Valdez, Day 2

We got up and washed our clothes this morning. Then we attended to a few housekeeping details such as a trip to the post office to mail postcards and a stop at Safeway for ice, a cheaper bundle of firewood, coffee filters, etc.

We went to the Valdez Museum and learned more about the area. Originally, it was a jumping off point for 4,000 gold miners and prospectors in 1898. It was a deep water port, so ships could bring people and supplies. This port does not freeze over in the winter. The miners had to bring a year's worth of food with them. They first climbed the Valdez Glacier and it took 7 days to transport their supplies over the Glacier using individual sleds. With some teamwork the job was easier, but not by much. Also several were lost to avalanche, scurvy (lack of Vit C), cold injuries, etc. The gold was played out in a couple of years, but there were also copper mines such as the one near McCarthy about 100 Miles north.

There was a terrible earthquake here in 1964, and 23 people lost their lives when the dock collapsed while a ship was unloading. Many were children as the ships cook often threw apples to children when docked, so children were playing on the dock. The town was moved 3 years later by the US Army Corps of Engineers. The nearby native village lost 32 of its 68 people to a tsunami caused by the earthquake.

Finally, in 1980, a cruise ship caught fire. Passengers had to abandon ship and were rescued by the Coast Guard and brought to Valdez on an oil tanker, which increased the city population by 10%.

Oil spill did not reach Valdez, but media were set up here. (Exon Valdez spill in 1989.)

We ate lunch downtown at the dock again, but today split a hot pastrami sandwich about midafternoon.

Late this afternoon, we went out on the road that led to the pipeline terminus and looked for sea life. We spotted 3 sea otters, many ducks, and at least one bald eagle. Also, there are a lot of gulls near the salmon hatchery.

Tomorrow, we'll head north again towards Anchorage. I reserved a campsite about halfway. It's chilly and was overcast most of today.Read more