Invaluable Valdez

July, 10th Tuesday morning, I headed off for Valdez. The Tok Cut Off road to the Richardson Highway was not in very good condition. Full of pot holes, frost heaves and areas of construction. I could tell it was a pretty drive, but it was raining and this was all I saw.

It's a very remote road with very few towns along the way. So when I got to the little town of Glennallen, I had had enough. I called it day and spent the night there with two hours to go to get to Valdez.

And I was glad I did, because Wednesday morning the views were beautiful as I continued on :) See those mountains ahead? We're going up there!

It was overcast and foggy, but still beautiful :)

Which brought me to the Worthington Glacier

And gorgeous waterfalls :)

I arrived in the awesome hamlet of Valdez. Surrounded by mountains on all sides and located on the Prince William Sound. It is noted for being the terminus of the Alaskan Pipeline and fishing.

I arrived in plenty of time to meet up with my friend and RV sister Beth, who is workamping here this summer on the charter boat Lulu Belle. So off I went with her on a cruise to the Columbian glacier and wildlife viewing along the way.

Beth and Captain Fred at the helm scoping out the potential wildlife sitings for us. Fred narrated the history of Valdez and many interesting facts along the way. It is truly an enjoyable tour. I sat up inside with him to stay warm and had great views! 

Our first encounter was these sweet-faced sea otters :) Although Captain Fred said they can be mean!

Hard to believe. Just look at that face! :)

Next up were these majestic bald eagles nesting in the trees. There were three of them pretty close together.

We passed by these sea lions basking on a stone ledge. They are not very welcome here because they eat a lot of salmon, which are now starting to come in to the sound.

We had an amazing show of dall porpoises and humpback whales! I was having trouble photographing them because by the time you snap a photo, they're gone! So Beth suggested I take some video. Which was an awesome idea! This guy was having great fun performing for us :)

Beth and I in front of a beautiful blue iceberg :)

What an awesome day! Today, I'll check out the town while Beth is working.