthquakes, gold rushes, railroads, fur trading, and the WWII war construction and protection of Alaska during the 1940s and then the cold war after that. Whittier was called the "secret port" because it was so well shielded for from foreign enemies. The Alaskan Railroad laid it rails from the main north south line to Whittier, thereby making it the largest supply line for all of Alaska.
We visited Begich, Boggs visitor center today. It is built on the remnants of a terminal moraine left by the Portage Glacier. We spent about 2 hours there. Very nice visitor center, it offered information, guided walks, films, and exhibits. We also hiked one of the trails that took us along the river where we could see many salmon spawning. Nice walking and a little over a mile.
After the visitor center, we drove the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel between Williwaw and Whittier, AK. This is a 2 1/2 mile tunnel that is actually a train tunnel, but in 2000 it was widened and updated to allow cars and trucks to use it. Check out the pictures I took while driving the tunnel. It is only one lane, so traffic has to wait for the green light, before entering. In Whittier we walked around the dock area and visited the town museum. Wittier has several charter services that do day trips to the Prince William Sound. The PWS is a hot spot for cruise ships, tour boats, kayaks and small boats. Cruise ships bring passengers from all around the world for the connection to the Alaska Railroad that will carry them on the overland route to Fairbanks and Denali. Almost anywhere along the highways you will see people fishing from the banks. They just park their cars, pull out the hook and line and fish.
I get a little involved in museums so I spend too much time in them, according to Barbara. I will post just two of the pictures that I took, they are of an old army housing unit and at the time (1950) it was built it was the largest building in Alaska. Now it is just a ghost of the past, see the pictures in the gallery.

Sept 2nd Our target today is Palmer, AK in the valley just east of Anchorage. This is where all the vegetables are grown. Growing season is short, but they get 20 hours a day of of sun during the summer months.

John and Barbara reporting