August 30th – Saturday - 2008:
Scenic Wilderness Tour - Wildlife Reserve Park:
The Girdwood Shuttle came on time, the driver helped me load all the suitcases, (just a note: don’t forget to tip $1/bag to the driver is customary). We decided to take advantage of the land tour as well as paying less for it, the driver gave us a bus tour of downtown Anchorage, pointed out the landmark buildings, we went to pick up more passengers, a total of four hotels then we were on our way southbound to Whittier. Our first stop was the Beluga Whale Point. This is where the natives used to spot the Beluga whales on their mating season and they hunt them down for food, now there are only a few hundred left.
This scenic route took approximately 1 ½ hour, passing through the coast, our guide pointed out that even though the beaches looked beautiful and tranquil, he said that several tourist who brave swimming in these beaches got drowned getting stuck in the mud brought down by the defrosting snow into the bay. As I watched the coast, it became very evident that the black sands really were thick soot of mud. We made a stop for 20 minutes at the Point before proceeding tour next stop; the Alaska Wild Life Reserve Park.
As we left Beluga Whale Point, we got to talking to our driver, Dennis. We found out he was originally from Whittier, California. He moved to Anchorage to work for the oil company, instead got a job in tours and loved it ever since. The trip to our next stop, the Wildlife Reserve Park, took about 30 minutes.
As we entered the reserve, the driver stopped by the entrance gate to pay for an entrance fee of $15. This entrance to the park was included in our fare. We toured the park for about 1 hour, we interacted with the wild animals but from a distance and with great caution. These animals were rescued in the wild and are cared for by the park rangers to take them back to their natural habitat. We got to see Bison, Buffalo’s, Muscox, Black Bears, Red Foxes, Wolves, Brown Bears, an Eagle, Deer’s, Moose’s, Elks & Alaskan porcupine.
The deer and the moose were very calm and allowed us to pet them at close range. There was a main visitor building where you can buy snacks and park souvenirs such as native jewelry and crafts. The building had an eating area where you can rest and relax to enjoy a picnic lunch. As we continued our tour in the park, we noticed that there were several shacks (about 4 collapsed buildings) on the compound that once were homes of those who perished in the Tsunami of Chugach National Park in 1964. The dead trees around the park were caused Tsunami, the salt water the waves carried into the valley, saturated the ground with salt water and killed most of the plant life in the National Park, also killing 19 residents of this pristine landscape.
Meals are not included in this tour, so it was good that we had our lunch before departing. Just a suggestion, pack a snack bag to munch on while on this trip. This is a four hour tour and WildLife Reserve was our only stop for a bathroom break.
This scenic route took approximately 1 ½ hour, passing through the coast, our guide pointed out that even though the beaches looked beautiful and tranquil, he said that several tourist who brave swimming in these beaches got drowned getting stuck in the mud brought down by the defrosting snow into the bay. As I watched the coast, it became very evident that the black sands really were thick soot of mud. We made a stop for 20 minutes at the Point before proceeding tour next stop; the Alaska Wild Life Reserve Park.
As we left Beluga Whale Point, we got to talking to our driver, Dennis. We found out he was originally from Whittier, California. He moved to Anchorage to work for the oil company, instead got a job in tours and loved it ever since. The trip to our next stop, the Wildlife Reserve Park, took about 30 minutes.
As we entered the reserve, the driver stopped by the entrance gate to pay for an entrance fee of $15. This entrance to the park was included in our fare. We toured the park for about 1 hour, we interacted with the wild animals but from a distance and with great caution. These animals were rescued in the wild and are cared for by the park rangers to take them back to their natural habitat. We got to see Bison, Buffalo’s, Muscox, Black Bears, Red Foxes, Wolves, Brown Bears, an Eagle, Deer’s, Moose’s, Elks & Alaskan porcupine.
The deer and the moose were very calm and allowed us to pet them at close range. There was a main visitor building where you can buy snacks and park souvenirs such as native jewelry and crafts. The building had an eating area where you can rest and relax to enjoy a picnic lunch. As we continued our tour in the park, we noticed that there were several shacks (about 4 collapsed buildings) on the compound that once were homes of those who perished in the Tsunami of Chugach National Park in 1964. The dead trees around the park were caused Tsunami, the salt water the waves carried into the valley, saturated the ground with salt water and killed most of the plant life in the National Park, also killing 19 residents of this pristine landscape.
Meals are not included in this tour, so it was good that we had our lunch before departing. Just a suggestion, pack a snack bag to munch on while on this trip. This is a four hour tour and WildLife Reserve was our only stop for a bathroom break.
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