Sightseeing around Valdez

This morning we drove out to the Valdez Marine Terminal which is at the southern end of the Trans Alaska Pipeline where crude oil is stored and then loaded onto tankers.

From Valdez

We also stopped by the Allison Point Campground next to the Valdez Marine Terminal. It is owned by the City of Valdez and has no hook-ups. We met this mother & daughter from Anchorage who were staying at the campground.

From Valdez

We close to the Solomon Gulch Fish Hatchery and walked down to watch the salmon spawn and the seagulls “fishing” at the fish weir. It was amazing to see how strong the instinct is to go upstream to spawn!

From Valdez

Our next stop was at the site of the original Valdez town location which existed there from 1898 to 1967. The 1964 earthquake devastated the town and in 1967 the town was moved to its present location.

From Old Valdez

We headed back to the campground to have lunch and decided at the last minute to drive out Airport Road to the Valdez Glacier. When we were close to the glacier, we saw these RVs dry camping.

From Valdez

This was as close to the glacier as we could get. The only way to get closer is by kayak.

From Valdez

After lunch we drove into Valdez to go to the museum there. We stopped first at the Crooked Creek Information Site to watch the salmon spawn a creek there.

Our next stop was at the Valdez Museum and after paying $12 for 2 senior tickets, the first thing we saw was this restored 1907 Ahrens Steam Fire Engine which was in service in Valdez from 1907 to 1935.

From Valdez Museum

We saw exhibits covering the growth and development of Valdez from the earliest pioneers to the building of the Richardson Highway,

From Valdez Museum

the 1964 earthquake, the building of the Alaska Pipeline and the Exxon Valdez oil spill.

We drove the few blocks over to the Old Valdez Museum which was included in the ticket price for the Valdez Museum. We watched a 30-minute film covering the effects of the 1964 earthquake and the subsequent moving of the town.

From Valdez Museum

Our next stop was at the Maxine & Jesse Whitney Museum located at the Prince William Sound Community College. The museum has an impressive display of native art and artifacts and animals that are native to Alaska.

From Whitney Museum

We stopped to take some photos of the Peter Toth sculpture "The Whispering Giant" which is near the Whitney Museum. There is a Peter Toth sculpture at the Houston-Love Library in Dothan.

From Valdez

We next drove down to the Port of Valdez and then around through town taking some final photos. We stopped at The Harbor Cafe to have coffee and write out our postcards at one of the tables outside.

From Valdez

This is our last day here in Valdez and we did a LOT of sightseeing. All of the photos with the exception of the ones at the museums are in our Valdez & Old Valdez photo albums.