Glennallen to Valdez!!

This time change thing is really a pain.  Every day we seem to cross some kind of line that means I don't know what time it is.  I'm not sure if we are forward or backward ... all I know is Cooper gets up early!!!  The running joke now is whether we will get Satellite TV.  We both have Dish Network, and on several occasions have been told we CAN'T get service.  But it worked in Skagway and even though Dan thought we probably would lose service soon, we just keep hitting the "on" button and it keeps working, in Whitehorse and in Border City and in Glennallen.

We left Glennallen to make the short 120 or so miles to Valdez.   But first .....

Patty wanted to make a quick stop at Cooper Creek to check on Native crafts in some of the local shops.  We passed by this great cabin ... I could live here ... before getting to the 3-building town.  Dan pulled over in a wide spot, I pulled over in front of a junk yard (actually a "native's" house) while we tried to find out if any of the stores were open.  About that time, this "lady" and I use that word loosely, walked in front of my rig and headed to the bookstore.  I slid open my window, asking if it was open.  I quote here ... "yer gittin exhaust in my front door ... you need to git outta here".  I should have just told her to shut the door ... but instead we left.  The Copper Creek welcoming committee didn't want any of our cash ... and after that, we didn't want to leave any. 

Unlike the Yukon where half the trees are dying from a beetle infestation, Alaska trees are green and gorgeous!!  Yesterday it was very hazy and (cough cough) smoky from a huge fire we could see in the distance.

                                      

Heading toward Worthington Glacier here ... I wanted to stop every few miles, but alas, the roads are not wide enough for the photographer.

We came upon the Glacier and stopped for a few photos.  This is the closest I've ever been to a Glacier.  The sign said that 20,000 years ago, we would be under 4000 feet of ice.  The brown spot, middle left, is also glacier, just covered with dirt the wind has blown over.  Even with temperatures warming, this glacier won't melt.  It is so high that snow will continue to fall and keep it intact.

They tell me you can determine whether it's a glacier or just snow, by the blue color.

Up close and personal!!!

Crossing over Thompson pass at only 2,678 feet, we drove down the mountain, through Keystone Canyon into waterfall country.

There were falls every few hundred feet or so ... this was Bridal Veil Falls.  

When we stopped for this pic, my rig needed washing so I just drove underneath!!  Okay, not really!!!

As we drove the road to Valdez between these mountains and Lowe River, I just kept snapping away.  They had a pretty hard winter this year and the snow didn't even start to melt off until the middle of May.  Good for us because the rivers are full to overflowing and the mountains spectacular!

Finally into Valdez proper, we are staying at a full-hookup park with 50 amp service called Eagles Rest, about $42 per night.  You can even wash your rig at your site, but please put a shutoff or sprayer on the end of your hose.  My neighbor didn't, leaving me with no water while he was washing.  

Guess what ... we've STILL got satellite TV!!  Just in case yours doesn't work, this park has cable TV AND wifi!!

Lunch/Dinner consisted of a burger for Dan ... how did you guess? and fish tacos for Patty and I.

They say everything is bigger in Texas, but I think this burger will give them a run for their money.

Along with a pile of fries that all three of us ate ... and there were still some left over.

First thing today we are off on a cruise around Prince William Sound in a rather small boat.  Try as I might to get "the patch" for seasickness, I could only get a dramamine-type product.  I'm hoping I'll have some nice pictures for you instead of feeding the fish.  Wish me luck!!!