As we continued we passed some beautiful waterfalls. We stopped at one called Horsetail Falls. Some of the younger folks climbed up closer to the bottom of it, but we just enjoyed the view from the parking lot.
The Princess Lodge at Copper River is much smaller than McKinley and Denali. It includes only one main building with additional buildings for employee housing. They have only 75 employees compared to us with 350 employees. It was quite attractive and welcoming, and we enjoyed being guests instead of employees for two days. We were able to eat at their employee dining room for breakfast and they packed us lunches both days. They have a view of mountains in the Wrangell-St Elias National Park but just like Mt McKinley they are sometimes covered in clouds.
We left early the next morning on a two hour drive to Valdez. Unfortunately the clouds were hovering all around us, and we did not see much of the scenic drive. Thompson Pass was so totally engulfed in clouds that the only way we realized that we were passing through it was because we saw a sign. I brought my Alaska Milepost book along so I could follow the road and figure out where we were. We got glimpses of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline which follows adjacent to the road. When we arrived at Valdez we embarked the Glacier Spirit boat to take us through the Prince William Sound to the Columbia Glacier.
It was supposed to be a six hour trip but we ended up being out in the water for seven hours because the whales were performing for us, and we were able to travel very close to the Columbia Glacier.
We saw sea otters and puffins on icebergs and steller sea lions sunning on beach.
The puffins entertained us for quite awhile flying around, landing on icebergs, and flying off again.
There were several areas where Steller Sea Lions lounged along the hillsides. Males average 1200 pounds. When we got closer to them we could hear them bellowing. It was NOT music to the ears!
The icebergs broke up enough for us to get closer to the Columbia Glacier than the captain had travelled previously this summer so we spent quite a bit of time in this area. We bundled up and went out to the front of the boat. Not only were the sights awesome but the sounds of the icebergs crackling were amazing.
On the way back we spotted several whales and the captain knew exactly where to stop and wait for them to perform. This next picture is of a kayak in the background and a whale in the front. If you click on the picture I think you will be able to see it clearer. It was very difficult getting pictures because the whales go up and down so quickly. But it was an outstanding experience to see them.
And the grand finale....we saw a humpback whale (average 45 ft and 35-40 tons) jump out of the water. One of the young girls that work at the front desk clicked her camera at just the right second. The picture that we got was the splash after the jump.
We're really glad we took the opportunity to see another part of Alaska. After spending the night at the Copper River Lodge we headed back to our lodge. We stopped at the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, the largest on in the nation. The visitor center was very impressive. Since we had employees from Denali with us we took a different route back which took us across the Denali Highway 135 miles from Paxton to Cantwell. 15% is paved and the other 85% is gravel so it was slow going. We wouldn't choose that way to go in the RV. I don't know how many miles we traveled on that trip but it gave me a sense of how expansive this state is. We are only in a small section of the state and yet we spent a lot of time on the road.
Misc info: We are still working 6 days a week, meeting amazing people, solving transportation problems, getting frustrated at times, and enjoying our time off. Tonight they are having a barbecue for all the transpo people which includes us. We're promised steaks that can be cut with a fork. Dan says "Yipee!"
Out internet connection is mostly slow but a little faster if we take the computer to the main lodge. At least we have some connection here in the wilderness. It tries our patience. Remember the old dial up??? Click and wait.... Our cell phone reception is good until we go off property where we lose signal quickly.
The weather remains mostly in the 60's during the day and 50's at night. Occasionally it slips into the 70's. That probably sounds good to some of you with the heat wave in the lower 48. The amount of daylight is decreasing. Yesterday sunrise was at 4:59 am and sunset was 11:16. The wildflowers are breathtaking and the baskets and flower beds around the lodge overflowing with beauty.
The bear attack that you may have heard in the news recently took place in the mountains near Talkeetna which is the city one hour from us. We are warned constantly of the possibility of bear and moose. There are some near our property but we haven't seen them.
Hope all is well with everyone.
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