The train departed Seward on time at 6:00 PM for my trip back to Anchorage.
What really surprised me is that the Cruise Train is kept in Seward. Our conductor reminded me that only Princess uses Whittier and that all other cruise lines uses Seward. I went to the dining car for a wonderful Pot Roast Dinner.
I went to the dining car for a wonderful Pot Roast Dinner. We passed a waiting freight train. I then rode the front seat of the rear dome car all the way back beyond the Spencer Glacier. The clouds had lifted as we rolled through the beautiful Alaska scenery but I was low on film by this point. {Those whales did me in!} Where else can you ride a dome car in daily service on a mainline during the summer in the United States?
The train crossed the braided Snow River.
My riding in the dome car brought back a ton of memories of other trips I had taken in great cars like these. It was so peaceful just to sit back and watch the scenery pass by out of the dome windows.
When the train reached the overlook for the Trail Glacier it was time for another picture.
Next a beautiful waterfall that I missed this morning.
The train started down the loops as the Bartlett Glacier appeared.
A look between the rocks of the Bartlett Glacier.
The train on the lower loop. The series of five tunnels and the Placer River Canyon lookedfantastic from the dome.
Icebergs float in the lake in front of the Spencer Glacier before the train descended to the bridge across the Placer River.
As the last daylight was still shining we get one last look at the Spencer Glacier. I talked with our on board guides until we reached Portage. I worked on my story until after Girdwood as darkness took complete hold. I talked with Onboard Supervisor Karen Smith most of the way back to Anchorage.
I would like to thank the Alaska Railroad train crew of Engineer Duane Kauke, Fireman Forest McCahon, Conductor Harry Ross and Brakeman Duane Frawk for this great trip aboard their train. A special thanks to the dining car staff of Server Rachel Musgrove, Server Joanna Littau, Head Cook Steve Mullikin and Cook Mike Teveira for those two great meals I enjoyed on the train. Thank you to Debbie Lenor of the Onboard Gift Shop who sold me the last Alaska Railroad Route Guide for the 2004 Season. I would also like to thank Onboard Supervisor Karen Smith*, Tour Guide Samantha Strunk* and Tour Guide JR Johnstone for pointing out all the points of interests for me.{* means they were also on the Cruise Train with me.} We arrived into Anchorage at 10:14 PM and I walked back to the Captain Cook Hotel for the night.
On my way home! 9/01/2004Like I always say "all good things must come to an end" but in my heart I wished this trip did not have to. We got up early and walked across the street after tagging our bags to be picked up and enjoyed a French Toast breakfast at a reasonable price. I used the Captain Cook Business Center one last time. After checking the weather, we turned our keys in and walked out to a waiting van to the airport. The driver drove us by Earthquake Park then onto the airport and soon we were waiting for our flight.
Alaska Airline Flight 884 9/1/2004Our plane was a 737-700 and arrived from Fairbanks. We were seated by 9:37 AM. It waited to rain until after we got to the airport so it was great weather for the entire trip. At 10:06 AM we backed out of the gate and took off at 10:13 AM. It was a flight above the clouds with only a few breaks when you could see islands and a few mountain peaks sticking out above the clouds. We touched down at Seattle at 2:05 PM on the roughest landing of my life. We pulled into Gate D2 and all we had to do was to go to Gate 12 in an hour. I walked there in less than five minutes.
Alaska Airline Flight 564 9/1/2004We boarded the 737-400 at 3:00 PM for a scheduled 3:18 PM departure to Orange County. We backed out of Gate 12 at 3:19 PM and took off at 3:29 PM. Other than the Columbia River, it was more clouds all the way across Oregon into Nevada. As we crossed over the Sierra Nevada I could see all of the California Delta, San Pablo Bay, San Francisco Bay, one pillar of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Pacific Ocean. Talk about a once in a life time view. Everything had to be just right, the sun angle, weather conditions and visibility to produce such an excellent scene. It was the best clear day I had ever had on a plane looking to the west over California. The plane touched down at John Wayne Airport at 5:48 PM and arrived at Gate 13 at 5:56 PM. We collected our bags then waited for my wonderful and beautiful niece Danielle to arrive to take us home. That ended this fantastic adventure to Alaska and back.
