Valdez AK

On Wednesday July 5 we left our 5 star camp overlooking the Copper River at Gakona and headed to Glennallen, only about 20 miles south on the Glenn Highway.  Our reason for going to Glennallen was to pick up my prescription for amoxicillin at Cross Roads Medical Center.  Faithful readers will remember that I have been chasing this medication for over a week as I battled obstacles that included lack of pharmacies in remote Alaska communities, Canadian health care vs US insurance and the Canada Day holiday shutdown.  Mission accomplished: drugs on board.  (Spoiler alert: medication seemed to be effective, and I think all is well now.)

At this point we had a decision to make.  We were at a junction where we could go south down the Richardson Highway to Valdez or continue westward on the Glenn Highway towards Anchorage.  I had been leaning towards skipping Valdez, primarily because it was about 125 miles down there and 125 miles back to this point to continue on our trip.  At the last minute we did decide to veer off to Valdez.  In hindsight it was a great decision.

View on the Richardson Highway

Mt Wrangell from Richardson Highway

A construction zone on the Richardson Highway

The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) or simply the Pipeline, was constructed in the mid-70s to deliver crude oil from Prudhoe Bay Area on the north slope to Valdez, largely as a result of the 1973 oil crisis.

Flow volume peaked at about 2 million barrels per day in 1988, and has decreased steadily since then.  In 2016 the average flow was about 500,000 barrels per day.  At some point oil will cease to flow through the pipeline.  By law, Alaska is required to remove all traces of the pipeline after oil extraction is complete.

A view of the Alaska Pipeline

Worthington Glacier is one of the most accessible glaciers in Alaska.  Like most glaciers in Alaska Worthington is in rapid retreat.  I visited Worthington in 1993, 2011 and again this year.  Each time it was remarkably smaller.

Worthington Glacier

Worthington Glacier

The Richardson Highway crosses Thompson Pass, EL 2805', considered the snowiest place in Alaska, then drops significantly to sea level as the highway approaches Valdez.  On the way, the road passes through Keystone Canyon, a very steep gorge carved by the Lowe River.

Bridal View Falls at Keystone Canyon

Horsetail Falls in Keystone Canyon

Approaching Valdez we found a nice pull-off along the Lowe River at MP 4.  We made it our camp for the next two nights.

Our camp on the Lowe River

Lowe River camp: windshield view

Lowe River camp

Lowe River

Fish cleaning chute at Valdez harbor

The highlight of our visit in Valdez was a cruise into Prince William Sound with Stan Stephens Glacier and Wildlife Cruises.  Stan Stephens, the man, worked for conservation in Prince William Sound for many years, and earned the title of Keeper of Prince William Sound.  The plaza at the city harbor in Valdez is dedicated to Mr. Stephens.

We had a choice of two cruises: a 6-hour cruise to Columbia Glacier or a 8.5 hour cruise to Meares Glacier.  It was a hard decision.  Columbia Glacier is much bigger.  It is also in catastrophic retreat, meaning there is a lot of ice in the fiord, and the boat may not be able to get close to the face of the glacier, depending on the conditions on that day.  We would get a glimpse of Columbia on the Meares Glacier tour, and the Meares tour offered better wildlife viewing, so we went with the longer ride.

The Valdez Spirit

Aboard the Valdez Spirit.  There was plenty of elbow room on the boat

Note the Alyeska pipeline terminal with storage tanks in the background

Columbia Glacier

Columbia Glacier

We took lots of pictures

Our tour route took us to Bligh Reef, the site of the largest environmental disaster in US history at the time.  On March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef spilling 10.8 million gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound.  

Prince William Sound was also the site of another significant disaster.  It was the epicenter for the "Good Friday Earthquake" which occurred on March 27, 1964.  The earthquake lasted over 4 minutes and registered a magnitude of 9.2, making it the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in North America.  139 people were killed, including 30 people in Valdez.  Tsunamis overran a number of coastal communities in Alaska and caused damage as far away as Hawaii and Japan.

Icebergs from Meares Glacier

Panoramic photo of Meares Glacier

Dorcas at Meares Glacier

Mary Helen Stephens, Stan Stephens' widow, still rides on many of the cruises.  She works hard in the galley and greets and entertains guests.

Mrs. Stephens on left

We saw lots of sea otters.

We also saw puffins.

Puffins on the pond

We spent some time with a large pod of Dall's porpoises.  These guys move very quickly and are very difficult to photograph.  I gave up on still photos and decided to go with a video.  Click HERE to see the Dall's porpoises.

And we saw sea lions.

Harbor seal on the ice at Mears Glacier

Seine netting for salmon in Prince William Sound

Valdez Harbor

Harbor seal fishing at Solomon Gulch Creek

Valdez Glacier and lake

What's on this guy's mind?  He looks puzzled.

Coyote near Solomon Gulch. He watched us intently

This afternoon we depart Valdez and begin working our way towards Anchorage.