Travel to Valdez and finding my way around town

After leaving Bozeman, MT at 7 a.m. and stopping in Seattle and Anchorage, I arrived in Valdez last night at around 6 p.m. It was a very long trip, but the weather was beautiful over Alaska and I had a window seat, so I really enjoyed the views during the second half of the trip.

Views from the air

Enormous Glacier

Icebergs in water below

Flying into Valdez - Terminus of the Pipeline

The curator of the museum, Andrew, picked me up at the airport and brought me grocery shopping. The food prices in Valdez are much higher because of the remoteness of the area, so I will not be eating as much fresh produce as I would like, but that's a small price to pay for being out here for the summer! Andrew was also nice enough to stop at his house on the way to my apartment and gave me some salmon he had recently caught!

From there, we headed to the house I will be living in this summer. I am staying in a room in a condo owned by Toni, a professor at the Prince William Sound Community College here in Valdez. Toni welcomed me in and offered me some dinner and we got to know each other a little before I headed to sleep, exhausted from a long day of travel.

This morning I slept in and got unpacked and settled in. Then, Toni took me on a tour of Valdez and the surrounding area. I learned where all the most important places in town are: the museum, the town library, the ferry terminal, the college, coffee shops, restaurants, and hiking trails.

Views of Valdez

Prince William Sound

Then, Toni drove me about 30 miles out on the Richardson Highway, where I saw Keystone Canyon, Thompson Pass, Bridal Veil and Horsetail Falls, and Worthington Glacier. The scenery was breathtaking the entire drive and it made me really excited to get out on the trails and see more of this beautiful area!

Keystone Canyon

Horsetail Falls

Driving to Thompson Pass

Worthington Glacier

Tomorrow is my first day of work at the Valdez Museum and I can't wait to get started!