It was rainy the morning I left Whittier. I queued up at the tunnel for the 10am opening.
Coming out of Whittier, I hooked up with the Seward Highway and headed up the road to Anchorage (again!). After the obligatory stop at Walmart, I head east on the Glenn highway. Lots of nice scenery along here.
Interesting local custom: Wherever there are dark colored banks along the road, folks collect white rocks and graffiti-ize. I’ve seen this in a number of places in Alaska. kind of neat, actually! Eco-friendly graffiti.
Isn’t this a pretty little lake? It’s just one of the many free spots along the Glenn where you can boondock.
The next morning, I continue on the Glenn, heading for Glenallen, where the junction with the Richardson highway is. That’s the road I‘ll take down to Valdez. Here’s a map…
http://alaskatrekker.com/images/valdez.gif
The drive down to Valdez is one of the prettiest drives I’ve had in Alaska. Everything is green and lush, and there are glaciers and waterfalls everywhere. It’s a little rainy, but still very nice eye-candy out the windshield.
I arrive in Valdez in time to catch up with the remnants of the Loosey-Goosey group out by the airport in the Valdez Glacier campground. This is probably the last time we’ll gather, as some have already headed out to Tok to begin the trip back, and others are back in the states already.
We get together for one last fish fry (BYOF), Dennis doing the cooking.
I want to take a moment to thank Dennis and Carol for all they have done for us. I believe that many of our group might not have come if not for the hard work and extensive planning they did, and all the encouraging letters and emails over the 2 years prior to our departure. You made it easy for us to share in the adventure you love, and while I can’t speak for anyone else, my experience here has truly been the adventure of a lifetime! Kudos and thanks to our Loosey-Goosey group leaders!!
I head over to Allison Point, across the bay from Valdez and score a great parking spot. Check out those views.
I am concerned by the fireweed, however.. it has bloomed to the top. That means summer is over. Dang! Looks like I need to get busy enjoying the last of the short Alaskan summer!
It is such a beautiful day (in Valdez, that translates as a day it isn’t actually raining) that I hop on the bike and ride to town. Outside of a marina and the usual eateries, fish charter places and processors, there isn’t a lot to the town.
They do have a nice museum, though, with some neat artifacts and info about the two things Valdez is famous for: the 1964 earthquake and the Exxon Valdez oil spill.
No, wait… 3 things! Valdez is also the terminus of the Alaskan Oil Pipeline! You can see the huge tank farm across the bay.
A bit of history: After the ‘64 quake, the original town site was deemed unstable, so the entire town was moved several miles to it’s current location. The old town site is still there, and you can drive down to it. Street signs are still there, and a few foundations.
That’s the new town across the water…
Back at the RV, I sit and enjoy the view….
A group of otters shows up and plays in the water in front of me. They are catching fish, maybe I should go down and fish too! Nah, tomorrow is soon enough for that.
I’m treated to an amazing sunset! The best part about sunsets in Alaska is that they last for hours! I’m not going to subject you to the huge number of pictures I took, but here are some of my favorites in a gallery for you. There were these amazing clouds on the mountain peaks that were backlighted by the sun, it almost looks like the ridges were on fire! Enjoy…
The next morning, I set out to go fishing. Just a short walk across the parking area and down to the shore….
Now, I’d like to tell you a story about how, with my extreme fishing skills, I was able, after much hardship, to catch some fish. LOL Hardly! My first cast produced a fish, as did my second and third cast! I caught my limit of 6 pink salmon in less than an hour! When the pinks are in, you almost can’t not catch some!
Pink salmon are almost considered non-keepers by many Alaskans. The are not as tasty as the reds and silvers, but still quite good, especially in the smoker. Their meat is light pink, and to me, tastes more like trout than salmon. This catch is going into the smoker, and I’ll come back tomorrow and pick up a few more. As the weekend gets here, more folks show up to camp and fish, but most are looking for the silvers (Coho) which are due here any minute now (sound familiar?). I too, hope to be here for the silver run, but so far, all anyone is getting are pinks.
The weather continues wet and cool, and foggy in the evenings. Jim and Kim are due in tomorrow, maybe they will bring some sunny weather with them. For now, I’m just hanging out, doing a little fishing and watching folks catch pinks. It’s great fun, especially for the youngsters!
More from Valdez next installment!
May I use your photo on a business plan? The one of your camper and view at Allison point. Magpiesbakery@gmail.com
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