Day 18: Cantwell, AK to Valdez, AK
Despite all of our best bear precautions (all food and dishes packed up into the car), something must have been spilled on the picnic table near our fire ring. In the middle of the night, we both woke to the sound of something large nosing around, bumping into the car, and then it was gone. So, there’s that. We were woken up in the morning by a very talkative chicken strolling around the campsite, which was funnier than you’d think it would be at 5:30 in the morning. We took our time getting ready and packing up our campsite, then decided to carry on the Denali Highway over to the Richardson Highway, which leads you down to Valdez.
About to pack up our campsite on the Denali Highway
We took our time getting ready and packing up our campsite, then decided to carry on down the Denali Highway over to the Richardson, which leads you down to Valdez. The landscape changes as you head south, edging toward the coast with a stop at Worthington Glacier, then cutting through Keystone Canyon. This was definitely the highlight of the drive—the sheer height of the rock on either side of the road is awe-inspiring, not to mention the two very active waterfalls, Bridal Veil Falls and Horsetail Falls (video to come).
Fresh off an excellent night of camping (and facing Valdez's unexpected shortage of reasonably priced lodging), we decided to camp again. After a quick spin around town, we landed on the Valdez Glacier Campground, part of Fort Greely. The campground goes on and on, and has decent shower facilities to boot, so we found a good spot and set up camp, right where we could hear a creek and see a bit of the mountain face behind us.
The small boat harbor in Valdez
We took a walk around Valdez's modest "downtown," and decided to pick up dinner from The Fat Mermaid (salmon tacos + a pizza), perfectly situated right on the waterfront. A quick stop for some firewood and fresh ice, and we were on our way back to the campgrounds. Thankfully, nightfall meant the disappearance of the hordes of slow-moving flies that seem to love our car and have the tendency to sit right in your ear canal. We built a fire, locked up all the food in the car (even more carefully this time), and called it a night.