Living in Alaska - Life in the Last Frontier

Part One: Valdez and Cordova Day One

Part Two: Exploring Cordova

VALDEZ TO COOPER LANDING

We left Cordova under chilly, rainy skies and as we neared Valdez, heavy fog drifted thickly over the water. The mountains around us looked as if they were cloaked in thick, white cotton batting.  It was stunning!  Seeing the many commercial fishing boats dotting the water added even more beauty to the scene.

As we neared the Valdez harbor, the deck hands prepared to toss the ropes to the hands on shore, so the ferry could be moored.

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Part One: Valdez and Cordova Day One)

CORDOVA (Day 2-Sunday)

Unfortunately, we didn’t sleep very well our first night in Cordova. The room was quite warm, despite turning the thermostat all the way down. When we opened the window to get some fresh air, the noises of the night (people walking by, fisherman heading to work early), woke Steve and he had to close the window - which made the room hot again. He also missed sleeping with a fan for “white noise”.  I, on the other hand, can sleep through just about anything, to include noise. But I can’t sleep if I’m too warm. Once Steve closed the window, I became uncomfortable and slept fitfully.  It was not a good night for either of us.

Because it was Sunday, there weren’t any restaurants open in town. We had a microwave in our room, and the hotel manager suggested that Steve run to the local grocery store and pick up a few microwaveable breakfast bowls.  When he came back to the room, he had a box of Jimmy Dean sausage and egg sandwiches (frozen), and two boxed breakfast skillets.  It wasn’t exactly fine dining, but it calmed our growling stomachs.

Steve also came back to the room carrying a fan. It seems our room was supposed to have a fan in it, and for some reason did not. I was thankful that it would be cooler for sleeping the rest of our stay.

The weather was damp, but it wasn’t pouring. Rain fell intermittently, but when it wasn’t actually falling from the sky, it seemed to hang in the air around us. We decided to go exploring, and planned to check out just about every road in town. There aren’t that many.

First we drove out to the Orca Adventure Lodge. The lodge is a converted cannery on the Cordova waterfront, about 2 miles from town and the ferry.  We discovered that they did serve meals there on Sunday, but the meals were scheduled for narrow windows of time, which wouldn’t have worked for us anyway.

On the way to the lodge, we passed by several canneries. Workers were hard at work; the fishing industry never rests, it seems.  I loved the way the buildings were constructed high on stilts, or wooden pilings, perched over the water.  The textures and colors of the wood, metal roofs, brightly colored paint, and kayaks - in contrast to the deep forest green of the tall spruce trees - were breathtaking. The misty morning added to the mood and the intensity of the colors.

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As usual, I’ve snapped so many photos, that I have to break my blogging into several entries. We’re still on the road, and I doubt I’ll have the opportunity to update until I get home, so this entry will only be about our time in Valdez and our first night in Cordova.

VALDEZ

We made pretty good time getting to Valdez, with only a stop for gas in Glennallen. Steve always tops off the gas tank in Fairbanks, and also fills up five 5-gallon gas cans for use along the way. Towing the camper puts a real strain on the truck, especially up and down the steep hills between Glennallen and Valdez. I think we average 9mpg when towing. Needless to say, a tank of gas doesn’t go very far. It was overcast when we arrived in Valdez, but at least it wasn’t raining.

After setting up, we drove over to Allison Point so that Steve could toss a line in. We heard from fellow campers that a sow and two cubs (black bears) had been seen every day fishing at the weir. I was really hoping to see them, but no such luck. Steve didn’t have any luck fishing either, which didn’t get the vacation off to a good start. We had a late dinner, and went to bed early. The long drive wore us both out.

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The next day, we met our ‘neighbors’, Sandy and Cole from NM. They traveled up the Alcan towing their fifth-wheel in May, and plan to stay in AK until mid September.  We talked about all the places they’ve been, and all the places they hope to go while exploring this huge state. By the time the conversation was over, Steve had convinced them to make the drive up the Dalton (the Haul Rd) to Prudhoe Bay. They’ll be towing their rig to Coldfoot, and then taking only their truck up to the oil fields for a tour and an overnight stay. I hope they don’t have any problems!

While they’re in Alaska, and if time permits, they’re hoping to take a tour of Fort Knox Gold Mine with Steve after he goes back to work.  I love meeting new people when we travel. Especially folks who haven’t been to AK before. I could talk about the wonderful places to visit all day long!

Steve and I decided to drive the Mineral Creek Trail to see the waterfalls. Last year, a portion of the road had gone out several miles into the drive. I was hoping that it was repaired and we could continue to the end, but was disappointed to see that another landslide had taken out the road only a short distance past the first big waterfall, stopping us in our tracks much earlier than anticipated.

We were driving back to town, when a ball of black fur came barreling out of the bushes right next to the truck. It scared the heck out of us, and happened so quickly. Luckily I had my camera in my hands and was able to fire off a couple of shots before he disappeared into the bushes on the other side of the road. I’m so glad we were in the truck, and not on foot.

More photos from our drive on the Mineral Creek Trail:

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