July Travel - Part One
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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