Valdez

July 24, 2012  Valdez

Nancy and me.

I started the day by having coffee with the mother of one of one of my on line friends.  Lee and I discovered while playing a game that I happen to be staying in the campground that his mom manages here in Valdez!  Talk about coincidence!  Nancy and I had a lovely talk and she gave me lots of interesting info about Valdez.  She lived here for many years and raised her family here;  she even served on the city council for a time.  Now she spends the winters in Yuma, AZ and the summers here at the campground.

The tide is out-sea lions were here last night!

While Nancy and I were visiting, Steve, Barb, and Gary went to the earthquake museum in town which they said was very interesting and informative. When they got back, we headed back out to Dayville Road to see what was going on.   The tide was out, and I mean WAY out!  In fact I was able to walk out past where the sea lions were last night!









Even though the tide was so far out, there was a channel close to the rocks (where the bears were last night) that was teeming with salmon.  There were lots of people fishing there and catching lots of big salmon by snagging them.  There were hundreds of seagulls and a lot of eagles hanging around and waiting for leftovers again.

He caught 36 salmon!

After leaving the hatchery area, we drove back up into Keystone Canyon to look at the waterfalls again.  I had fun climbing a little way up beside Horse Tail Falls.

Sarah loves to climb rocks!

Horse Tail Falls


We also stopped to investigate a hand-carved tunnel in the side of the mountain.  It was supposed to be a railroad tunnel, but  the builders got into a fight and one was shot and the tunnel never got finished.  We were amused to discover that someone has painted one of the big rocks inside the tunnel gold!

At the hand-cut tunnel entrance. 

 On the way back to the campground we drove through Old Town Valdez which was destroyed in the earthquake of 1964.  What was left of the town was moved, board by board, 4 miles further south to its present location.  It is strange to see  that where the post office, homes, stores, and harbor used to be has almost completely returned to nature.

After lunch we went to the Crooked Creek Salmon Viewpoint which is run by the US Forestry Service.  There is a great spawning area there, but unfortunately the salmon have not arrived yet.  It was an interesting and informative visit anyway, and I enjoyed another little climb by their waterfall.

Pretty Valdez Harbor

Sea otter in the harbor.  

This evening Steve and I took a long walk around the harbor with the dogs.   We saw several charter boats come in and watched as the catches were displayed and cleaned.  We also looked for a childhood friend of Steve's whom we heard lives aboard a sailboat here.  The harbor master directed us to the boat he thinks belongs to her, but no one was home but the cat.  We left a card with our numbers, but won't be surprised if we don't hear from her as it may not even be the right person.  We saw a sea otter floating around among the boat in the harbor, and several rabbits right in town.

More Valdez wildlife.

Jim and Lana stopped by after their boat trip out in Prince William Sound.   They had a great time and saw lots of wild life as well as a calving glacier.  They are headed to Wrangell - St. Elias tomorrow too, and we hope to see them again.

New friends, Jim and Lana

Steve and Corky near the campground.  Not a  bad view, huh.  

Seen outside a liquor store in Valdez.