World Beard & Moustache Championships

The championships were in Anchorage, with winners presented at the Farmer's Market on Saturday. A few of our favorites:

Goodbye Whittier

Buckner Building

The Great Alaska Earthquake of 1964, also known as the Good Friday Earthquake, significantly affected the town of Whittier. The quake itself lasted 5 minutes and remains the most powerful recorded earthquake in North American history, registering 8.4 on the Richter scale (by the way, Alaska has twice as many earthquakes per year as all the other U.S. states combined). An ensuing 43 ft. tidal wave devastated Whittier, and 14 of the town's 30 permanent residents lost their lives. 

Construction of the Buckner Building (the only other large structure in Whittier besides Begich Tower, where we stayed) was completed in 1953. Meant to house thousands of troops and their families after the post-WWII discovery that Whittier was strategically located to be a deep ice-free port and railyard for Alaska during the Cold War, the building was abandoned after suffering Good Friday's damage. This left empty, at the time, the largest structure in Alaska, inside: a movie theatre, bowling alley, school, pool, gym, jail, and housing.

It has since been colossally looted and vandalized, a canvas on which delinquents tattoo very poor poetry (incredibly, they find the post-huffing self-restraint to reserve some paint for obscenities). Grizzlies find it an accommodating location for hibernation, and there have been several alleged sightings of "Bloody Bob" (we didn't have the pleasure).

We headed in with a (weak dental) headlamp, a non-video camera which only allows 2 minute clips of action, and 2/3 of our party unsure of their commitment to exploring the most interesting forgotten edifice we've encountered. Apologies and enjoy.

Won't You Guide My Sleigh Tonight

A Whittierite takes an evening stroll around the block with a pet reindeer on leash.

Tunnel Town

Nicknamed "Tunnel Town," Whittier has a complex system of underground tunnels leading from building to building throughout town.

A Richard Scarry Scene

The view from our window has us looking for Lowly Worm sweeping the streets and Huckle Cat flying a plane wearing a scarf and goggles.

Dental Denomination

With the dental clinic set up in the church because of lack of space in the clinic, Jim and Mami cared for patients beneath a wreath-encircled photograph of Jesus in the late 60s (we know that's when it was because that's when he started to get a receding hairline and that distant look in his eyes). On that note, and in the name of truth--before leaving, Jim stole a copy of Our Daily Bread from the brochure table and replaced it with a children's dental coloring book called, "My Teeth Like It When I Drink Milk" (but really one daily piece of bread, especially if it's whole wheat, won't hurt your teeth, either).

Begich Tower

Bizarrely, 90% of Whittier's 100 residents live in this building, Begich Tower. It also houses the post office, grocery store, clinic, city offices, and other businesses. Maybe they got the idea from an older structure in town, Buckner Building, which was once considered "the city under one roof" (see upcoming post regarding). We got to stay on the 14th floor in the Honeymoon Suite, with a great view of town. Never saw another person on our floor. We won't mince words--it was creepy.

Welcome To Whittier

The Tunnel

The first of many eerie things about Whittier--a one lane shared railroad/road tunnel, the only road in to Whittier, and the second longest highway tunnel in North America at 2.5 miles long. One may drive one way for 15 minutes an hour, the other way for 15 minutes an hour, and not at all the other 30 minutes of that hour (reserved for railroad traffic). It closes altogether at night. 

Driving South from Anchorage

A Prized Encounter

Stephen

Dave

Frannie

Clyde

Sandra Dee