Valdez

Upon leaving Soldotna and the Kenai peninsula, our next destination will be Valdez.  We had planned on visiting Valdez earlier in the trip, but due to some mechanical difficulties (flat tire), we postponed this extension until the homeward portion.

We made a quick stop at Portage via the Whittier/Portage Glacier Access road, mainly to see the Begich, Boggs Visiter Center at Portage Lake.  It was foggy on the drive up the valley but we had a feeling the fog would burn off.  While in the visiter center, we noticed the fog had indeed lifted and we went outside and took these pictures of the views across Portage Lake.

Continuing on the Glenn from Palmer to Glennallen, the sun was breaking through and the fall colors were spectacular.  The mountains were clearly visible and were freshly dusted with new snow at the higher elevations.

Another view of the Matanuska Glacier…

We stopped to take some pictures of the volcanic formations and noticed this granite formation looking back up the road.  It is referred to as “Lions Head”.  We never noticed it while driving.

This is the colorful volcanic area we stopped at, near Sheeps Mountain. Dall sheep habitate this area using licks in the spring to replenish their calcium and magnesium by eating the gypsum (calcium sulfide).  In this large hydrothermal system, the rocks are stained by iron, hot water and sulfuric acid. Amazing mix of colors, but did not see any sheep, alas, it was fall, not spring!

While at Valdez, we had the opportunity to take a 7 hour glacier cruise to the Columbia Glacier. This glacier is about two miles wide when it enters Prince William Sound. The pilot (captian) of the boat was very knowledgable about the history of the area, having lived there all his life and kept us updated as to what (and when) to look for . . .

This glacier is about 600 foot above the waterline and extends about 1500 feet below the water  line.  We had to stay back about 600 yards as it was actively calving.  It is flowing at about 50 feet per day.

Some of the wildlife we spotted from the boat:  (these were taken from a 80 foot boat rolling in 8 foot seas, in wind and rain, so pardon the focus)

An adult bald eagle, a juvenile bald eagle and mountain goats…

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Some of the views from the boat…

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We passed the reef where the Exxon Valdez struck ground in 1989.  I have to read more of the history on this accident as some of that reported during the time is/was false.  The captian was not drinking, the coast guard station that was directing traffic in this area was not adequately funded or maintained, its equipment was antiquated, etc. After the accident, the lighthouse was updated and automated to prevent future collisions. There is a lone gray post, sticking up out of the water, marking the end of the reef.

It was interesting the reef is named “Bligh Reef”, named after William Bligh, of future Bounty fame, who served as Master aboard ship during Captain Cook’s third world voyage.

This is the harbor at Valdez.  Typically, it was foggy in the mornings, clear midday and began raining in the evenings.  We saw this pattern in all of the coastal areas we visited in Alaska.

Back on land, we went to the popular fishing areas to check out the fishing,  We saw these buggers in the middle of the stream, gorging themselves on the salmon.  The fish were trapped as they had this waterfall ahead of them so were easy prey

To drive to Valdez, you go through a very scenic area, Keystone Canyon, which is a deep gorge, about 2.5 miles in length, with tons of waterfalls.  There was no place to park the rig so we decided to spend time walking this canyon with photography equipment on the next trip.  It alone will be worth adding Valdez to our itinerary.

We left Valdez heading for Skagway early in the morning to avoid the sun from blinding us as we ascended the 2600 foot grade leading out of town.