Glacier Cruising on Prince William Sound

Our cruise with Stan Stephens Company took us from Valdez (bottom right pink) to Meares Glacier (bottom left pink) back to Columbia Glacier (middle lower pink). The bottom pink is Bligh Reef where the Valdez Exxon ran aground in 1989.

Above is a panoramic of Columbia Glacier. The Columbia Glacier was the last of Alaska's tidewater glaciers to go into a retreat. The retreat began in 1978, and by 1983 it had moved off its terminal moraine, losing an increasing amount of ice. In 2002, it had retreated a distance of 7 1/2 miles, leaving approximately 18 miles to go before reaching bedrock on shore. This retreat is truly "history in the making."

Before the whale appears he makes a blow; next

Humpback Whales are baleen feeders, consuming nearly a ton of food a day, mostly
plankton and krill. They migrate 6,000 miles twice a year. They are an average of 45 feet & weigh 35-40 tons.

you will see a fin and whale back pop up, and if




you are very, very lucky, the prized "whale tale" can be photographed.

Steller Sea Lions average 1,200 pounds for the males and up to 650 for females. They eat during the night, sunning and resting on rocks during the day. They generally live in colonies and are known to be very boisterous.

There was very interesting interaction about to take place between the bull and his harem on the rock and the huge bull about to crawl onto the rock from the right side.





And boy there was a lot to be said between them!

Approaching Columbia Glacier

In Alaska there are 30,000 square miles of glacier ice, covering 5% of the state. Glacier ice is blue because the physical properties of the water molecule absorbs all of the colors in the spectrum except the blue, which is transmitted. Glaciers in the Sound are both retreat--shortening the distance from the origin to the terminus--and advancing, increasing in size.

Sea Otters are known as the "Old man of the sea". They are the largest members of the Weasel family in North America. The males weigh up to 100 pounds. When not eating, consuming nearly 25% of their weight daily, they float on their backs, grooming, resting and generally enjoying life. They are fun creatures to watch as they carry their babies on the stomach (above) and tumble and turn playfully in the water. And they do love to perform for an audience.

It was Jerry's most fervent wish to lick glacial ice. Mission accomplished!

Harbor Seals have round heads and large eyes and are not as social as sea lions. Females with pups are seen up on the ice bergs near glaciers. They dive up to 600 feet to retrieve their food. With their short front flappers, they are not agile or safe on land. We have some Harbor Seals near us in camp. They generally only stick their heads out of the water for a short time but those huge eyes are so compelling, you fall in love instantly.



This piece of glacier cracked and broke off when we were there to see it. Amazing sound and sight. The blue colors are stunning!




there were so very many pictures to choose from; it was hard to cull them down to a few. Hope you enjoyed those you did see.

BBYN, Karen and Don

Valdez, AK on Prince William Sound

The Richardson Hwy. offers good views of the trans Alaska Pipeline (above) The pipeline carries oil 800 miles from Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic Ocean to the pipeline terminus (above left) at Port Valdez, which is just across the bay from our campground.

In addition the Richardson Highway was Alaska's first road, known to good seekers in 1898 as the Valdez to Eagle trail. Gold stampeders started up the trail again in 1902, this time headed for

Fairbanks, site of a big gold strike. The Valdez to Fairbanks trail became an important route to the Interior, and in 1910 the trail was upgraded to a wagon road, then updated to automobile standards in 1920 and finally hard-surfaced in 1957. History sure is not long ago in Alaska!

Below is a rusty oil tanker still in use & a cruise ship. They come in maybe once a week.

Looking up Prince William Sound toward old Valdez.

Kayaking (below) and Harbor Seals (right) are popular sights right off our campsite in Valdez.




Even Valdez has a Glacier, although it is very small now, just a few feet tall and not very deep.

There is a lot of glacial ice flow created from the Valdez Glacier.

Glacial reflections (left).

Geneva Harris Braxton who was a mulatto woman was married to Braxton. Both were well known in the community and respected. However upon her death, Geneva was not allowed in the cemetery (now called Pioneer or Chinese Cemetery) This sign sits outside the cemetery gates. And in truth it is NOT a Chinese cemetery. One man in the town was Japanese and due to the fact his calligraphy was not understood by the locals, they assumed he was Chinese when buried; thus the name of the cemetery, so the story goes.

The beautiful and unusual Chocolate Lily also known as Indian Rice grows near the old Valdez town site,

As does this pretty Northern Shooting Star.





Along the roadside waterfalls always catch your attention.

Harlequin Duck Pair

Red Throated Loon

Nesting Black-legged Kittiwakes. There are 4 times as many as these nesting along the edge of a bridge. There is a ledge between the road top and the bottom of the bridge. Amazing sight.

Notice his short webbed feet.

The tranquil (top) and the thrilling black bears.



The Fox Sparrow is building a next on the rocks just past our campsite area.

Jerry Funk and Don outside the Funks campsite getting ready to grill our steaks and salmon for the evening dinner. We are camped to the top/right of the Funks.

BBFN, Karen and Don