0020 26th May - Valdez to Anchorage

Yesterday we had a quiet day in Valdez, doing laundry, going to the grocery store, showering in lovely hot showers after having been out in remote / no service campsites for the past couple of days !  We went to the museum, which was fascinating, particularly the details about the 1964 earthquake and tsunami which had wiped out the original town of Valdez, and also about the Exxon Valdez oilspill, which is still a central point of the modern history of Valdez.  We also went to a funny store that advertised free movies about both disasters, but which turned out to be a small TV stuck in the corner of a thrift store !   We watched for about 5 minutes before leaving !!  Then in the evening we treated ourselves to a delicious halibut meal at a local restaurant – Although Janet’s initially came out a lot undercooked, but after a return visit to the kitchen, turned out to be almost as delicious as mine ! So a quiet day in Valdez after over 3 weeks of non stop travel.

The next morning, we were up at 5 am, packed up and were at the ferry terminal by 6 am for a 7 am ferry to Whittier.  We had decided that due to the current bush fires in the Kenai, and impending rain in southern Alaska, we would head north to Fairbanks and maybe even keep going to the Arctic up the Dalton highway if the weather held.  The quickest and easiest, as well as the most interesting way to do this was the ferry to Whittier across the Prince William Sound, and then head north via Anchorage. 

This was a much smaller ferry than our previous ones, and by the time we were all loaded up below decks, there was hardly enough room to open the car doors to let us out !!  On getting up in the lounge, we found the motorbike girls Cynthia and her friend Laura who we had met in Chitina 2 days ago – They were on their way home after their memorial long weekend trip, and had caught the same ferry.  It was a great ferry run, and we saw whales, seals, eagles, Dall porpoises, sea otters, ice bergs, and a few clumps of seaweed !  That is certainly one of the best ferry routes for wildlife.   We also spent a lot of time chatting the Randall (father and son !) and Ginny, as well as little Andrew.  They have / are in the process of moving to Alaska, and it was great talking to all of you and made the journey so interesting.

As we disembarked off the ferry in Whittier at about lunch time, we agreed to meet Cynthia and Laura in a little fish restaurant they said was good, for some more halibut !!  Some of you may remember that 2 years ago, when I was sitting in the Whittier car park, I met 2 young boys, Tiki and Dylan, who were interested by my Lotus.  I have often thought of them,  and told the story of our meeting to many people around the world.  So when we went into the fish restaurant to meet Cynthia and Laura, I asked Margaret, the lady running the restaurant, if she knew of two boys whose parents worked down in Whittier in the summer,  and who I had met 2 years earlier.  She said “It sounds like you are talking about my son and his friend” !!!  Sure enough, we had gone into their restaurant and Tiki was actually working in the restaurant !!!  What a massive coincidence, and it was so good to catch up with him again, and meet his mother.  Unfortunately Dylan was away today, but as we plan to pass through Whittier again in a couple of weeks time to go on a glacier cruise, hopefully we can catch up then.   I took a photo of Tiki with Troopie, and have included the old photo of them with my Lotus in the photos as well.   I am blown away by not only meeting them again, but how I found them !  

After our lunch, I showed Janet a bit of Whittier, including some reindeer whose antlers were just starting to grow – I reckon with the velvet on there they look like an upside down tarantula spider hat at the moment !!  Then we set off to Anchorage, through the incredible single lane but bi-directional rail and road tunnel – the only one in the world and always fun to drive through – And with a glacier hanging over the entrance of the tunnel !

When we came out of the tunnel on the Anchorage side, there were ice floes in the water at the end of Turnagain Arm, but it was pretty wet and the clouds were low, so the normally spectacular drive into Anchorage was rather dismal.   So we drove straight to the campsite at Ship Creek, and after setting up for the night, we walked into town.  Those of you who read my 2012 blog will remember I found a fur hat in Skagway that, while it might have been ugly, was SO warm that it became an important part of my Alaskan wardrobe.  A few days ago somewhere in Sitka, I think, I must have left it on a shuttle bus, because I lost it, and was SO upset.  Anyway, long story short, I found a replacement in Anchorage !!!   And it was better, warmer, AND cheaper !!   Woohooo !!!   We also had a caribou (ie reindeer) hot dog from a street vendor that was delicious.  Then the sky turned black !  It was the smoke from the Kenai fires, and as you can see from the photos, it turned the city centre to night, and the sun was a bright red, the same as the traffic lights.  After a bit of shopping, and a few poses by fire hydrants (??) and totem poles, we ambled back to the campsite, passing some horses and carriages that had just taken boat cruise tourists to their train so they could go through the Rocky Mountains next.

And we went home and turned in……………..

Pics here : https://picasaweb.google.com/117739775480775657932/0020ValdezToAnchorage?authkey=Gv1sRgCJranrjl7_yQ_wE#