2023 Alaska, Asia, Australia, Arabian Peninsula Trip
Day 8/105 - Valdez, Alaska
We awoke this morning, already docked in Valdez, Alaska.
Valdez is the south termination point of the Trans Alaska pipeline.
After breakfast, we boarded a shuttle bus for the ride into Valdez. It really didn't matter since we were docked right near town and everything was walkable.
Initial weather forecasts were for temps in the 30s and snow, but the weather gods smiled favorably on us with temps pushing 50 and mostly sunny skies.
All around Valdez, we found interesting wood carvings. I'll sprinkle photos of them throughout this post.
We got off the bus at the Valdez Museum. Right outside, they had a sample of a scraper pig - a tool designed to remove deposits from the inside of the pipeline.
The museum had artifacts that traced the history of Valdez.
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| There were several extremely ornate fire vehicles on display |
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| An impressive lighthouse fresnel lens |
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| Quite the washing machine |
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| An amazing example of a fur fish - you can read about it below |
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| They have a good sense of humor here in Valdez |
We continued our meandering through town.
Our next stop was the Maxine & Jesse Whitney Museum. Maxine Whitney assembled a unique collection of local artifacts.
We headed back toward the main area of town. The views here are simply stunning.
We watched a movie about the history of Valdez. A boom town that grew due to the gold craze in Alaska and the Yukon Territory, Valdez was uniquely positioned due to its accessible harbor and the Alaska interior. On Good Friday in 1964, the worst earthquake ever registered in North America, and the second strongest ever recorded anywhere wiped out much of the town and the harbor. The earthquake was measured at a 9.2 Moment Magnitude, a scale that more accurately measures earthquakes that pass 8 on the Richter scale. Only a 9.5 Moment Magnitude earthquake in Chile was stronger. Ultimately, the town was relocated four miles away and completely rebuilt.
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| Can you imagine walking out your front door to this view? |
Walking back down by the harbor, we took in the sights, including The Fat Mermaid restaurant.
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| A fat bunny resting near The Fat Mermaid |
We walked back to our ship, appreciating more of the wood carvings.
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| Your ship is that way... |
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| Tastes like chicken... |
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| Our home for 79 days |
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| For the record, these are jellies |
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| This statue guards the ferry dock where we were docked |
After lunch, we decided to hop in the aft hot tub for the sail-away.
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| We met a couple of very nice passengers in the hot tub |
There's something wonderful about sitting in hot water in cool weather, watching the beautiful scenery go by.
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| A beautiful sun dog surrounded the sun as we sailed out |
After showering and dressing for dinner, we headed up to the Explorers' Bar. We wound up meeting a nice couple from New Jersey at the Explorers' Bar. The four of us went to the World Cafe for dinner and were joined by a wonderful gentleman from Australia. Once again, this is one of the things we love about cruising. We meet all kinds of people and learn from all of them. It was a lovely evening with good food, good wine, and good conversation.
Tomorrow, we will be in Seward, Alaska as we continue to work our way west.
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