Down to Valdez

I wake with my hosts and pack the few things I’ve brought inside as they get ready for work. How very normal that routine had been for me and how alien it seems at the moment. Surely, I’ll resume it like I was never offered this opportunity to wake as I please, but for now, I’m thankful for my freedom. Hasty goodbyes are made over swigs of coffee and we all three head off in our own directions. Mine will take me south. I’ve got about an hour to decide whether I continue on south to the coast and Valdez or cut east toward the town of McCarthy. Planning to visit both, and having an open schedule, it isn’t a critical decision.

I end up staying on the main road south. The offshoot to McCarthy is a rough gravel road that will be waiting and ready as I head back this way. The trip to Valdez is a dead end of sorts, unless I were to take a ferry, so I’ll be back this way in not too long. There is a bit of construction related delays on the journey down, but it passes by uneventfully. Getting closer, I summit Thompson pass and begin descending towards town.

The landscape changes to surprisingly green and lush looking hills and then again into a occasionally more stark and cliff walled canyon, containing the Lowe river, which roars and crashes following the road down this side of the pass, carving its way through the canyon. I see commercial raft trips dot the water a few times and lock this river away in the back of my mind as another possible packraft run. Two large waterfalls pour into the canyon, one from the left and then quickly another tumbles in from the right. Wow, this area is yet another kind of beautiful, I think as the road slowly flattens out on its approach to the sea.

The town is small, but notably bigger than many I’ve passed through. Its ringed with mountains, a sort of coastal basin of a spot. The peaks are obscured however, due to the ongoing smoke from the numerous fires burning across the state. The unseasonable heat has left the state in an uncommonly high fire danger as well. The smoke does lend a rather ominous tone to the scene, a bit of added drama to the backdrop. Pulling into town, I head directly for the harbor and walk the first wooden dock I find. Feeling the cool sea breeze, I inhale deeply to enjoy the smell of the ocean. It is far different than the smell of a Florida beach vacation I’m so used to from my childhood, but it still similar enough to evoke emotion. Smiling, I stroll the dock and take in the sights. Quickly, I realize how tired I am. From the previous days spent paddling and staying up too late, my body is already asking for rest rather early in the day. That is one of the perks of a self contained travel van, I remind myself and take a quick hour long nap in the nearly empty parking lot of the harbor.

Refreshed, I set about exploring town a bit. I find the small strip of business catering to the tourists, the local grocery, the visitors information center, the small boat harbor and a quiet side street that borders a moderate sized creek- mineral creek. On the couple blocks of businesses I find a local kayaking outfit and pop in for some info on local paddling. They mainly cater to glacier tours, so I get some info on what’s accessible where, and inquire about renting a sea kayak. They make quite a big deal about being the only outfit in town that does allow rentals outside of a guided tour, but the customer has to convince them they are a safe and confident boater. Well, I might just save the money and effort to prove myself to this kid and use my packraft. I’ve got some good ideas where to go at least. Moving along to the grocery, I find it well stocked and affordable, so I grab a few things for the fridge. The visitor’s center offers me a few tips on if I were to raft Mineral creek along with guidance not to hike the Shoup bay trail that has fallen into disrepair. In addition, to my surprise one of the young guys even points out a decent place to “boondock” (park inconspicuously) for the night. To wrap up the night, I swing by the small boat harbor and admire the ships. I’ve always been drawn to boats as well as the ocean. Another life perhaps, or an upcoming chapter of this one, who knows?

Finding a solid boondocking spot, I cook some dinner and plan out the list of things to explore, starting tomorrow morning with taking my raft out onto Valdez lake and investigating some icebergs and the face of Valdez glacier. Thoughts of the cold water as I drift off to sleep make me pull the covers just a bit closer, once again pleased with the warmth of my van.