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Leaving Valdez in the rain

Abandoned Railroad Tunnel Entrance

Left Valdez in rain and headed towards Tok. On the way out of Valdez we stopped in Keystone Canyon at an old railroad tunnel which was hand cut into the solid rock of the canyon. The tunnel, which would have provided a short route from the copper mining area to the coast, was never completed because of a feud and gun battle. Later we stopped at Worthington Glacier which has shrunk considerably since 2003. Also, a quick stop at Wrangell-St. Elias National Park Visitor Center; very well done displays explaining the ecology, geology, topography and cultural history of the park. Outside the Center there was a full sized fishwheel built by Johnny Goodlataw, a local Ahtna Athabaskan elder; Fishwheels similar to this are ubiquitous on the Yukon and Copper Rivers. Camped in Sourdough Campground in Tok and, of course, had to have another Fast Eddy’s pizza.

Worthington Glacier – in 2003 the glacier front was about where the three people are (lower right)

Fishwheel

Fishwheel Diagram

Fast Eddy’s