Beautiful Valdez

 

Valdez is set in Prince William Sound, one of the most spectacular and unspoiled wilderness in the world. Two tragedies have tested the resilience of this community. Called the "Switzerland of Alaska," Valdez is ringed by snow-capped mountains. As the northern most ice-free port, the town the was established in 1898 as an outfitting point for miners taking the hazardous path trail over Valdez Glacier to the northern most gold fields.
In addition to the Gold Rush, Valdez’s rich history includes the 5-minute, 9.2 magnitude Good Friday Earthquake in 1964; construction of the Trans Alaska Oil Pipeline and Marine Terminal in 1970; and the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill and Cleanup.

 

Following a tip from young man at Valdez Tourists Center, we were lucky to find a Brown Bear munching on tender water grasses. We were on our way back from Peter Pan Seafood, where we bought salmon, cod, scallops and halibut.



The Valdez Small Boat Harbor is renowned for its quaint beauty. We agree. Nestled between the snow-capped Chugach Mountains, the azure blue waters provide safe haven to colorful boats of all makes.

While in Valdez we took a glacier and wildlife cruise on the Lu-Lu Belle, a custom-made seventy-five foot boat. Cruising through Prince William Sound, surrounded by the mountains of the Chugach National Forest, we were spell bound by the beauty. On our day-long trip, we watched fisherman harvesting salmon from the fjords, otters drifting lazily in the calm waters, breaching whales, puffins bobbing, sea lions noisily greeting us and Dall porpoises racing in and out of the wake made by the Lu-Lu Belle. Though we anticipated the grandeur of the Columbia Glacier, we were still in awe of the towering crystal blue wall of ice. We didn’t anticipate the constant noise made by the ice shifting. The weather promised to be calm, cool, but sunny day for our cruise. However, as we neared the glacier the temperature dropped 20 degrees, and we were all glad to have our winter coats as we stood on the deck watching the glacier calve huge chunks of ice into the frigid water.

Peter Toth, best known as a humanitarian artist, aspired to honor American Indians by carving a totem for each of the 50 states. This the 40^{th piece in Whispering Giants series.}

Valdez, because its harbor remains ice-free year round, is the terminus of the Trans Alaska Oil Pipeline. Over a million barrels of oil leave each day for the refineries of the lower 48. After 9/11, for security reasons, public access and tours of the facility were discontinued.

On our way out of Valdez this beautiful rainbow appeared over the harbor and mountains, a perfect ending to our visit.