Day 5: August 24, 2011
August 24 (sunny in AM – turned cloudy and some rain in afternoon – sunny and cool in PM)
Woke up and headed south to Valdez – stopped to see the pipeline – walked under it – it was suspended over us on platforms that allow the pipeline to move sideways in case of earthquake
Stopped to see Worthington Glacier
Stopped to see Bridal Veil Falls in the Keystone canyon – awesome falls that drops about 400 feet – great views! Bridal Veil is one of many waterfalls in Keystone Canyon and is seasonal for it freezes in the winter – great for ice climbing
Then stopped at Horsetail Falls – climbed up into the falls – This picturesque fall is fed by snow and ice melt and empties into the Lowe River – is 330 feet high
Drove down into Valdez – toured the town – stopped at the local grocery store – bought some snacks
Went to the harbor and boarded the Glacier Spirit operated by Stan Stephens Cruises for an 8 hour tour of Prince William Sound and the Columbia Glacier – cruised into the sound and saw animals – ate a lunch of soup and bread onboard – hot soup tasted good as the temperature fell as we cruised closer to glacier (Carol used some glacier ice to cool her Pepsi!) The owner, Helen, and her daughter served the meal. You could tell Helen loved to teach any listener she could find about the animals and glacier movement.
We were able to cruise to within a mile of the glacier – awesome site – lots of ice burgs, but none too large that stopped us from going into Columbia Bay to see the glacier. Other boats 3 weeks earlier could only get within 5 miles.
Lots of animals on the way back!
Drove back to Copper Center and the Princess Lodge – stopped at Willow Lake and saw awesome pictures of copper colored mountains in the distance – colored by setting sun! Saw the mountains of the Wrangler – St. Elias range again – awesome!
Spent night at Copper Center Princess Lodge
Woke up and headed south to Valdez – stopped to see the pipeline – walked under it – it was suspended over us on platforms that allow the pipeline to move sideways in case of earthquake
Stopped to see Worthington Glacier
Stopped to see Bridal Veil Falls in the Keystone canyon – awesome falls that drops about 400 feet – great views! Bridal Veil is one of many waterfalls in Keystone Canyon and is seasonal for it freezes in the winter – great for ice climbing
Then stopped at Horsetail Falls – climbed up into the falls – This picturesque fall is fed by snow and ice melt and empties into the Lowe River – is 330 feet high
Drove down into Valdez – toured the town – stopped at the local grocery store – bought some snacks
Went to the harbor and boarded the Glacier Spirit operated by Stan Stephens Cruises for an 8 hour tour of Prince William Sound and the Columbia Glacier – cruised into the sound and saw animals – ate a lunch of soup and bread onboard – hot soup tasted good as the temperature fell as we cruised closer to glacier (Carol used some glacier ice to cool her Pepsi!) The owner, Helen, and her daughter served the meal. You could tell Helen loved to teach any listener she could find about the animals and glacier movement.
We were able to cruise to within a mile of the glacier – awesome site – lots of ice burgs, but none too large that stopped us from going into Columbia Bay to see the glacier. Other boats 3 weeks earlier could only get within 5 miles.
Lots of animals on the way back!
Drove back to Copper Center and the Princess Lodge – stopped at Willow Lake and saw awesome pictures of copper colored mountains in the distance – colored by setting sun! Saw the mountains of the Wrangler – St. Elias range again – awesome!
Spent night at Copper Center Princess Lodge
