998 July 31, 2023 Valdez

Allison, Kyle, and I began the day with a great walk while Tim did his yoga and weights.

We wandered down to the ferry terminal.  We spotted a bald eagle.

We found a coffee shop and then walked around the harbor.

After lunch, we took the Jeep and went to explore.  Our first stop was the Valdez Glacier.

Next, we went to the Valdez Fish Hatchery.  The pink salmon were returning to spawn.  There was a huge frenzy of fish in the water.

Huge sea lion bulls sat in the shallow water resting and hunting for salmon.  The picking was easy and the sea lions gorged themselves.

The gulls were content to feast on leftovers.

The old Valdez town site.

Lee and Claudia were in Valdez.  They had an extremely successful fishing charter yesterday for silver salmon.  They came to join us for dinner and to meet the kids.  We had a great evening.

At 9pm, we decided to return to the hatchery.  We were hoping to see bears fishing for salmon.  There were no bears.  The tide was low and the fish boiled and churned with the desperate, writhing salmon. 

Kyle was able to reach in a grab a couple.

What an amazing sight to witness!