WTF – Where’s the fish??? We traveled to Valdez to stay for a few days; the rumors were that the pinks are running.
Worthington Glacier again (Dee and Cheryl towing the Cougar ahead – frequently in my photos!)
Thompson Pass on Richardson Highway. The poles over the highway are guidance to the snowplows in winter weather. It’s not uncommon for Valdez to be isolated by avalanches here and farther down the canyon.Blueberry Lake
When the men go fishing, we get ice cream!
Happy July 4th!
Next on the agenda – panning for gold! So off to Mineral Creek we went!
Park on the creek bed – glacier water is very cold.First, fill the 5 gallon bucket with dirt/rocks/debris from the stream – Doug was great.Next, shovel some into the sluice and let the water run through it.Now the real fun begins, panning. The theory is that gold is heavy. All the sand, silt, and whatever else will float away and leave gold in the bottom of your pan. Just keep scooping the icy water and let the sand float away. The nuggets at the jewelry store were a lot larger!
Lunch didn’t do much to warm up our feet!
The Valdez Glacier is important in history because it was the start of the All American Route to the Eagle mining district in Alaska, and from there up the Yukon River to Dawson City and to the Klondike. In 1897-98 thousands of gold seekers carried multiple loads of required equipment up the glacier and beyond, facing dangerous crevasses, snowblindness, and exhaustion. Most stampeders arrived too late to mine any gold or even stake a claim.
Glacier in distance and all the way down to the water.
Part of the terminal glacial moraine where the glacier has receded.
On Board Sylvie 
So…. no Eureka moment, eh? Still looks like fun! And breathtakingly beautiful. Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
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