Page Two of our Valdez trips

Page Two of our Valdez trips... Graphic intense, please allow it to load. It is about 3 min. or less, depending on modem.

The top of Thompson Pass has always been cloudy, or shrouded in mist each time we traveled to Valdez. This was the first time we were able to see just what it looked like, and although there are no trees here, the tundra was absolutely gorgeous... brilliant red and gold, combined with many shades of green grass and small alpine plants. This pass takes you down to the coast; to Valdez, and Prince William Sound.

These first two photos had to be taken facing the sun, so they did not come out as brilliant as it actually was. The third one, however, was facing away from the sun, and here you can see the plants and scenery in its true brilliance...

Is that pretty, or what?

Once we descended we drove into Valdez and got a room, staying in the same place for both trips this summer, the Totem Inn. You have a view of the harbor on one side, and the magnificent mountains on the other; they are too immediate, and too immense for our camera to do them justice. We did get photos of the harbor, however.

This first one is the view outside our room early in the morning of Valdez "Arm." On the far side of this arm is a road leading to favorite places to fish from shore, and the Alaska Oil Pipeline Terminal.

You can only see a few masts through the morning mist, but the harbor is a beautiful one, with many boats at dock here. Although this was very early in the morning, by mid-morning this area is teeming with people.

In this photo you can see the cruise ship we took to Glacier Bay, in the forefront of the photo, on the right. This was a day cruise, and a short one, as they go, lasting about six hours.

Once we left on the cruise, we were helpless... we shot photos left and right, and had a very difficult time choosing which ones to use on this page, there are so many wonderful ones. If you come to Alaska, make sure you do this cruise.

This is one of the many icebergs we saw in Prince William Sound, on the left. This one is in front of Growler Island, a small primitive resort where guests may stay the night. It is beautiful there. The photo on the right is of another iceberg. I called it the "Duck" iceberg. As you near Glacier Bay, you encounter more and more icebergs floating in the sound.

Below: This is in Glacier Bay, where Columbia Glacier is at the head of the bay, and that glacier is where all these pieces of ice, and icebergs, originate. The cruise ship is slowing down to a crawl, to inch its way through the icefield as far as they are able to proceed. Once you reach a certain point, you can proceed no further. Where we are at now, the captain said the air temperature was 40 degrees, and the water was three degrees. When the ice gets thick enough, it freezes together and they cannot get through. There are seals and sea otters playing among the icebergs in this icefield.

Below: This is a rather poor photo of a beach full of sea lions near Glacier Bay (we have reached the limitations of our camera when we attempt a photo like this. On the iceberg in the center front is a puffin who has just landed. They are really cute birds, and look very tropical. They nest in the clefts of the cliff faces and in caves, such as you see at the center back of this photo.

Below: This photo is large. It was just too beautiful, and signifies much of what this area is like, to reduce it any further. There are soooo many views such as this it is unbelievable. And there are shores and islands of almost every conceivable type. Different native rock, different scenery, different looks. They are all gorgeous, however.

We hope you enjoy these pages, they are just a small part of Alaska, but a significant one.

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