Arrived in Valdez. Absolutely beautiful!

We left Anchorage this morning in the rain. It was a 300 mile drive through some really beautiful scenery.  We were concerned for the first 2 hours that the rain would ruin the view.  Finally we got our wish, it stopped raining. 


The problem was that although it was no longer raining, it was SNOWING!  August 10th and it is snowing in Alaska.  Wow.

Fortunately the snow didn't last too long and once we got to the top of Thompson Pass, the skies cleared and we are enjoying the sun.

This is the view from our RV.  We may extend our stay past Monday.

The road from Glennalen to Valdez was a bitch to drive.  Frost heaves were prevalent for about 50 miles so we had to slow to 30-40 mph to keep from bouncing everything from the cabinets.  It was funny watching Spencer try and sleep on the dash during the drive.  Every time we hit a frost heave, he would get airborne and bounce on the dash.  He would roll over and try again and about the time he would fall asleep, boom, another frost heave!  He looked at me as if to say, "get your act together".  Stella just cowered on the floor behind Abby's seat.

On the ride down to Valdez we saw a moose.

The "bible" for driving to/from Alaska and while in Alaska is called the "Milepost".  It kept saying to "watch" for moose but we realized after a while it didn't say "you will see moose".  We were disappointed in only seeing one while driving through prime moose habitat.

As we rolled into Valdez, we spotted a sow black bear and her cub chowing down in someones front yard.  Abby and I quickly reviewed the rules. 

1. Identify yourself as human.  Hello Mr./Mrs./Ms Bear, I'm human.

2. Identify the bear as either a Grizzly or Black Bear.

3. If it's a Grizzly Bear, do nothing but clasp your hands around your neck (yeah right).

4. If it's a Black Bear, sock it in the nose (that's more like it).

I saw a T-shirt yesterday in Anchorage that fits the situation.  It's ok to come in second when dealing with a bear.  I thought about buying that shirt for me but decided for the sake of my marriage, that it wouldn't be a good idea.

The above pictures were taken during the drive today.  They really don't do justice to the beauty of Alaska.

We are parked in downtown Valdez on the entrance to the harbor.  Unbelievable view complete with many bunnies.  When we were in Seward, a guy from Evart Michigan (near Abby's home town), told us to try and get site 11 at the Bear Paw II Resort in Valdez.  As luck would have it, the manager saved it for us and we are thrilled.  The only downside for this site is to get cable I had to wire in a "cable box" issued by the campground.  Even though we are here to enjoy the sights, it is nice to have "full" cable even if it is "Mad Money with Jim Cramer" on CNBC.  He drives Abby nuts (heh heh).

Off to dinner.  More tomorrow.