Sunday, July 31, 2011

Columbia & Meares Glacier Excursion

Valdez, Alaska – Sunday, July 31, 2011

Today we are off on a 9 hour cruise. The weather is not optimum for viewing mountains, but we’re looking down for whales, seals, otters and stuff. It’s overcast, cold and a bit windy with rain predicted, but hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained. The bus picked us up at the RV Park at 9am. We have every layer of clothes we brought with us because at the base of the Glaciers it’s only about 40 degrees. Down to the harbor and onto the Valdez Spirit catamaran.

P1050355P1050357

Lots of other activities in the harbor.

P1050356P1050358

We started out on the top deck of the boat and ventured into the bridge to check it out.

PICT0011P1050396

PICT0021PICT0022

On our way out, we can see the oil storage tanks at the pipeline terminal.

P1050360P1050362

It doesn’t take long for us to spot some wildlife. A raft of sea otters just floating around. Then some juvenile Steller sea lions hanging out on a buoy.

P1050365P1050368

The scenery is really beautiful as we make our way out to the glaciers.

P1050369P1050370

P1050378P1050371

P1050376

Our intended course was to be on the outside of Glacier Island, but as we got  into more open waters it became clear it would be too rough, so we stayed on the inside. We did have some good wave action even on our new course. As we made our approach into Meares the water turned a different color and it became much calmer.

P1050399P1050400

And before long we were rewarded with some spectacular icebergs. The boat was able to get really close and you could hear them crackle.

P1050387P1050390

P1050392P1050435

The captain brought the boat up really close to the glacier. He said it was a quarter mile away, but it sure seemed closer. We were into the slush of ice and you could hear it against the boat bottom. It was definitely colder here and of course it was raining, but what a sight.
We stayed outside for at least an hour as we waited to experience a calving of the glacier. You could see all kinds of cracks and areas that looked like they were ready to fall. We heard lots of gunshots like sounds and loud rumbling. A few small areas dropped off, and then finally a large piece went. It was so quick, that the picture only shows the splash, but it was great and worth the wait.

P1050405P1050406

P1050407P1050413

P1050415PICT0027

P1050416

We were chilled to the bone, but enjoyed every minute. We went inside to sit and warm up. They had coffee, hot tea and hot chocolate always available. We were served a nice lunch (chicken Alfredo over rice with veggies and roll) earlier. And later we are having a bowl of clam chowder. They are very accommodating. The boat will hold 150 people but they only like to take 130 and today we only had 48 people, so lots of room.

P1050397P1050398

Since we didn’t get to go on the outside of Glacier Island, we had some extra time. The captain took us up into Columbia Bay to see if we could spot any other wildlife. And his hunch paid off. Seals and Orca whales.

P1050445P1050447

P1050417P1050444

All in all a great trip. We were tired, but had another great adventure.

image

BG Miles Today

0

BG Total Miles

5880

Eat Out total $

512.63

BG Total Fuel $

3099.16

Entertainment total $

421.52

Total Camping $

758.75

E Miles Today

0

E Total Miles

1880

E Total Fuel $

387.19

Day # of Trip 61

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Ready to Explore

Valdez, AK – Saturday, July 30, 2011

Awoke to great mountain/waterfall views. Took our time and enjoyed a breakfast outside. No mosquitos here. After a little maintenance we were off to explore. We took a trail up to Valdez Glacier Lake. We climbed up the hill and were amazed at the temperature change. It was quite cool down by the lake.

P1050333P1050335

We drove over to Dayville road across the port from Valdez. The Alaska pipeline terminus is there. Of course you can’t get anywhere near it because of all the security. It is also a beautiful drive and the Solomon Gulch Fish Hatchery is the main attraction.

On our way there we came across this guy trying his hand at fishing. I doubt anyone is going to check to see if he has a license.

P1050338P1050339

The reason for the hatchery is that Solomon Creek cannot support all of the pink salmon that return to spawn. Almost all of the returning fish are diverted to a fish ladder they have to negotiate to reach the hatchery.  There the salmon lay their eggs then swim back to Port Valdez Bay to die.  The eggs hatch and go through the early stages of growth, Alevin, Fry and Parr.  When they reach the Smolt stage, they are released down the fish ladder to make their way back to the ocean and continue growing.  After several years growth in the ocean their natural instinct is to return to Solomon Creek  where they once again will be diverted to the hatchery to repeat the process. It is amazing the number of fish and how strong the need is to get back.

P1050343P1050344

P1050346P1050347

P1050348PICT0004

On the other side of the road is where the fish that got away were headed. This is the end of Solomon Creek.

P1050352P1050349

Lots to look at and see.

P1050351P1050337

image

BG Miles Today

0

BG Total Miles

5880

Eat Out total $

511.13

BG Total Fuel $

3099.16

Entertainment total $

141.52

Total Camping $

723.46

E Miles Today

0

E Total Miles

1880

E Total Fuel $

387.19

Day # of Trip 60