The John Thomas Kelsey Municipal Dock was a great place to relax and take in the spectacular scenery. Is it Switzerland or Alaska?
I'll have to admit that prior to starting this adventure I knew very little about Valdez, Alaska. I did know it was a city located somewhere in Alaska. I also knew that Exxon had a ship named Valdez that had run aground years ago causing a massive oil spill and environmental disaster. Those two sentences pretty much sum it up. Thankfully I'm married to a wonderful planner who knows a lot more and is an expert in researching and finding amazing places for us to visit.
It was our first time staying in a tiny home (Airbnb). It was very comfortable and we had plenty of room.
If I had to sum up Valdez in one word it would probably be WOW! Beth told me that this city of around 4,000 residents that is located on the Prince William Sound is often referred to as Little Switzerland. Having visited Switzerland some years back, I had to see it to believe it. Having just spent two wonderful days in Valdez, it can certainly hold it's own to any place I've seen in Switzerland. The charming, small city is surrounded by snow covered mountains, with what literally seemed like hundreds of waterfalls feeding freshly melted snow into the blue-green waters of the Prince William Sound.
Welcome to Valdez!
Valdez Harbor
Valdez
At this time of year Valdez is waking from a long winter hibernation. I was surprised to learn that it is actually classified as a temperate rainforest. When I think of rainforests, I associate them with warm climates, but now I know that it's not always the case. The amount of precipitation and cold (but not bitterly cold like some other places in Alaska) winter temperatures make Valdez one of the snowiest places on earth. Annually it receives over 300 inches of snow, creating snow drifts that can sometimes be higher than the street lights!
On Good Friday in 1964 the second strongest earthquake ever recorded struck just 45 miles from Valdez. Most of the town was destroyed and 31 people lost their lives. The ground was determined to not be safe for rebuilding. Fifty two properties that were "structurally safe" were moved four miles away and a new town of Valdez was built. This picture was taken at what is now known as Old Town Valdez. These pilings were all that remained of part of the pier.
You can do a self guided tour of Old Town Valdez. There are historical markers. This is all that remains of the "Village Morgue". I later learned the Village Morgue was actually a bar!
Glacier View Park near Valdez
The snow in the town has melted, the fishing and sightseeing boats are starting to run and within a few weeks Valdez will be filled with tourists. It was really nice to catch it before everyone arrives. However, we're thankful that it looks like it's shaping up to be a busy summer. I'm sure the small shops, restaurants and other businesses are looking forward to doing a booming business. As for our time in Valdez, we enjoyed simply roaming around and taking in the 360 degrees of awesome that Valdez has to offer, and frequently uttering words like wow, amazing, and incredible!
We spent the majority of our time walking the harbor district and sitting in the chairs on the Kelsey Municipal Pier.
Late yesterday (Sunday) morning we departed Valdez, but not in the same manner that we arrived. We drove to Valdez by way of the Glenn and Richardson Highways. To reach our next and final Alaska destination for this adventure (Girdwood) we had two options. A 339 mile (approx. 6 hour) drive or a 6 hour ferry ride. As much as we've enjoyed the driving we opted for the ferry. It was a ferry, ferry good choice as we cruised slowly past the snow covered mountains and past numerous glaciers while enjoying eagles, sea otters, seals and even one humpback whale.
The ferry coming up Prince William Sound to Valdez.
Getting closer..............
On board and cruising the sound!
Blue skies and smooth water!
This eagle was looking for a fish that wasn't paying attention!
The Exxon Valdez oil spill (1989) actually occurred close to the town of Valdez. Over 11 million gallons of crude oil spilled into the water. It impacted over 1.300 miles of Alaskan coast line. The total cost of clean up was near 3 billion dollars and the total impact of the disaster was estimated at over 7 billion dollars. With a lot of effort and time the area has been restored, although even today the area is still closely monitored for any late emerging effects. This picture was taken in an area known as "Glacier Alley". There were numerous small icebergs floating in the water, but no Titanic moments!
Approaching Whitter and the end of the ferry journey.
By road the only way in or out of Whitter is the 2.5 mile long Whitter Tunnel. It's the longest highway tunnel in North America. It is a one lane tunnel so the traffic direction changes every thirty minutes. To make things even more interesting there are occasional trains that use the tunnel which cause additional delays. It operates from 5:30 AM until 11:15 PM.
Deep in the Whitter Tunnel! Notice the train tracks.......thankfully there were no approaching trains!
It's hard to believe we're getting near the end of this adventure...........however, it's exciting to know that the journey continues.
