Beautiful Whittier, AK

Welcome to beautiful downtown Whittier, Alaska!

 

Whittier has a special place in my heart. When I was growing up, my dad had a boat based at the small boat harbor and a condo in Whittier, and I spent many happy hours there. That part of Prince William Sound is still my favorite place in the world. Dad sold the boat many years ago (that old adage about a boat being a hole in the water into which you pour money) but he kept the condo, and now my generation owns it. I still go out there as often as I can.

 

One day I’ll have to write a book about the history of Whittier. To summarize briefly, it was a portage area for millennia, a deep-water port, and the tunnel to it was one of the engineering feats accomplished during World War II.  It remained a military base during the Cold War. Now it’s a fishing and tourism hub.

 

I went out to Whittier this week, and hit town on one of those golden sunny days when you can’t imagine why anyone would live anywhere else. You’ll see what I mean when you see these photos. The town itself is a little ugly (unless you like Cold War-era concrete buildings). But the setting—well, those mountains and the bay are amazingly beautiful. Hope you enjoy these!

 

 

Here are some shots from the east side of town:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These last couple shots are from the west near the tunnel:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wherever you live, I hope your favorite place is beautiful this time of year.