Valdez - Day 3 & 4

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Valdez Day 3

We have been enjoying watching the “ship action” since we arrived here.  We didn’t mention this yet, but there is a Coast Guard station here.  There is a consistent presence on the water.


We had a fun and interesting experience yesterday.  We got to watch the process of a tug boat coming in and maneuvering a cargo ship back out into the Valdez Bay.  The process took just under 2 hours.
 




There is ferry transport here, through the Alaska Ferry System.  Here, one can be seen coming to the Valdez Terminal.  The Ferries travel to Whittier and Skagway. They carry passengers as well as their vehicles and RVs/trailers.  It is such a busy route that we discovered that they are booked through August!  Hmmmm, could it be that folks want to avoid some of the dreaded roads?!
 




Day 4
We woke up to a beautiful day.  We finally saw blue skies and the clouds lifting from the mountains.  We decided to put our kayaks in, right behind our trailer.  The tide was just going out of Valdez Bay.  The sea gulls lined our way out of the cove.  The water is extremely cold. Cold enough to attract the two sea lions that were gliding through the water with us!   Lots of traffic coming out of the Marina adjacent to our campground.    It was a little strange kayaking among fishing vessels and smaller charter craft, but the ride was beautiful!
 




Can you spot our RV?  (the one with the chairs)

After lunch, we went for a bike ride around town, through the residential area.  Everywhere you go in Valdez, like other coastal cities, you see Tsunami Evacuation Routes.  We loved the homes nestled into a mountain setting.  A quick stop to the Visitor Center and a view of the Totem Poles.
 
Elementary School
















And more bunnies!
 
 

















*** Itinerary changes to note:  We are no longer going to Skagway or Juneau.   We discovered that the Ferry schedule out of Skagway arrives at Juneau in the early evening.  This would force us to spend the night and our vehicles back at campground.  Since we have already been to Skagway and the trip would require going in and out of Alaska and Canadian borders, we decided to omit this portion of the trip.



Comments

  1. UnknownJune 28, 2016 at 9:44 PM

    Wonderful post.....You are having fun, fun. Will call you tonight.

    ReplyDelete

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