Today, we took a boat cruise of Prince William Sound to see glaciers! We left the RV at the campground and drove the rental car to Whittier, AK. The Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel from Portage to Whittier is only open 15 minutes in each direction per hour and costs $12 for cars and $35 for RVs 28 feet or longer. After making our way through the tunnel, we parked the car, checked in for our cruise, and walked around Whittier until boarding time. Whittier is a small town, so walking around the harbor front only took about half an hour.

The cruise with Major Marine Tours was great. It was a beautiful day with clear skies and we viewed several glaciers (although sadly no glacier calving). The onboard ranger was very knowledgable and the $19/person prime rib and salmon buffet was excellent. After the tour, we were tired so we headed back to the RV park to rest. We might stop by the nearby wildlife center or Forest Service visitor center tomorrow morning before heading to Seward.

We finally made it to Anchorage! Our first stop in the city was at the airport to pick up a rental car. After a bit of a delay caused by a glitch in the rental car company’s computer system, Valerie and I rejoined Valerie’s parents at a Wal-Mart Supercenter in Anchorage. Valerie’s mom was very happy to return some of the unused items that we had purchased from other Wal-Marts earlier in our trip.

After a quick lunch from the nearby Pizza Hut, we headed to our campsite: Portage Valley RV Park in Portage, AK. Just a short drive from the tunnel to Whittier, this conveniently located campground offers water and electrical hookups, showers, and portable toilets. The showers were great; the portable toilets were less great.

The Tok Cutoff Road from Tok to the Richardson Highway was probably the bumpiest highway we’ve driven on in Alaska. It seemed like several sections of the road were in the process of being resurfaced. After turning off, it was mostly smooth sailing to Glennallen, followed by a long stretch of construction on the way to Tolsona.

Our campsite was the Tolsona Wilderness Campground near Glennallen, AK. This is a fairly rustic campsite that only accepts cash. (This is the first campsite we’ve stayed at that did not accept credit card!) The showers were great and only cost a quarter for 5 minutes. We took a short hike around the campsite where we spotted some moose tracks. Afterward, we ate dinner at a restaurant in the nearby Tolsona Lake Resort Motel & Cafe. The portions were large and the food was surprisingly tasty.