We haven't had Internet access for a while. Let's see if we can remember what we've done! On the way out of Seward, we stopped at the Exit Glacier. You can get really close to it via a 2 mile walk. We then drove back up the Kenai Peninsula (still a beautiful drive) and stopped in Hope and Whittier. Hope is an old gold mining town. Not much there but their teeny, weeny library was having a book sale, so I picked up a few books. The librarian grew up in Detroit. Whittier was more interesting. Before 2000, you could only get there by train. Now you can drive there, but you drive on the train track. The 2.5 mile train tunnel is open to one way traffic every hour. As soon as you drive out of the train tunnel, you are in Whittier. A big cruise ship was in, so the small town was packed. Most of the people live in a building the military built during World War II. Interesting, but I wouldn't want to live there. We stopped at the Portage Glacier on the way out of Whittier. We have now seen so many glaciers, we no longer stop! We are now in Valdez. The drive here was absolutely stunning. Every time we think we have seen the most beautiful part of Alaska - there is more. The drive to Valdez through the Wrangell-St. Elias mountains was spectacular. Great views and waterfalls. Slow driving due to twists and turns and the dreaded frost heaves in the road, but definitely worth the drive. We are camped on the water watching the fishing boats come and go. It is a busy, working port - this is the end of the pipeline. You may remember, Valdez had a big oil spill in 1989. The fishing has recovered. Valdez was wrecked by the 1964 earthquake too. Hmmm, maybe not a good town to live in? Oh yea, as we were leaving the camp site for supper to celebrate Eldon's birthday, the people we met in Jasper from Colorado pulled in. They went to dinner with us. I guess it is a small world (in a big state.)

Comments from Eldon: When I left home, I was expecting Denali to be unbeatable for views, wildlife and Alaska ambience. But the drive to Valdez through Wrangell-St. Elias National Park was even more beautiful. We saw a number of glaciers to the point we have stopped taking pictures of them. The waterfalls matched any I've ever seen. Not in power like Niagara Falls, but in beauty. Our camp site is on the bay in Prince William Sound. There are bunnies all over the place, fish jumping in the bay and across the bay are snow covered mountains. We had a Venetian Parade past our camp site last night as the fishing boats were leaving. This trip has made it my best birthday ever.

Comments from Larry: I think if I lived in Alaska, I might choose Valdez. Last night I chased rabbits. I didn't want to catch one though - what would I do with a rabbit? They are pretty big. When the rabbits bored me, I watched the fish jump. Ahhhh, what a life.