Valdez, Alaska - July 20th to 25th, 2022
Valdez was a pleasant surprise for us. Since we knew it was the southern terminus of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, Keith was expecting the town to be rather industrial. The industrial areas are nicely tucked away, so as not to impact the cute little fishing village and the surrounding mountain views.
Wednesday we took an Alaska Marine Highway ferry from Whittier to Valdez. It was 8:30 pm by the time we docked at Valdez. Luckily, our campground, Bear Paw RV Park, was less than a mile from the ferry terminal.
Thursday was a day of relaxing and getting errands done. It was raining the whole day anyway, just like most days. A great day to do laundry, take showers, fill up our gas tank, and shop for groceries. While we were out, we treated ourselves by stopping at one of those drive up coffee shacks and got ourselves some chai. A hot drink on a cold and rainy day seemed to lift our spirits.
Friday was our glacier and wildlife cruise on the Lu-Lu Belle out of Valdez. It was still cold and rainy, but that has become the norm. We bundled up in layers, with our rain coats and rain pants on top and headed over to the office to check in. The instructions were to check in as soon as we arrived, but it didn’t say when we arrived where. Was it when we first arrived to Valdez? When we arrived for the cruise that day? We thought about walking over to the office the day before, but we weren’t sure what the office hours were, so we didn’t go. Instead, we got up early and walked over to the office at 9 am. Boarding time was not until 10:30 am.
The office was near the other end of the small boat harbor from the RV park we were staying in, a block back from the docks. It was a short quarter mile walk from our camp site. The office hours were posted on the door as 9 am to 9 pm. We walked in at 9:01 am. Thank goodness we didn’t go sooner than that. The person in the office handed us our tickets and told us where to find the boat. It was docked back at the other end, right across the street from the campground. We now had an hour and a half to kill.
We walked up and down the waterfront along the small boat harbor a couple of times. At the far end was a fish cleaning station. There were a few people cleaning their catch, so we watched for a little while. The sea gulls and crows swarmed the chute where the fish carcasses were washed out into the harbor. For a moment, all the birds were all excited and started to fly away. Then we realized what all the fuss was about. A bald eagle swooped in and grabbed a fish head out of the chute and flew away with his prize. Then the rest of the birds went back to their normal behavior of picking through the scraps.
After making another bathroom stop back at the campground, we headed over to the dock. It was about 10:15 am. What we didn’t realize was that everyone had started lining up for the Lu-Lu Belle underneath the covered ramp that lead down to the dock. So we were about the last ones in line. Boarding started promptly at 10:30 am.
There were about 40 passengers with a crew of three, counting Captain Fred. By the time we boarded, there were not many seats left inside so we opted for the bench seat outside in the back of the boat. It was covered by a roof to keep us out of the rain, at least when the wind was not blowing. That also meant that Ann could take pictures from her seat without a window in between.
Even before the boat pulled away from the dock, Captain Fred started his commentary. He talked most of the time. Some of it was entertaining, some of it was informative, but some of it was a little over the top. We don’t know how he keeps this up all day long, day after day.
Captain Fred did a great job to seek out all the different things for us to see. He is a wealth of information about the history of the area, fishing, oil, glaciers, and wildlife. He took us right up to some of the fishing boats so we could see how they operated. He explained how the fish purse seine worked as we watched it in action.
We rode right up next to some rafts of sea otters, waking them up from their naps. There are so cute, floating on their backs with their paws in the air, and rolling through the water.
We spotted a humpback whale. It even breached a couple of times. However, Ann could not get a good picture of it. It was raining pretty good and she struggled to keep the water off her lens so that the camera would focus. It is times like these where a camera with a better manual focus would pay off. However, she would lose her super zoom. It wouldn’t have been so bad if she would have been able to shoot from the back of the boat, but Captain Fred liked to keep the boat headed towards the points of interest, so we were forced to go to the front of the boat, out in the open, in the rain, to get pictures.
The Lu-Lu Belle would go right up against the shoreline, so we could get a good look at the sea lions and look for puffins. We managed to spot about three puffins. Ann was even able to get a decent shot of one of them. However, by this time, she was shooting blind. Water had gotten into the camera view finder and fogged it up so that it became useless. It even looked like some water was getting into the main lens, so she wasn’t sure if any of the pictures she was taking would be any good. But that didn’t keep her from trying.
Next we sailed up Columbia Bay to try to reach the Columbia Glacier. Floating ice started to appear around us. Then we were totally surrounded by ice, creeping along, as the boat was pushing the ice out of the way. The air temperature dropped below freezing. We were starting to regret sitting outside. Our wet gloves and wet feet were getting cold. Ann went inside to warm up. She didn’t mind standing, as long as she could be where it was warm.
Captain Fred gave up trying to reach the Columbia Glacier. Sometimes he can make, but other times he cannot. So he turned around and headed for what he called the chicken glaciers. We’re not sure what the glaciers are actually called. They were part of the Columbia Glacier at one time, but the Columbia Glacier has been receding for a couple of decades now. We got right up next to the other glaciers as there is not as much floating ice near them. We hung out there for quite a while, hoping there would be a calving. No such luck. There were a few loud cracks and a little bit of ice would tumble down, but nothing major. Oh well. That’s how it goes sometimes.
We all headed back inside and waited for the brownies to be ready. Lu-Lu Belle has a snack bar on board. In the morning, they had baked some blueberry muffins. You could smell them as they baked. Keith had one, but Ann passed. During the day, we both had a bowl of chili along with a few cups of hot chocolate and a cup of hot cider. The hot chocolate was a great way to help warm up our hands. Then, while we were at the glacier, they baked a batch of brownies. The boat is small, so there was no avoiding the nice aroma while they baked. This time Ann could not resist. Don’t waste time getting in line for one when they announce they’re ready! By the time we got our two brownies, there was only one left.
Now it seemed like nap time. Ann found a spot on the floor inside to sit down, leaning up against a wall, and close her eyes. Keith eventually came in and joined her. It was a long ride back to Valdez. The tour said that it would at least be 7 hours long, but could be longer. They only promised to get us back to Valdez before dark. The only thing that broke up the ride was the sighting of some dolphins. We all hopped up and rushed out the door to catch a glimpse of them. Sometimes they like to play and ride alongside the boat, but not today. Then everyone went back inside to return to napping.
It was 8 pm by the time we returned to Valdez. Luckily for us, it was a short walk from the dock over to our campsite. It was a long day and we were exhausted. We changed out of our wet clothing and put on our warm, dry slippers. It didn’t take long before we were ready to climb into bed for the night.
We slept in Saturday morning, then went for a drive in the afternoon. Ann was thankful that her camera dried out over night. She thought it might have been ruined with the water inside the view finder and inside the lens. She didn’t worry too much because she had packed a spare camera. However, she was glad the camera recovered.
Just a few miles outside of town is Dayville Road which leads over to the Solomon Gulch Fish Hatchery. It is a scenic drive with a lot of parking areas for people to stop and fish. We stopped at the fish hatchery and walked the short self-guided tour. Signs and videos provide a wealth of information on the hatchery operation. At the time we were there, it didn’t look like there were any fish in the fish ladder nor any fish egg harvesting going on. However, there seemed to be plenty of fish coming back to Solomon Gulch as there were lots of sea gulls, sea lions, and people fishing. There were plenty of fish for everyone.
A lot of bald eagles were also in the area. Two were perched in a tree. They were both the same size. However, one had its adult plumage of a white head and tail, but the other was still a juvenile and did not have its white head yet. Its markings were a patchwork of browns and whites. Bald eagles don’t take on their adult plumage until they are about five years old.
Across the road from the hatchery is a nice view up Solomon Gulch, with a cascading waterfall adding to the beauty of gulch.
From there, we drove over to the original town site of Valdez. The town was moved to its present location, on safer ground, after the earthquake and tsunami of 1964. There isn’t much left to see of the old city, just a few signs and plaques indicating what buildings used to be there along with a list of names of those who perished that day.
We also drove out to Valdez Glacier Lake. From the parking lot, you cannot see the glacier. However, there are floating chunks of ice visible in the lake. To see the glacier, you need to paddle a canoe or kayak out to it. As icebergs are often unstable, it is strongly advised to go with an experienced guide to be safe. Falling into the ice cold water could be deadly, as hypothermia sets in quickly.
The sun actually peaked out now and then in the afternoon. When we returned to the campground, we walked over to Northern Treats, just a block away, for a soft serve ice cream cone and a milkshake. The air temperature was still in the 50’s, but the sun felt nice and warm on our faces.
After dinner, we strolled along the small boat harbor. The fish cleaning stations were busy with a lot of people cleaning their catch for the day. People would hang their fish on the provide hooks to get a nice picture of them. There were some pretty big fish. On fishing group had quite a variety of fish, with different colors, shapes, and sizes. We’re not familiar with all the types, so we couldn’t tell you what they were. With a little research, we discovered that the bright orange fish we saw was a Yelloweye Rockfish, also known as Rock Cod or Pacific/Red Snapper. It is a long-living fish, with an average lifespan of 114 to 120 years. It is considered endangered in Pugent Sound, but is fished off the West Coast and in Alaska. They are a deep water fish. They are liable to die if brought to the surface from a depth of over 60 feet.
All those days of cold, rain, and fog made us really appreciate the weather on Sunday. The rain stopped. The sun came out, although there were still quite a few clouds. Our spirits were lifted. Not only did the weather seem fantastic, this was the day we were past our COVID recovery. Not only were our five days of isolation up, but also the five days of mask wearing after that.
Now we could clearly see the beautiful mountains that surrounded us. In the morning, we walked over to the Coffee Co. It is a nice coffee shop. We both ordered chai along with a salted caramel butter bar each. The butter bars were from a bakery up in Wasilla. They were delicious. However, it was probably not a good idea to load our bodies up with that much sugar.
To keep from going into a sugar coma, we went for a walk. At the far end of the small boat harbor is Dock Point Park. A one mile loop trail goes around the small peninsula that leads out towards Mineral Creek Islands. It is a lovely little walk through the woods, with views out over the duck flats and out over the harbor. A few wild blueberries were growing alongside the trail. It felt so good to be out walking again.
After a late, light lunch (we still were not that hungry after all the sugar from our morning treats), we decided to walk some more. We wanted to build our stamina back up without over taxing our bodies too soon. This time we walked in the opposite direction. Up off of Clifton Court is a short little trail called the Overlook Trail. Of course, it went up to a small overlook. However, it was not a very long walk, so from there we headed west on Egan Avenue over to Mineral Creek. The walk along the road was probably not the most scenic of walks. It goes through the somewhat industrial part of town, but it also goes alongside a residential neighborhood. However, the views from the bridge over Mineral Creek were pretty.
By the end of the day, we had gone somewhere between five and six miles. A good first step to getting back to doing real hikes.
We enjoyed our time in Valdez and want to go back. Exploring hiking trails in the area or a guided kayak paddle to enjoy more of the natural beauty of the area sounds very appealing. Perhaps we’ll try the Lu-Lu Belle cruise again, hopefully in better weather next time.
Check out our related video: Valdez, Alaska
(Ann)