Dawson City, Yukon to Valdez, Alaska
June 1 - 11, 2019
On Sunday, June 1 we left Dawson City and crossed the Yukon River on the ferry. It was a strange feeling crossing the river in the rig.
We took the Top of the World Highway, which some people say is a bad road, but since it had rained for a couple of days beforehand it wasn't dusty and although it is a gravel road we found it in good shape. The scenery was gorgeous.
We crossed the Alaskan border in about 2 minutes with no problems. The border agent was really nice.
We took the Top of the World Highway, which some people say is a bad road, but since it had rained for a couple of days beforehand it wasn't dusty and although it is a gravel road we found it in good shape. The scenery was gorgeous.
We crossed the Alaskan border in about 2 minutes with no problems. The border agent was really nice.
This is a panorama shot I took at a lookout right after the border crossing (you have to click on it to see the snow capped mountains in the distance). It looked like there was a Welcome to Alaska sign but it was missing so no picture.
We set up camp at Walker Fork BLM Campground east of Chicken.
Then we drove into Chicken because when you go to Alaska you have to go to Chicken.
And when you go to Chicken you have to have a piece of pie, so we did.
On Monday, June 3 we drove to Tok, Alaska.
After we went through Chicken the highway changed to the Taylor Highway, which was a much worse road, but again the scenery was beautiful.
We stayed at Tok RV Village, and had some delicious pizza at Fast Eddie's Restaurant.
We set up camp at Walker Fork BLM Campground east of Chicken.
Then we drove into Chicken because when you go to Alaska you have to go to Chicken.
And when you go to Chicken you have to have a piece of pie, so we did.
On Monday, June 3 we drove to Tok, Alaska.
After we went through Chicken the highway changed to the Taylor Highway, which was a much worse road, but again the scenery was beautiful.
We stayed at Tok RV Village, and had some delicious pizza at Fast Eddie's Restaurant.
I was going to do this blog from there but the internet was so bad I couldn't do it. There really wasn't much to do in Tok but we got some shopping and cleaning done. We also got our Alaska fishing licenses, except for the King Salmon stamp which we'll get before we go salmon fishing.
On Thursday, June 6 we headed down the Tok Cutoff towards Glennallen, which has a reputation as being a bad road and is for a few sections. Of course there's always road construction in the summer in Alaska. We just went slow and only a few things were rearranged inside the 5th wheel. The beautiful scenery made it all worthwhile.
We spent the night at Dry Creek Campground just north of Glennallen, but both of us forgot to take any pictures. Oops.
On Friday, June 7 we continued on the Richardson Highway to Valdez. Sections of this road weren't very good either, but again we just went slow. And here the scenery was just amazing. I took so many pictures of mountains and these are only just a few. You really have to click on the pictures to even get a small idea of what it looks like.
Just when we thought we had seen the prettiest mountains we got to Thompson Pass and all I could say was "wow!" The pictures by no means do the views justice. God's creation is beautiful beyond words.
Then we started down the mountain through Keystone Canyon, passed by Bridal Veil Falls and Horsetail Falls...
...to Valdez.
We are staying at Eagle's Rest RV Park. The sites are pretty close together but fortunately there aren't a whole lot of people here.
That afternoon we drove to Allison's Point, where the oil pipeline ends its trip from Prudhoe Bay. We also went to the salmon fish hatchery but this isn't the right time of the year for the salmon to be there so all the tanks were empty.
We also saw a cruise ship go out of the harbor.
We have been watching Pau Hana Travels on YouTube for a couple of years, following their trip to Alaska in 2017. We found out they were staying in another park here so went over to say hello. I'm sure they have people stopping by all the time but they were really nice.
On Saturday we drove up to Blueberry Lake and tried our hand at fishing. We could see many fish jumping but none were biting. However, the lake was really pretty.
On Sunday we went on the Stan Stephens Glacier & Wildlife Cruise on Prince William Sound. Here's the boat we went out on. (We didn't get a picture of the boat so I got this one from their website.)
In addition to the beautiful scenery and wildlife they served lunch and afternoon soup, along with coffee, tea and water.
I started to take pictures but John could take better ones with his camera, so all the following are his.
Bill & Lisa
We left the harbor and got a better look at the pipeline terminal.
The scenery on the way out of the harbor was beautiful.
We saw an eagle...
...and some sea otters.
There were some Steller sea lions just minding their own business...
...when along comes a big sea lion that has them all looking to see what's going on.
The big one climbs on and a smaller one had to get off. The one didn't much like it when the big one sprawled all over it.
We cruised by the entrance to Columbia Glacier. It is receding and has lots of icebergs in the bay.
Here is one that must have been very large as it made it out of the bay and is still big. I love the blue color.
We finally got to Meares Glacier. Here is our first look.
You really can't tell the size of these glaciers from the pictures. This glacier is almost a mile wide.
Most glaciers are receding, but Meares Glacier is actually advancing. However, as it moves forward it still calves. When it does it makes a cracking sound and then sounds like thunder. It's quite amazing to see.
John got some good videos so be sure to take a look at the Facebook page.
There were some harbor seals in the bay.
One of the crew netted some glacier ice.
On the way back to Valdez we saw some more Steller sea lions. We decided they don't know about personal space.
I thought the caves along the shoreline were interesting.
We're leaving Valdez tomorrow headed for Seward, with a few stops along the way. We'll be...
Roving on...
On Thursday, June 6 we headed down the Tok Cutoff towards Glennallen, which has a reputation as being a bad road and is for a few sections. Of course there's always road construction in the summer in Alaska. We just went slow and only a few things were rearranged inside the 5th wheel. The beautiful scenery made it all worthwhile.
We spent the night at Dry Creek Campground just north of Glennallen, but both of us forgot to take any pictures. Oops.
On Friday, June 7 we continued on the Richardson Highway to Valdez. Sections of this road weren't very good either, but again we just went slow. And here the scenery was just amazing. I took so many pictures of mountains and these are only just a few. You really have to click on the pictures to even get a small idea of what it looks like.
Just when we thought we had seen the prettiest mountains we got to Thompson Pass and all I could say was "wow!" The pictures by no means do the views justice. God's creation is beautiful beyond words.
Then we started down the mountain through Keystone Canyon, passed by Bridal Veil Falls and Horsetail Falls...
...to Valdez.
We are staying at Eagle's Rest RV Park. The sites are pretty close together but fortunately there aren't a whole lot of people here.
That afternoon we drove to Allison's Point, where the oil pipeline ends its trip from Prudhoe Bay. We also went to the salmon fish hatchery but this isn't the right time of the year for the salmon to be there so all the tanks were empty.
We also saw a cruise ship go out of the harbor.
We have been watching Pau Hana Travels on YouTube for a couple of years, following their trip to Alaska in 2017. We found out they were staying in another park here so went over to say hello. I'm sure they have people stopping by all the time but they were really nice.
On Saturday we drove up to Blueberry Lake and tried our hand at fishing. We could see many fish jumping but none were biting. However, the lake was really pretty.
On Sunday we went on the Stan Stephens Glacier & Wildlife Cruise on Prince William Sound. Here's the boat we went out on. (We didn't get a picture of the boat so I got this one from their website.)
In addition to the beautiful scenery and wildlife they served lunch and afternoon soup, along with coffee, tea and water.
I started to take pictures but John could take better ones with his camera, so all the following are his.
We left the harbor and got a better look at the pipeline terminal.
The scenery on the way out of the harbor was beautiful.
We saw an eagle...
...and some sea otters.
There were some Steller sea lions just minding their own business...
...when along comes a big sea lion that has them all looking to see what's going on.
We cruised by the entrance to Columbia Glacier. It is receding and has lots of icebergs in the bay.
Here is one that must have been very large as it made it out of the bay and is still big. I love the blue color.
We finally got to Meares Glacier. Here is our first look.
You really can't tell the size of these glaciers from the pictures. This glacier is almost a mile wide.
Most glaciers are receding, but Meares Glacier is actually advancing. However, as it moves forward it still calves. When it does it makes a cracking sound and then sounds like thunder. It's quite amazing to see.
There were some harbor seals in the bay.
One of the crew netted some glacier ice.
On the way back to Valdez we saw some more Steller sea lions. We decided they don't know about personal space.
I thought the caves along the shoreline were interesting.
We're leaving Valdez tomorrow headed for Seward, with a few stops along the way. We'll be...
Roving on...
The heavens declare
the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork. Psalm 19:1
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