Virtual Alaska With Mr. Hollinger
Journal Entry for Sunday, April 29, 2001
This morning the sun rose on Valdez in a crystal clear blue sky. A very unusual day this time of year here. It's usually raining. The snow covered mountains surrounding the town are beautiful
After church at Epiphany Lutheran Church Mrs. Long and her son Justin (age 6) and I met some of her students and parents at her office to load gear on a pickup truck for our trip to Cordova. Our trip will be a six hour ride on a ferry boat that hauls vehicles, including semi trucks and cars, as well as passengers around the Prince William Sound. From the Extension School office we drove to the ferry terminal where we met other parents and students with their vehicles. Within an hour we were all aboard the ferry and at 1:00 p.m. we pulled away from the Valdez dock. Our ferry is called the E.L. Bartlett.
Our trip took us out of the Port of Valdez into a larger body of water called the Valdez Arm. From there we entered the main part of the Prince William Sound. Along the way I was watching for whales. I didn't see any, but I did see sea otters, lots of birds, and ice bergs floating that calved off of the Columbia glacier nearby.
At one point our ferry passed between Bligh Island and Bligh Reef. Bligh Reef is where the oil tanker Exxon Valez ran aground back in 1989 causing the worst oil spill to date in North America. There is a bouy marking the spot where the Exxon Valdez met its fate. Our vessel steered well clear of it.
We arrived in Cordova a little ahead of schedule. Cordova is built on a hillside overlooking Orca Inlet. It has a large fishing boat marina, and Cordova, like Valdez, is surrounded by snow-capped mountains. We made our way to St. Joseph's Catholic Church where we will be staying until Friday. We'll all (teachers, students from kindergarten through grade 10, and a few parents) live in the church basement. We'll be exploring the area, taking hikes, meeting with forest service people, watching birds, learning and having fun from our home base at the church.
Photos
A view looking back to Valdez as the E.L. Bartlett pulls away.
A tug boat passing a small iceberg calved from the nearby Columbia Glacier. The tug is pulling a barge (not shown).
The E.L. Bartlett docked at Cordova. One of many vessels hauling people and vehicles along the "Alaska Marine Highway."
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