| The drive down to Valdez on the Richardson Highway is always beautiful - no matter what time of year it is. The terrain is relatively flat - or rolling hills - until you approach the Delta Junction area. Once you reach Delta Junction, the Alaska Range appears majestically on the horizon (weather permitting). The Tanana River parallels the highway, and numerous rivers and streams feed into it. The highway crosses over these streams and, at this time of year, the trees create colorful reflections in the water. It's a glorious sight. South of Delta Junction is Fort Greely, Donnelly Dome, and Black Rapids Glacier. The landscape here is awe-inspiring, and the Alaska Range is tall and snow-covered. Paxson is the next 'town' south of Fort Greely, but before you hit Paxson there are scenic views of Gulkana Glacier and Summit Lake. During our drive down to Valdez, we traveled through rain and clouds, so views were limited. Fortunately, the drive back to Fairbanks was under mostly clear skies so I was able to snap some photos of the glacier and mountains. After setting up camp on Friday, we grabbed some dinner and headed off in separate directions. Steve took off for Allison Point, to throw in a line for some salmon, while I took Sedona with me for a hike on the Dock Point Trail. It was as I was finishing up our hike, that I saw Steve waiting at the trailhead for me. That's when I learned that Mom had passed. We headed back to the camper and I spent the next few hours on the phone with my brother, as well as on my laptop, creating the memorial video and pamphlet for Mom's Celebration of Life. Thank goodness for wireless internet; I was able to accomplish all that I needed without having to go back to Fairbanks. On Saturday, we took a drive on the Mineral Creek Trail. It was drizzling off and on all morning, and there were thick clouds hanging low on the mountains. I wasn't really in the most enthusiastic of moods, and the miserable weather didn't help. I later decided to stay in the camper and read, while Steve went fishing. He came back a few hours later with four good size silver salmon. He was quite happy with their size - all were in the 12-17 pound range - and spent the next hour vacuum sealing the nice size filets. Sunday morning arrived with blue skies and sunshine - a welcome relief after two days of overcast skies and chilly weather. We decided to hike the Shoup Bay Trail to the beach (Valdez Bay) - about 3 miles roundtrip. Not long after entering the tall scrub bushes, we saw evidence of bear scat and huge paw prints in the mud. We continued on our way, noisier than usual, so that any bears wandering in the area knew we were there. We were glad to see others on the trail as we made our way through mud and wet grass, over rocks and through tall sedge grass. Every stream we passed was full of floundering salmon - fighting their way upstream to spawn. There were just as many dead fish lining the shores and floating in the water. The gulls were certainly enjoying the overabundance of seafood. After our hike, we drove back to Allison Point so that Steve could try his hand at fishing again. He wasn't so lucky this time - only reeling in one salmon. We spent our last evening at the marina, watching the deckhands from the many charter boats clean hundreds of salmon. They moved quickly and efficiently and made it look much easier than it is. We were up early on Monday and chose the Totem Inn for breakfast. The restaurant was very crowded considering the hour, and many people were waiting to be seated. The hostess asked us if we minded sharing a table for four with two older gentleman who were already seated. It didn't matter to us (or them), so we had good food and good conversation with two 'sourdoughs' (Alaska longtimers). They were also from Fairbanks and in Valdez fishing. Here are the photos I took while in Valdez:
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