Portage Pass and Whittier

On Monday, we had some beautiful weather to fly Portage Pass and over Whittier(known as the strangest town in Alaska).

Approaching the end of Turnagain Arm:


Portage Glacier on the right:


Portage Pass on the left:


In the pass:


Whittier coming into view with a cruise ship alongside the pier:


Whittier, most of the town lives in the single building near center that looks like a hotel.

What an interesting place that must be in the winter. A couple of local facts: Whittier was established because the harbor was ice-free year round and because (fact #2) the weather is always "shittier in Whittier." Since it's almost always cloudy it meant that during WWII, the Japanese (and perhaps future enemies) would have had a hard time bombing the port. It's now accessible by car from Anchorage as well and serves as a ferry terminal as well as a cruise ship terminal.