Day 71

August 8, 2017

Valdez Museum at 10:30 AM for lots of information about the history of Valdez including gold rush, army camp, Prudhoe Bay development, pipeline construction, earthquake, Exxon Valdez disaster and Holland America’s Prinsendam fire near Valdez.  The welcome sign for the city of Valdez.

The museum is located in two buildings across town from each other but that means about 6 blocks.  There was a display outside of a “smart pig” used for cleaning the interior of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline.

Several displays of early fire fighting equipment in Valdez.

A native created mask on display.

After the second we had a break for lunch.  We planned to go to the local Italian place but it was closed so we chose another along the harbor that turned out to be not so memorable.  In the afternoon we drove out to the fish hatchery for a most unusual sight.  Fingerlings that had been hatched at the hatchery were now mature and trying to get back into the hatchery as salmon always return to the place of their birth to spawn.  Millions of fish were churning the water trying to get into the fish ladder that takes them into the hatchery building where the males and females are separated and the eggs harvested and fertilized then placed in incubators until the babies are ready to place in the holding pens in the bay.  Only the very strongest fish make it up the ladder into the hatchery so there are lots of meals right by the hatchery for the bears, seals and otters this time of year.

From the hatchery we made our way to Safeway for some provisions then home for a collapse in front of the TV.  Still tired from the boat trip yesterday.  To bed early.