Worthington Glacier, Thompson Pass & Valdez, AK
We left Billy Mitchell Rest area only to be greeted once again with some magnificent scenery. The mountains are incredible and the snow fall still on the mountain tops magnify their beauty. We didn't expect to see snow this time of year - thank goodness it is up high and not on the low ground where we are traveling.
We stopp
ed along the way to see the Worthington Glacier. This is the most visited
site in the Copper River Basin and it is a site to behold. The glacier starts or "heads" on Girls Mountain at an elevation of 6,134 feet. There are walking trails - guided and unguided - to the glaciers edge but we chose only to go to the viewing area where there are great viewpoints and interpretive signs. Besides, we weren't prepared for climbing on crevasses - with or without our ice shoes!
ed along the way to see the Worthington Glacier. This is the most visited
site in the Copper River Basin and it is a site to behold. The glacier starts or "heads" on Girls Mountain at an elevation of 6,134 feet. There are walking trails - guided and unguided - to the glaciers edge but we chose only to go to the viewing area where there are great viewpoints and interpretive signs. Besides, we weren't prepared for climbing on crevasses - with or without our ice shoes! Th
e woman that runs the information center was very talkative and gave us some good information about where to go in Valdez. She showed us a sign she made for winter use and said this sign was because of the snowfall the glacier area got last year - 40 feet. She was just a small thing and in her 60's and said she couldn't shovel all of that snow herself, so she enlisted help. The best part she said, was she got all the help she needed!
e woman that runs the information center was very talkative and gave us some good information about where to go in Valdez. She showed us a sign she made for winter use and said this sign was because of the snowfall the glacier area got last year - 40 feet. She was just a small thing and in her 60's and said she couldn't shovel all of that snow herself, so she enlisted help. The best part she said, was she got all the help she needed!
Leaving the glacier area we traveled through Thompson's Pass which is one big gorge along the Copper River. Becaus
e of the amount of snowfall, the walls of the canyon were plentiful with waterfalls. One in particular was Horsetail Falls, and we also stopped to look at Bridal Veil Falls, both beautiful.
e of the amount of snowfall, the walls of the canyon were plentiful with waterfalls. One in particular was Horsetail Falls, and we also stopped to look at Bridal Veil Falls, both beautiful.
Val
dez - pronounced Val-DEEZ - was established in 1897-98 as a port of entry for gold seekers bound for the Klondike goldfields. They followed the Valdez trail which was an especially dangerous route, the first part of it leading over Valdez Glacier, where the early stampeders faced dangerous crevasses, snow blindness and exhaustion. Seems everywhere in Alaska where there is a port of entry, it was used by stampeders. They got where they wanted to go, however they could get there.
dez - pronounced Val-DEEZ - was established in 1897-98 as a port of entry for gold seekers bound for the Klondike goldfields. They followed the Valdez trail which was an especially dangerous route, the first part of it leading over Valdez Glacier, where the early stampeders faced dangerous crevasses, snow blindness and exhaustion. Seems everywhere in Alaska where there is a port of entry, it was used by stampeders. They got where they wanted to go, however they could get there.Until 1964 Valdez was located about 4 miles east of its present location, closer to Valdez Glacier. The 1964 Good Friday earthquake, the most destructive earthquake ever to hit southcentral Alaska, virtually destroyed Valdez. The quake measured 9.2 on the Richter scale and was did damage as far as Anchorage and the surrounding areas. After the quake, the Army Corps of Engineers determined the town should be relocated so if another quake of that magnitude hit, the town wouldn't be destroyed again. I fail to see what difference 4 miles would make but then I'm not an engineer either!
The
Alaska pipeline begins at Prudhoe Bay on the Artic Ocean and ends at the mar
ine terminal at Port Valdez where it is fed by gravity into tanks or directly into waiting oil tankers. National attention was focused on Valdez and the pipeline when the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef - some 30 miles from Valdez - in March 1989, causing an 11-million-gallon oil spill.
We opted to stay at Allison Point across the Port Valdez Bay from the town of Port Valdez. The campground is situated at the end of the road, just north of the marine terminal. The tanks sit up on the hill and it is a busy place, as is the bay. We sat in our RV at night watching the harbor seals dive and eat the mussels - or whatever they were catching. We explored the little harbor town which is situated next to the Small Boat Harbor. There is a paved bike/hike path from the outer limits of town to this point. It comes past the Crooked Creek Salmon Spawning Viewing area and bears are reported to be active here so bikers and hikers have to be very aware of their surroundings.
We vi
sited the Original Valdez Townsite, which is now just a series of plaques, grave
led non-maintained roads with lots of potholes and a nice view of the bay. We also took a ride a little bit out of town to view the Valdez Glacier. The glacier itself isn't visible but the ice flows that have broken off are visible.
The
Alaska pipeline begins at Prudhoe Bay on the Artic Ocean and ends at the mar
ine terminal at Port Valdez where it is fed by gravity into tanks or directly into waiting oil tankers. National attention was focused on Valdez and the pipeline when the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef - some 30 miles from Valdez - in March 1989, causing an 11-million-gallon oil spill.We opted to stay at Allison Point across the Port Valdez Bay from the town of Port Valdez. The campground is situated at the end of the road, just north of the marine terminal. The tanks sit up on the hill and it is a busy place, as is the bay. We sat in our RV at night watching the harbor seals dive and eat the mussels - or whatever they were catching. We explored the little harbor town which is situated next to the Small Boat Harbor. There is a paved bike/hike path from the outer limits of town to this point. It comes past the Crooked Creek Salmon Spawning Viewing area and bears are reported to be active here so bikers and hikers have to be very aware of their surroundings.
We vi
sited the Original Valdez Townsite, which is now just a series of plaques, grave
led non-maintained roads with lots of potholes and a nice view of the bay. We also took a ride a little bit out of town to view the Valdez Glacier. The glacier itself isn't visible but the ice flows that have broken off are visible. Some of you have already heard our bear encounter story but for tho
se of you that haven't I will retell it. On the second night in Valdez, we were as usual watching the harbor seals, when Ken said "look, there is a be
ar". I thought he was kidding until I saw this huge black bear walk in front of our big picture window that was facing the water. He stood up on the rock in front of us and looked around then ambled to the fire pit directly behind us and looked at that for a minute, then walked over to our spare tire on the back of the RV, put his front paws on it and raised himself up and looked in the window - at me! I was sitting in the chair facing out and was only about 12 in
ches from this huge bear. Needless to say I was startled but not that much I didn't get a couple of pictures. He then dropped down and I co
uld hear his paw start to hit the side of the RV where the door is located and said to Ken that he was looking for a way in. With that I noticed the door wasn't locked, so quick locked it. Ken jumped up and said this wasn't good and knocked on the window which startled the bear and he walked away. After this episode we asked about his behavior and we were told, the bears are hungry and looking for salmon which is over a week late coming in. I had fried up bacon that evening so guess that was the reason for the visit. Bears have an incredible sense of smell and can smell food from 2 miles away. I like to see the bears but that was just a little too close for comfort. It would have been nothing if he wanted to come in for his paw to break the window or for him to claw through the door. Scary!
se of you that haven't I will retell it. On the second night in Valdez, we were as usual watching the harbor seals, when Ken said "look, there is a be
ar". I thought he was kidding until I saw this huge black bear walk in front of our big picture window that was facing the water. He stood up on the rock in front of us and looked around then ambled to the fire pit directly behind us and looked at that for a minute, then walked over to our spare tire on the back of the RV, put his front paws on it and raised himself up and looked in the window - at me! I was sitting in the chair facing out and was only about 12 in
ches from this huge bear. Needless to say I was startled but not that much I didn't get a couple of pictures. He then dropped down and I co
uld hear his paw start to hit the side of the RV where the door is located and said to Ken that he was looking for a way in. With that I noticed the door wasn't locked, so quick locked it. Ken jumped up and said this wasn't good and knocked on the window which startled the bear and he walked away. After this episode we asked about his behavior and we were told, the bears are hungry and looking for salmon which is over a week late coming in. I had fried up bacon that evening so guess that was the reason for the visit. Bears have an incredible sense of smell and can smell food from 2 miles away. I like to see the bears but that was just a little too close for comfort. It would have been nothing if he wanted to come in for his paw to break the window or for him to claw through the door. Scary!One other fact about Valdez is the snow. The average snowfall annually is 329.7 inches which equates to 27.5 feet. All of the houses have a steep pitch on the roof so the snow slides off, but when it reaches the second story they just walk out the upstairs balconies or windows.
From here our destination will be Fairbanks for the Summer Solstice on June 21st. It will be interesting to experience 24 hours of daylight.
From here our destination will be Fairbanks for the Summer Solstice on June 21st. It will be interesting to experience 24 hours of daylight.
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