Days #46-#48, Chistochina, AK to Valdez, AK (via Tok Cutoff and Richardson Hwy) - (1) State (AK) - 165 miles, 4 hrs. (lots of sight seeing stops)
Oh my! What a ride down the Tok Cutoff to the Richardson Highway and into Valdez. About 45 miles on the Tok Highway to the intersection with the Richardson Highway as it runs along the western edge of the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. A stop at the Visitor Center at the intersection of the Richardson & Glenn Highways, known as "The Hub" because of its location at the intersection of two major Alaskan highways. The staff member at the Visitor Center was extremely engaging and very helpful. A few miles down the Richardson Highway is the Visitor Center for Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Well done Visitor Center, interesting exhibits and helpful park rangers. There is also a nice walking trail with beautiful overlooks with views of the peaks of the Wrangell-St. Elias mountains. Heading south on the Richardson Highway, the scenery becomes more and more dramatic as we approach Valdez. The highway is filled with peak after peak of snow-capped mountains and glacier fed creeks and rivers. The drama reaches a crescendo at Washington Glacier and Thompson Pass shortly after that. The pass @ 2678' above sea level provides magnificent views of the surrounding snow-capped peaks, truly spectacular! As you move down the mountain from the pass toward the Port of Valdez, amazing waterfalls (specifically Bridal Veil and Horsetail) dot the landscape. Finally we arrived into the Port of Valdez on the Valdez Arm surrounded by more snow-capped mountains coming down to the beautiful crystal clear blue water!
Our home for the next few days is Bear Paw RV Park II. It is right on the inlet to the Valdez marina and within easy walking distance to downtown Valdez. All utilities so that is nice. Nice shade although not needed on this trip as temps were cool (50's for highs, 40's for lows). Gravel parking area, no grass or lawn. Spaces pretty tight.
Without a doubt the highlight of our time in Valdez was our trip on the Lulu Belle with Captain Fred! The wildlife (i.e. sea lions, seals, sea otters, whales, salmon, bald eagles), scenery (i.e. mountains, sea, waterfalls, icebergs, glaciers) and the narrative by Captain Fred were all outstanding! A Must-Do if in Valdez!
Visited a couple of local museums while in Valdez. The Remembering Old Valdez Exhibit (ROVE) details the earthquake of 1964 and the subsequent move of the town of Valdez to its current location. The Valdez Historical Museum covers all of Valdez's history from native tribes to present day. It has a special exhibit detailing the history of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Visited the Solomon Gulch Fish Hatchery which was extremely interesting.
Finally, we visited a couple of nice restaurants while in Valdez: Fat Mermaid - excellent, salmon pizza and pork BBQ, outside seating right in downtown. Mike's Palace - also downtown but inside, Carla had a really delicious salmon pasta.
