Monday July 23 Town of Valdez

Today was all about the town of Valdez.  Starting in the morning, I took a run thru the town at about 6:30am before everything was starting up.  Typical start of the morning here along the coast with heavy fog and kind of a drizzle.  I passed by the docks where there were a number of groups of guys getting ready for a fishing outing.  There is a lot of fishing charter companies along here and a lot of tourists.   The rest of the town was pretty much asleep as I went thru the commercial area and then passed by the residential area.  The town was very well organized, which is unlike most of the towns around here that just grew up as it happened. 

We went to a couple of museums here in town and there really was a good explanation why this town is so organized.  In 1964, there was a horrific earthquake, where the epicenter was just a few miles from Valdez.  This was the biggest earthquake ever in North America, which measured 9.2 on the scale.  It lasted almost 5 minutes.  Between the tremendous shaking and the tsunamis that followed, it completely wrecked the town.  The town was completely rebuilt about 5 miles away, where it is today.  When they rebuilt the town, they had the time and foresight to organize the town as it should be.  Everything in the current town, is less than 50 years old.   They still mark where the old town was, but it has completely overgrown with forest and weeds. 

The oil pipeline terminal was a very big impact on the area as well.  Huge numbers of people came into the area to finish the pipeline as well as build the ship loading terminal that is in Valdez.  There is still all kinds of temporary housing around the area that had to hold these people.

Also, in 1989, the big oil spill from the Exxon Valdez had a big impact on the area.  While the oil spill did not reach the town it impacted the coasts all around the area.  Valdez was impacted because there was such an influx of people because of the event.  Again, all kinds of temp housing was needed to handle all these people.

While we were here, the big thing is the Salmon fishing by the commercial fishermen.  Lots of boats in and out of the harbor as this is the season for salmon.   There is a fish hatchery in Valdez for salmon.  We went out to see this today.  There is a stream that comes out of the hatchery that was completely full of salmon.  These salmon were bred at this hatchery, and as is their nature, they are trying to come back to where they were born.  Zillions of salmon trying to come back upstream to the hatchery where they were born.     Now this is kind of a big tourist thing to see all the salmon in the stream, as well as the sea lions and bears taking advantage of the opportunity of this pile of salmon.  

We also took a drive back up the highway that we originally took into Valdez thru the Keystone Canyon.  Fantastic drive as it winds thru the high canyon walls.  

Tomorrow, we head towards Haines.  It should take us about 3 days to get there.  We will probably be without Internet until we get there.

Bridal Veil Falls - Just outside of Valdez within 

the Keystone Canyon.  Our hike 

yesterday was just above these falls.  We couldn't see

it because of the thick trees and such.

Stream coming into the salmon hatchery - full of salmon

Salmon hatchery - They actually block most of the salmon from getting 

back to the hatchery.  

At the Keystone Canyon - This was a tunnel that was

dug out by hand by workers who were trying 

to open up a railroad thru the canyon.  It was

never completed.