Valdez, Alaska

August 29-30, 1992

This is the setting of Valdez, Alaska - on the coast of Prince William Sound but surrounded by high mountains. It is the southern terminus of the Alaska Pipeline which brings oil from Prudhoe Bay. It can deliver 1.56 million barrels of oil a day to this ice-free loading port.

One of the sights on the way into Valdez was this oil tender that escorts the large tankers in and out of the oil terminal area. We could see a line of oil tankers at dock with large oil tanks up on the mountainside behind them.

This is the mountain setting of the southern terminus of the Alaska Pipeline with the collection of tanks up on the mountainside.

Along with the huge oil tankers are smaller fishing boats, and this view reminded us of the extensive use of small amphibious planes for travel to lakes in more remote parts of Alaska.

Spending the night at the Forget-Me-Not B&B, we had a nice breakfast and spent some time driving around the new, geometrically planned town of Valdez. The old town, some 4 miles east, was completely destroyed by the 1964 Good Friday earthquake and the tidal wave that followed. Some accounts put its strength at Richter 9.2! It was centered out in the Prince William Sound and there is a memorable photograph of the incoming tidal wave that was taller than a building in its path. Above, Brenda and Rod are in the center of town with a view across the bay to the oil loading terminal. The inset shows a bit more detail of the oil storage tanks above the loading facility and their setting in the mountains.