Wandering Whites RV

Valdez, Alaska is a small seaport town that boasts a population of about 3800.  It is right on Prince William Sound and is surrounded by snow and ice capped mountains, and waterfalls.  We spent a couple of nights at the Eagle Rest RV Park.  Eagle Rest is very conveniently located; a walk to the waterfront, beside a gas station, burger joint, grocery store, etc.  It’s drawback is that it is a very large crushed stone, treeless parking lot.  Since leaving Jasper, Alberta we have stayed mostly in privately owned campgrounds as we need the electricity hookup for our electric heat.  We wake up most mornings to low to medium single digit temps.  We get about 48 hours of heat from one 20 pound propane tank and the furnace fan sucks up 8 hours of battery life before it needs a recharge.  We’ve only used our portable generator to top off the batteries once before going to bed.  That was when we stayed at a non-serviced BC provincial park.  Next year we will have the solar power design down and will install it prior to our east coast venture, but that’s next year.  This year it’s private RV Parks and some cram you in tight.  There is no place to set up a chair outside, no interest in staying more than 1 or 2 nights.

We took advantage of the proximity to the  waterfront and went for a walk, dinner at a restaurant, and took some photos of the waterfront, including photos of the today’s fishing charter catch.  Day 2 we were up early and dressed warmly for our boat tour of Prince William Sound on Stan Stevens Tours.

The cruise was on a large catamaran that had large heated areas inside as well as large areas bow and stern for outside viewing.  By the end of the day’s tour everyone was spending more time inside than out.

The narrated tour took us through the Salmon fishing grounds, shoreline areas where bear frequent as well as Sea Lions, packs of floating Sea otters, and Harp Seals, Humpback Whales surfacing, small icebergs, numerous waterfalls,  and the Glaciers.  It was another day of hundreds of photos.  Coming up beside the iceberg for photos, cruising along the ice flow, stopping and having a chat with the commercial Salmon boat crew, stopping to watch the whales, and the slow cruise by the Sea Lions as they did water acrobats was just part of an amazing day.  We would do it again, only dress even warmer.

Hot and cold drinks as well as a hot lunch was served.  This tour operator was highly rated as the Captain does not keep to a set schedule.  He drives further to whether the animals are that day, turns and goes back if something is sighted, and hangs out at the glacier waiting for ice to fall.  Our 8-hour cruise was over 9 hrs.  We skipped the shuttle walked back to the RV Park, not only because it was close, but to warm up our muscles.  Next trailer has a hot tub.

We got back too late for either of us to be interested in cooking so I suggested I get some takeout, but  Jenn said she wasn’t that hungry.  I have no idea what that has to do with it being after dinner time.  It’s after dinner time + there’s no dinner ready = takeout.  I walked over to the burger joint after offering her some my burger and fries, especially if they have the tasty, old fashioned, hydrogenated oil thick cut fries.  And they did, at $15 US for the burger and fries.

Next morning we were on our way back through the Keystone Canyon, up the 20 + km run to the top of Thompson Pass and on to the city of Anchorage.