Day 11 - Valdez, AK

Today was a day of sightseeing in Valdez.

Started by walking breakfast at the Totem Inn. Walt ordered scrambled eggs with reindeer sausage. I tried a slice. Tasted like a hotdog to me. (We're still looking to find moose, elk, buffalo and other exotic things to try!) The decor here is Valdez is definitely sportsman oriented. There are moose and bear heads all over. We ate right next to a grizzly bear. If we don't see more wildlife we'll have to start taking pictures of these things and get creative with Photoshop.

After breakfast we went to "The Prospector: Alaska's Finest Outfitters". Don loved this store. We've been back to it 3 times already. Found out they have a bigger version of this store in Fairbanks. Guess where our first sightseeing stop in Fairbanks will be! They really do have a great selection of stuff here. If you came up here as a city slicker you could walk out with everything you need for clothing and equipment. If you're in Valdez check out this store. The ladies were very helpful.

After browsing through other sports store we went to a couple of museums about Valdez. Lots about the history of Valdez and Alaska and lots about the 1964 earthquake. We're actually in "New Valdez". The old town was wiped out. Riding in it appear that some part of it is viewable still. Don't know much else about that. I'm deciding that although taking a trip like this is more adventurous than a typical vacation it is not really close to what people who settled Alaska went through. Walt pointed out a picture of a car on one of the early roads in Alaska. It was in 12 inches of mud with people pushing. Makes our little trip through highway construction seem very minor in comparison.

In the museum there was a little exhibit about early cargo flying here. These guys were a do it all type. One guy, a founder of an air cargo company here, rebuilt a wrecked airplane and decided he could get supplies to the mines cheaper than any other transport method. Thus air cargo was born in Alaska. Probably a good thing to be able to rebuild an airplane if you were a pilot then.

In the afternoon we did a little bike maintenance. Mostly cleaning the bugs from the windshields and checking tire pressure. Pretty mundane stuff. If you look at our bikes and our helmets (full face) you have to wonder about anybody who would ride up here without a full face helment.