Valdez – Wandering Dawgs

Throwback Thursday – August 1, 2013

August 1, 2019September 15, 2019Posted in Alaska, Glaciers, RVing, TravelTagged Fifth Wheel, Memories, Throwback Thursday, Valdez14 Comments

I originally started the Wandering Dawgs blog as a way to keep friends and family updated as we traveled from Georgia to Alaska in 2013. Six years later, the blog is still going strong. We’re not traveling as much in our RV anymore so I thought it would be fun to relive some of our most memorable days from previous RV trips.

On this day six years ago, August 1, 2013, we were nearing the end of our stay in Alaska. That day, we drove from Glacier View, Alaska, to Valdez, our last major Alaska destination. I remember that drive was one of the most spectacular drives of our Alaska journey.

There were mountains and glaciers along the way.

20130801Day-78Glacier-View-to-Valdez-(4) — On to drive to Valdez

We could see Worthington Glacier from the highway about 30 miles from Valdez

We had lunch with a view.

We had lunch at Willow Lake with a view of Mount Wrangell

As we got close to Valdez we descended a long steep grade through Keystone Canyon and saw jaw dropping scenery as we drove by. We couldn’t stop while towing the fifth wheel so I took these waterfall phtotos the next day when we drove back up the highway for a closer look.

Horsetail Falls waterfall in Keystone Canyon

Our four days in Valdez were a great way to end our Alaska adventure before we began our return trip to Georgia.

To read more about that day, visit my original Wandering Dawgs post at Beautiful Drive to Valdez

Day 82: Bear Sighting on our last day in Valdez

August 6, 2013May 21, 2015Posted in Alaska, Birds, WildlifeTagged Bald Eagle, black bear, Nature, salmon, Valdez2 Comments

Day 82: Monday, August 5, 2013

Our original plan was to spend 3 nights in Valdez and then start heading back home. We liked it here so much we ended up spending 5 nights.

We couldn’t pass up our last chance for fish and chips so we had lunch at Old Town Burgers. My halibut and chips were delicious and Henry enjoyed his fish tacos.

We met a great group of folks on the boat yesterday who told us there was a mama bear with four cubs on the way to the fish hatchery. Of course we couldn’t pass up an opportunity to see a bear so we took a drive back to the hatchery. We took Blondie down to the water and she wasn’t sure what to make of the fish.

As we drove back from the hatchery Henry spotted a black bear on our side of the road. We pulled over to the side of the road and watched the cub follow his mama back into the woods. With her cub safe and sound mama made several trips to retrieve dead fish from the creek bank to take back to the cubs. While this was all going on a Bald Eagle was preening on the top of one of the trees. After watching the bears for a long time we got ready to leave and saw a golden eagle fly overhead.

The cub followed his mama back into the woods

Black Bear Cub

Mama bear eating a fish on the ground

Mama bear looking for more fish near Valdez

A Bald Eagle was pruning while we watched the mama bear

Mama bear carrying a fish back to her cubs

It was a great day to end our stay in Valdez. We will now begin our journey back home with one more night in Alaska before entering Canada to head south.

Day 78: Beautiful drive to Valdez

August 2, 2013February 10, 2016Posted in Alaska, GlaciersTagged Bayside RV Park, Glenn Highway, Matanuska Glacier, Mount Wrangall, Valdez, Willow Lake, Worthingtoon Glacier

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 Highway

Rock 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 Wrangell

We could see Worthington Glacier from the highway about 30 miles from Valdez

The views along the highway into Valdez are spectacular

Welcome to Valdez

Our 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.