We arrived to Valdez so early this morning, it was still dark. And cold with temperatures in the low 40's, 4.6 mph winds, and 99% humidity due to the rain and fog. Tucked into a small fjord off of the Prince William Sound, the city is protected from the elements. Except history proved otherwise.
We recall when this area was hit by a massive earthquake in 1964, when both of us were still in high school. It measured around 9 on the Richter scale, which is total devastation. Damage was so extensive, the town was abandoned and moved 4.5 miles away from the original site. So most everything we see today is fairly new. If that wasn't bad enough, in 1989 the vessel Exxon Valdez had an unfortunate accident spilling 11 million gallons of crude oil in the bay. Up until then, Valdez was considered the "Switzerland" of Alaska for their scenery and wildlife. Sadly to say, the birds, seals and sea otters were affected by the oil, and many died. The incident prompted serious legislation to prevent any future accidents and exists to this day. It is important also because the beginning of the Trans Alaska Pipeline starts here. This famous pipeline took over 2 years to build at a price of 8 billion dollars back in 1977. It is 800 miles long and if memory serves us correctly, the pipes are heated during the coldest months of the year to keep the crude oil flowing.
Valdez has come a long way from the fishing village of the natives for 7500 years. We have to say that we found the town charming and totally unspoiled. It was one of the smallest settlements with 3500 people we visited so far, and the least "touristy". For those folks who find the typical Alaskan cities with all of the glitzy jewelry and clothing shops annoying, you will like it here. Yes, there were a few shops, but because we are at the end of the season, many of them were closed until next spring or summer. Come to think of it, we were not even given a map of this city on the ship. It was hard to make a plan for the day on our own without knowing where to walk. Without a cell phone, we had no access to that kind of info. However, we would work it out. We always do.....
The shore excursions offered a few trips starting with Valdez by trolley for $115. Thompson Pass and Worthington Glacier were $165, while the best of Valdez was $200. The Columbia Bay cruise was $230, followed by Mineral Creek UTV rides for $265 and a helicopter ride for $700.
This was our first tender port on this combined trip, and we had been given a card stating we had priority tender service in both Valdez and Kodiak. All we needed to do was go to the Wajang Theater, show our room keys, and be escorted to the tender platform. In no hurry to go off in the rain, we waited until open tenders were announced after 10am. Leaving our room at10:30am, we were seated in the boat and transported to the North Boat Harbor within 15 minutes. The locals had a table with convenient maps and people to give directions and suggested walking areas. Perfect for us. The town was literally at our feet, although it was spread out in every direction. Most of the guests turned right at the dock, but we went left and headed towards the end of town where the Kelsey Dock was located as well as one of the three museums in town. This dock has an interpretive center with loads of new informational posters to read. The Alaska Marine Ferry Terminal is there as well, with new restrooms and picnic benches and tables under cover. We were the only ones there.
On the way here, another one of those red squirrels surprised us by running across the road and hiding under a vehicle. Looking up on the top of a communications pole, a regal bald eagle was perched. The streetlight poles had colorful flags on them with local wildlife such as eagles, whales, bears, otters, foxes and seals. A few of the flags had rabbits....why? That was a mystery to be researched.
Our hike continued by passing the Civic Center, Ruth Pond, the Valdez Founders Memorial and a graveled road that went up Meals Hill to a vista point. Rather steep, it seemed like a very long walk to the vista point. Going uphill made it more difficult for one of us. However, it was around the bend and by the time we reached the viewpoint, we were right across from the Zaandam. Back down to the main street, we headed towards town, turning on Egan Drive. Many of the points of interest were in this area but really spaced far apart. The restaurants and breweries were only labeled with icons on the map, not by names, so they were difficult to locate. Lots of other cruise guests stopped and asked us directions. The only places we had passed were mostly the museums, and that was where the folks were headed. Some of the elderly guests turned around and headed back to the ship. We forgot to mention that it was raining lightly most of the morning. As long as we had our umbrellas, it wasn't bad at all. It cleared up later in the afternoon only to start raining again by 4pm.
We headed back down towards the harbor, and just by pure luck we found a nice full-service restaurant by the name of Mike's Palace. They advertised steaks, seafood, and pizza. All right......pizza. We went inside and noticed some very good-looking pizzas on some tables. First on our list to order were Alaska Amber draft beers, which arrived in heavy frozen beer mugs. The foam was actually frozen outside of the glasses. Then we added a medium 14-inch Hawaiian pizza which put us in "pizza heaven". It had to rival the pies we enjoy in Skagway. And here we had been told there wasn't much to see and do in Valdez. It was a nice surprise to discover another part of the state.
All aboard was 4pm, so time was flying too fast by now. We calculated we had enough time to walk the harbor front towards the Dock Point Trail. On the way, we happened to chat with a nice couple from the ship, Ed and June. They were exploring like us, although it was their third time to stop here. Another surprise was the fact we began seeing rabbits.....yes rabbits in the grass above the harbor. A mix of colors, they were definitely not wild hares, but domestic breeds. Most of them did not run when they saw us coming, and the ones that did ducked under the wooden boardwalk. Cute bunnies in Alaska? We would learn all about it before boarding the tender.
We did get to see the fish cleaning counters and sinks where the locals come with their daily catch. Could not help but notice how clean everything was. The entire town was spotless. Many extra-large pots were here and there, filled with beautiful flowers of dahlias, daisies, and summer bedding plants. If the rabbits had a way of accessing these pots, there would not be any flowers left.
Back at the tender drop off point, we had some time to chat with one of the security fellows. He had the story about the rabbits. At one time, they were pets that were let loose. They thrived in the city an eventually became a pest problem. The security guard said they will eat anything which includes local backyard gardens and veggie plots. He admitted that the rabbits will eat spicy cheese puffs as nothing is sacred. Despite the complaints from the citizens, the current mayor will not allow any means to eradicate them. So there's the story. We asked if the eagles go after the bunnies, and he said they prefer seagulls, which we did not know. An additional bit of info concerned scientific research with the Arctic terns. He said he was part of a team that conducted testing but got some complaints from the tourists who accused them of harassing the birds. The team did get dive-bombed by some terns when they were attaching the leg bands, but that's part of the work. Not to be confused with harming them.
We were on one of the final tenders, and the security team were busy loading the tables, chairs, tents and barrier posts. Then we were back to the ship by 3:30pm agreeing what a nice visit we had here. The weather was a mixed bag with drizzle, rain, fog, clouds, and some sun which added to the beauty of this town. Two of the tour vessels were late coming back, so the ship did not leave the harbor until about 4:45pm. Scenic sailing followed as we transited the Prince William Sound.
Dinner had some new items again. One starter was a cheese, crab and artichoke dip with two little bread sticks. A bean and pasta soup warmed both of us up.
Mains were one plate of pork ribs with a tasty coffee BBQ sauce. The other entree ordered was linguini with shredded beef. Both were good, but the ribs won out tonight. We shared a lemon meringue tart for dessert.
Vocalist Mark Kopitzke was the entertainer in the World Stage. His theme was "Secret Agent Man" with spy swing, rock and soul.
The ship is heading towards Kodiak and will arrive by 11am. Seems like we were just here...and we were in late April.
Bill & Mary Ann
