No Bears? Really?

Prince William Sound, Alaska

As you enter Valdez, you pass through Keystone Canyon.  It is only three miles long, but it has two amazing waterfalls... Bridal Veil and Horsetail.  The sun was just right, so we stopped to take a few photos.

Bridal Veil Falls, near Valdez, Alaska

Horsetail Falls near Valdez, Alaska

Valdez is all about salmon. The salmon begin running in Valdez around July 24. Bear families are hungry, and many come to small creeks to feed on the abundant fish. We have long had a favorite place to set up for the day to photograph the bears that visit. But not this time. To our dismay, we learned that the wild salmon had only just begun to arrive. In fact, only one returning salmon had been recorded in the culvert near the visitor center. Because of the late spring, the salmon, too, are running late. 

We photographed plenty of both Golden and Bald eagles perched in the treetops. Gulls, too. A forest ranger reported that a brown bear mother and cubs had come to check the creek late last night but quickly left when she found no salmon. It seems that all of us creatures are waiting for the arrival of salmon. 

We did find a bright spot for photos. There is a fish hatchery in Valdez for Pink salmon. The hatchery Pinks had already begun arriving... and in abundance. The fast-running Solomon Gulch Creek dumps into Prince William Sound, meeting at the fishery weir. The inlet was filled with salmon trying to make the weir. The water literally churned with their numbers. 

Enormous sea lions found a virtual feast; they guzzled salmon and fought with one another for prime fishing spots. Sea gulls, ever the opportunists, waited for leavings or feasted on the many salmon that had died in their quest to make it over the weir. It was a cacophony of sounds with roaring sea lions, raucous laughing gulls, jangling tourists, rushing water, yawping wind, rumbling vehicles, and the drumming of machinery from the hatchery and adjacent hydroelectric generation plant.  

During high tide, there must have been a thousand gulls and over a dozen sea lions all vying for their chance to gobble up salmon in the small area surrounding the weir. It was amazing. I wore out one camera battery and had to go back to the truck for another. 

As the tide waned, we left and discovered a dog park in town. Sam found a friend, and the two ran until they wore themselves out while chasing each other. We stopped by the fish market and bought a salmon filet for dinner. 

That evening, we found a spot to boondock (free camp) near old town Valdez. It was between the mountains and Prince William Sound. Some places just feel like paradise on earth. 

We decided to leave for Homer rather than wait for the wild salmon to arrive in Valdez. We’re looking at the possibility of returning after we circle the Kenai Peninsula. We’ll see how our timing looks and make a decision in a week or two. So it’s goodbye to Valdez… until we meet again.