Living in Alaska - Life in the Last Frontier

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:

When we got back into town, we drove past Ruth Pond Park, and saw a man setting up on the grass. He had a Great Horned Owl and a Red Tailed Hawk on display, with a sign that asked for contributions toward their food and rehabilitation.  Both were amazing raptors, and I was thrilled for the opportunity to be so close to them and able to photograph them.

After dinner, we drove back over to Allison Point. I dropped Steve off further down the point so he could try again for pink salmon, and then drove back to the weir with hopes of seeing the bears. While the bears were a no-show, there was quite a bit of excitement going on there. A group of sea lions were fishing, and there was more than enough fish to go around.

The sea lions would dive under the water and then come up with a salmon in their mouth. They’d shake their head violently, while swallowing the fish nearly whole. It was quite an experience to witness! The gulls stayed close, waiting for pieces of fish carcass to float to the top of the water, where they’d take care of the clean up. Nature sure has a great system in place!

Above, in the spruce trees, eagles sat watching. This juvenile screeched constantly:

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On Saturday morning, we moved the camper to a parking area in the campground as we were scheduled to take the ferry to Cordova. We originally were going to park the camper at the ferry dock, but the parking lot was very small and we weren’t sure if we’d be able to find enough room there. Fortunately, the folks at Bayside RV Park had a storage area, and only charged $5/day to use it.

We had several hours to kill before we had to be at the ferry, so we decided to take a drive out to Valdez Glacier. You can’t see Valdez Glacier from the little park. It’s around the bend to the left. In order to get to it, you will have to hike or paddle a kayak or raft. However, Corbin Glacier is visible from the parking area, and looks beautiful when the lake is ripple-free and reflective.

Valdez Glacier is best known as a historical site on the Gold Rush trail in 1898 during the great Klondike Gold Rush. Streaming in on steamships from Seattle and San Francisco prospectors came to seek their fortune. Their two-week voyage brought them to the port town of Valdez. Here they stocked up on supplies and began their travel which took them over the Valdez Glacier to Klutina Lake on the way to reach their ultimate destination. Valdez Glacier became known as the all-American route to the gold fields which were not in the Klondike, but in the Copper River Valley.

We made it back to the ferry terminal area, just in time to see The Chenega arriving.

CORDOVA

The ferry ride from Valdez to Cordova is about 2.5 hours. Before they started the ‘fast ferry’, the trip used to take 6 hours.  This is the route the ferry takes:

The Alaska Marine Highway (ferry system) is an amazing and fun way to travel coastal Alaska. Many of us refer to it as the ‘poor man’s cruise’. Roundtrip ferry fare for the two of us and our 21′ truck was $376.  We never could have flown to Cordova, and rented a vehicle for that, so we consider it a bargain.

While visiting Cordova, we stayed at the Prince William Motel. The hotel isn’t anything fancy, but then again Cordova isn’t usually thought of as a vacation destination. Well, except to folks like us, who enjoy exploring Alaska’s smaller, off the beaten path towns.  (For being a non-fancy hotel, the bed sure was comfortable!)  Best of all, the staff was friendly and accommodating - but we wouldn’t expect anything less, as we Alaskan folks are a friendly bunch. *grin*

Skies were overcast, but at least it wasn’t raining when we pulled up to the ferry dock. I stood outside on deck, watching as the crew got the ferry tethered, and talking to a really nice young gal who was wearing a beautiful fleece vest with gorgeous Native-patterned trim.  When I complimented her on it, she insisted that Steve and I visit Copper River Fleece to get our own vests or jackets. (And we did!)

After checking in, and before we unloaded the truck, Steve and I went driving to check out the town.  Our first stop was the marina, where the water was almost ripple-free and mirrored the colorful buildings and boats nearby. We then drove out Whitshed Road to Hartney Bay, where we stopped to take Sedona for a walk and get eaten alive by mosquitoes.

Steve suggested we drive out to Childs Glacier, even though it was after 7pm and starting to rain. Childs Glacier is about 50 miles outside of Cordova on the Copper River Highway.

From Wikipedia:

The Copper River Highway extends 49.5 miles (79.7 km) from Cordova along the old railbed of the Copper River and Northwestern Railway. Construction began in 1945, and was originally intended to link Cordova with the state highway system at Chitina. The Million Dollar Bridge, which had carried trains until the CR&NW shut down, was converted for highway use. It is one of two discontinuous segments of Alaska Route 10.

The road extended only slightly beyond the bridge when the Good Friday Earthquake of 1964 halted construction and severely damaged the Million Dollar Bridge, collapsing the north span. Temporary repairs were made, and the bridge continued to be used, despite being unsafe. Permanent repairs were not completed until 2005.

The first 12 miles (19 km) of the highway is paved; the rest is gravel. A primitive four-wheel-drive road continues for 10 miles (16 km) beyond the end of the highway to the Allen River.

Because the road is gravel, it can take several hours to reach the glacier - even when you’re not stopping to check out the many waysides, scenery, hiking trails, and fishing opportunities. And we stopped frequently.  Thank goodness for the longer days of summer, as we didn’t return to our room until nearly midnight.

Child’s Glacier creates numerous spectacular ice calving events, and we were witness to many! They were so awesome to see and hear! When large areas of ice break off and fall, they trigger sudden massive waves that come crashing onto the rocky beach. I took several quick photos of a calving event and animated them. Steve also took video footage of the calvings, and as soon as I get the video downloaded off his camera, I’ll try to share the better ones here. It was amazing!

The next blog entry will include more commentary and photographs from our time in Cordova, as well as photos from our stay here in Cooper Landing.

Tomorrow, we leave Cooper Landing for Palmer. We’ll be attending a wedding reception for a friend tomorrow afternoon/evening, and on Sunday we will drive Hatcher Pass Rd from Palmer all the way to Willow.

Go to PART TWO