The day was overcast with a chance of rain but it was our last opportunity to take a cruise so off we went on the Glacier Spirit with Stan Stephens Cruises. The boat had a nice, warm comfortable cabin and plenty of viewing areas outside. We left the Valdez Harbor about noon for our 6 hour cruise.
We went out on the Glacier SpiritOne of the crab boats from “Deadliest Catch” tv showA boat heading out of the harborFoggy day for a boat ride
The scenery was breathtaking and there was plenty of wildlife. As we cruised close to shore we saw too many eagles to keep count. A pod of Dall Porpoise bow surfed for a while. They’re too fast to get a picture but beautiful to watch.
Sea Otters on Columbia Glacier tour from ValdezWe stopped to watch the sea otters on our way out into the bayWe spotted this pair of Bald Eagles as we cruised by on a wildlife and glacier cruise from ValdezHenry enjoying the view from the bow of the boatHundreds of juvenile Stellar Sea LionsPuffins on the Columbia Glacier Cruise from Valdez
The highlight of the day was seeing a pod of Orcas with a calf.
Pod of Orcas with calfWe finally saw Orcas!A pair of Orcas on Columbia Glacier tour from Valdez
The captain navigated through huge chunks of ice to get into Columbia Bay for a close up look at 10 mile wide Columbia Glacier.
Chunk of ice from the Columbia GlacierThe Columbia Bay was full of ice as we approached the Columbia GlacierWe were about two miles from the Columbia Glacier when I took this photoThis piece of ice from the glacier is big enough to be called an icebergA small sailboat sails around the iceA chunk of ice from the glacier
The ride back to Valdez was just as spectacular.
We saw waterfalls as we went byAn oil tanker leaving ValdezA couple of the small rocky islands we passedDo you see the profile of a face on the right side of the rock?This waterfall looks like it is coming out of the cloudsThe waterfall is actually below a glacier
I love Valdez. It is a quaint fishing village with about 4500 year round residents. It is not too commercial or touristy and everything here revolves around the water. The harbor is surrounded by mountains and is the northern most harbor in Alaska that doesn’t freeze in the winter. The Alaska pipeline ends in Valdez.
Valdez is all about the fishingView of the bay across from the campgroundThe sign says it allBoardwalk next to the harborReally nice fish cleaning tablesLooking into the bay from the small boat harborA barge going out into the bayLove the old wooden boatWooden boat at the Valdez MuseumValdez Small boat harbor
On our drive into Valdez we descended a long steep grade on the highway past several glaciers and waterfalls without stopping so we took a drive back up the highway to do a little exploring in Keystone Canyon and at Worthington Glacier.
Horsetail Falls waterfall in Keystone CanyonBridal Veil Falls in Keystone CanyonBridal Veil Falls is next to another smaller waterfallThis old railroad tunnel was never finished when a feud interrupted progress and a gun battle took placeNear Thompson Pass on the road to ValdezBeautiful green valley on the road to ValdezUp close at the Worthington Glacier. With a state recreation area parking area and paved trail to an overlook, this is Alaska’s most accessible glacier.The lake at Worthington GlacierHenry and Blondie at Worthington GlacierThis sign explains the Solomon Gulch Hatchery Fish Weir
On the way back into town we took a drive to the other side of the bay to stop by the fish weir next to the hatchery to see if the salmon were spawning. There were fisherman on the banks catching salmon. At the fish weir by the hatchery the water was filled with thousands of fish.
Fishing for salmon across the bay from ValdezKids trying to touch the salmon as they swim upstream to spawn. You can see fins sticking up in the water.Thousands of salmon in the waterThe Fish WeirFish Weir at the Solomon Gulch Fish Hatchery
We arrived in Valdez during their Gold Rush Days celebration. The Klondike Gold Rush is an important part of Valdez history and the residents celebrate for several days with events for adults and kids. Friday night was the Wine Walk and start of a street fair. The ladies were all decked out in the 1890’s outfits having way too much fun!
Valdez Gold Rush DaysGold Rush Days in Valdez during the Friday night Wine Walk around town.
Day 78: Thursday, August 1, 2013. Glacier View to Valdez, Alaska. Bayside RV Park Site 80. 196 miles driven.
Before hooking up the fifth wheel we took a short drive to view the Matanuska Glacier from an overlook on the Glenn Highway.
View of Mantanuska Glacier from overlook on Glenn HighwayRock messages on a hill beside the road.
Again we had no luck seeing wildlife but the beautiful mountains, lakes, and glaciers made up for the lack of wildlife.
We had lunch at Willow Lake with a view of Mount WrangellWe could see Worthington Glacier from the highway about 30 miles from ValdezThe views along the highway into Valdez are spectacularWelcome to ValdezOur campsite at Bayside RV Park in Valdez. The bay is behind the camper.
The last few miles into Valdez take you down a steep grade through a spectacular canyon with many waterfalls. We didn’t want to stop while pulling the RV so we will drive up there later to look around some more. Our RV park is right beside the small boat harbor and close to the bay.
Day 77: Wednesday, July 31, 2013. Williwaw Campground to Glacier View, Alaska. Grand View RV Park Site 1. About 150 miles traveled.
The drive to our RV park along the Glenn Highway was scenic with no wildlife sightings. I am still constantly on the lookout for moose and bears. We passed through areas where caribou are sometimes seen but there were none to be found today.
The Grand View RV Park advertises “Dall Sheep Viewing” so we stopped there hoping to see some Dall Sheep on the mountains across from the campground. While I did laundry all afternoon we got out the binoculars and spotting scope in hopes of seeing the sheep. We weren’t disappointed. Four of the Dall Sheep (big horn sheep) were grazing high up on the mountain late in the afternoon. They were too far away for photos but they were fun to watch.
View out the back window of Dall Sheep on the mountain at Grand View RV Parl AlaskaThis interesting mountain was behind our campgroundWe could see Dall Sheep on the mountain behind the RV
Day 75: Monday, July 29, 2013. Homer, Alaska to Williwaw Campground on Portage Glacier Road in the Chugach National Forest near Whittier, AK. About 180 miles traveled.
We enjoyed our time in the Kenai Peninsula but it was time to move on to our next Alaska Adventure. The sky was clear when we woke up and we watched the boats going out into the bay before we left. The drive north through the Kenai was beautiful and as always we kept an eye out for moose. Unfortunately, there were no moose to be seen! The only wildlife of the day was a family of ducks at a rest stop at Tern Lake
We enjoyed watching the boats going out in the bay our last morning in HomerMama and baby ducks at Tern LakeIt was peaceful at Tern Lake
After staying in private RV parks, city parks, national parks, state and provincial parks, we spent two nights in the first United States Forest Service park of the trip. The road through the campground is paved and each site has a paved pad. When the last few weeks have almost all been in gravel, parking lot type campgrounds it was such a treat to have no dust! Our site was surrounded by trees and wildflowers and we had a large picnic table and fire ring. A perfect place to relax.
The campground is located on Portage Glacier Road which leads to Portage Lake and then the town of Whittier. There are several glaciers in the area which can be seen from the visitor’s center at Portage Lake and from the campground. The only way to see the Portage Glacier is to take a cruise on the lake. We decided to pass on the cruise and enjoy the ones we could see from land.
Glacier view from the visitor’s center at Portage LakePortage LakePortage Lake just a couple of miles from our campgroundAnother glacier at Portage LakePortage LakeView out our back window at WilliwawBeautiful campsite at Williwaw Campground in Chugach National ForestView from the campground
Day 76: Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Our campground was so beautiful the truck didn’t move all day. We started the day by going to a salmon viewing platform where salmon can be seen in the creek when they are spawning in August. We were just a few days too early and never saw any. After seeing no fish we went for a hike along the Williwaw Nature Trail.
Fog over the glacier early in the morningThere’s a waterfall in the middle of the pictureGlacier and waterfallNo salmon in the creek yetWhat a view from the nature trailWe walked through really tall fireweedThe only wildlife we saw on our hike
The wildflowers were beautiful in the campground
Bluebells of ScotlandNorthern Yarrow and Wild GeraniumI think this is a high bush cranberryFerns covered the ground beneath the treesCow Parsnip
Our journey through Alaska is nearing the end. Soon we will have to leave this beautiful state and start heading home.
Wandering Dawgs 