~~ Valdez ~~
Valdez is home to the terminus of the great Alaskan pipeline. Driving
to it, one crosses the Thompson Pass,
which has one of the highest annual snowfall totals in the state.
Numerous waterfalls tumble down the
mountainsides, and the Worthington Glacier creeps close enough to
the highway that pedestrians may approach it.
(Above) Fireweed frames the Worthington Glacier.
(Above) Rick and I in front of Horsetail Falls, along the Richardson Highway en route to Valdez.
(Above) Fishing vessel returns to harbor in Valdez.
(Above) Harbor seal on buoy in Port Valdez, on way out to Prince William Sound.
(Above) We are kayaking near Columbia Glacier. The ice above is breaking off from the glacier.
(Above) Drum Mountain in the Wrangell-St Elias Range peeks out from beneath its shroud of clouds.
(Above) A trail near the visitors center (Wrangell-St. Elias National Park).