Valdez - boat tour

The tour was scheduled to last 7+ hours & went nearly 10. Though not as great as the Major Marine tour out of Seward, it was still worth doing. 

The Lulu Belle - Her 86-year-old captain lives on board. 



Valdez area

The first pic shows the town of about 4,000 peeps. The other is of the marine terminal across the bay. Each of the 18 oil storage tanks at the terminal covers 2 acres & is 65' tall. I'm camped right outside of the gate to the marine terminal & can testify that it is a 24-hour operation. The Alaska pipeline brings the oil here from Prudhoe Bay; when the ANWR begins producing, a spur will carry that oil to the current pipeline, & that oil will come through Valdez.


commercial fishing

We got to watch as these 2 boats, each with an end of the net, worked together to spread the net & encircle the fish. 


Then the main boat drew in the net with a load of fish. 


When the boats like the one above have filled their hold, they will take the load over to this boat, which is the cannery. 

wildlife

a humpback whale


Dall's porpoises - They are very fast & hard to photograph. There were about 8 of them. 



sea lions - We saw them a number of places.



sea ice - As we approached the glaciers, the ice increased. 

glaciers - Several glaciers came down to the same fjord. 








*   *   *   *   *

Wildlife sightings (not counting those in the conservation preserve or the aquarium)

--> --> today: humpback whale - 1            Dall's porpoises - ~ 8

sea lions - many            puffins - many            sea otters - 13

--> --> trip total so far: 

    black bears - 4          deer - 2                grizzlies - 1            moose - 7

    stone sheep - 8        elk - 1                   caribou - 15            bison - 42    

    Dall sheep - 11        porcupines -1         mountain goats - 1

    trumpeter swans - 27+        many bald eagles    black oyster catcher - 1 (rare)

    sea otters - 24             harbor seals - many     

    many sea stars & jelly fish        Dall's porpoise - ~ 20

    North Pacific Humpback whales - 2 pods of ~ 12 each + 1

    Stellar's sea lions - 100+ including 60 pups (counted by scientists) + many

    puffins, horned & tufted - many      







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