#ProjectAlaska: Valdez Part 2

I arrived in Valdez to find the skies gray and rainy. However, I discovered quickly just how bright things can be in Valdez. I spent some time driving around and getting more familiar with my surroundings. I visited the docks first, as you saw in yesterday's pictures. One of the grandest sights to behold in mountainous terrain is a glacier. To realize that most glaciers worldwide are shrinking and melting due to climate change means that NOW is the time to go see them before they disappear. The glaciers in Glacier National Park will be gone in a few years, so you'd better hurry. Check out this video:
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/news/151021-glacier-national-park-melting-vin
This article makes it clear that the glaciers there will be gone much sooner than expected:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/03/090302-glaciers-melting.html

For me, my rendezvous with Glacier National Park will come later in my story. For now, I shall focus instead on a different glacier: the Columbia Glacier. While I stayed in Valdez with another friend, I went on a cruise to see the glacier up close (for additional info, go here:
http://www.stephenscruises.com/columbia-glacier-cruise/). I was very grateful for this opportunity as well as the cruises around town to museums and being shown the old town (destroyed in the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake).

Boarding the boat for my first trip on the Pacific Ocean!

I thoroughly enjoyed my stay in Valdez before I began the long trip to Anchorage.

#Project365: Valdez!

Oops! My friend Wendy, who got me convinced to do this Project 365; shared with me that I am not doing the project correctly. The big picture is that we are all short on time in so many ways, and so my story is designed to highlight the fact that there is no better time than RIGHT NOW to start living what you love. To reflect the project more effectively, I shall change the name of it tomorrow and continue with the "project365" label once I am finished with this current story.

Now, on to the rest of my story. From Tok to Valdez was extremely scenic. For anyone who has never been this far north, just the frost heaves themselves were quite jolting (in more than one way!). However, the views of the mountains and glaciers were awe-inspiring and majestic.

Mount Blackburn:

Wrangell-St.Elias Mountains:

The Worthington Glacier is truly massive; although at the actual viewing site it isn't as spectacular as it appears here below the official site:

Looking back at the glacier from Thompson Pass:

Other views from Thompson Pass:

Bridal Veil Falls:

The end of the road: Valdez!

#Project365: SS Klondike, Whitehorse, and Haines Junction

The history of the SS Klondike was rather fascinating, which is why I spent a considerable amount of time there. In fact, Whitehorse has quite a bit to offer in terms of history. Here are some more pictures of the Klondike:

Haines Junction is a small town along the highway where a road branches off the main route and heads to the southeast to Haines, Alaska. I took some pictures here of the Kluane Mountain Range (part of the St. Elias Mountains):

Further along the route, I took some impressive shots of the St. Elias Range:

Finally, I reached the border of Alaska! Whoo hoo! After reaching this location, I arrived in Tok at my campground about an hour and a half later.