Williwaw, Wa, Wa, Wa...

We leave the Kenai Peninsula behind and head toward the largest city in Alaska, Anchorage. On the way, we stopped in the Portage Valley and stayed a few nights at the Williwaw Campground in the Chugach National Forest near Girdwood, Alaska. Williwaw is a beautiful campground beneath the glaciers and surrounded by waterfalls. We were lulled to sleep by the sound of running water. 

We camped just below the glacier and to the left. All paved roads and paved camping spots. One of the nicest parks we've seen.








I wanted to see the Portage Glacier so we took a Portage Glacier Cruise. This glacier calves into a lake and the icebergs float up to the Begich, Boggs Visitor Center. We watched kayakers taking off to tour the lake with their companions. Even the dog looked like he was having fun. 








The next morning we headed to the Alyeska Resort to ride the tram up to the ski area. They have amazing views of Turnagain Arm. What kind of arm?




Turnagain Arm is an area that extends from the Kenai Peninsula to Portage Bay. The area experiences some of the largest tides in the United States, up to 40 feet. In certain conditions, a  Bore Tide  will enter the bay, reaching 10 feet tall and traveling at 10-15 miles per hour. Watch the video at the link to see the tide. There are warnings posted everywhere about the tide and the mud flats. We weren't there at the right time, but we did see some kite surfers using the waves to their advantage. Some people will do anything.



We had a great ride on the tram up to the Alyeska Ski Area and a nice lunch at The Bore Tide Deli. The use of the Bore has a double meaning. First referring to the Bore Tide on the Turnagain Arm and second because it serves, you guessed it, Boars Head Meats. We thought of Tom and Paula as we enjoyed our Pastrami Sandwich. Yummy.

We rounded out the day with a visit to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. The Center provides care for orphaned, displaced or injured animals. Along with education and conservation activities. 

We saw some amazing examples of success like these fellows:

One of two calves.

Just chillin.

And this bad boy. Craig had a tear in his eye. 

Is it wrong to stand in an animal sanctuary and imagine what the mount would look like? It feels a little wrong, I won't lie.









The most interesting things we learned was about the Reintroduction of the Wood Bison into Alaska. The Wood Bison was declared extinct in 1941. The largest mammal in North America, it suffered some of the same fate as the Plains Bison, overhunting.

Amazingly, a small herd was found in Canada in 1957. After many years, the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center acquired some of the animals and started a small herd. With a goal of restoring the Wood Bison to the wild, the Center grew a larger herd and last year released 130 Wood Bison into a area north of Anchorage. They have already seen calves born this year. 

The video they show at the Center is amazing. At the end, the herd is moved from a holding area and released into the forest. To facilitate the transfer, orange fencing is used to direct their movement and a single man leads the herd on a snowmobile. Can you imagine what it felt like to ride in front of a thundering herd of bison? Wow!



We rounded out the day with a leisurely walk around the campground. And as luck would have it, the raspberries are coming in. We've noticed berry pickers along the road in several places so we tried our luck. We found dwarf raspberries along both sides of the road. It took several handfuls to satisfy our hunger. It's times like these I need bigger hands.