Friday, August 5, 2011

Bayside RV Park & Valdez Museum

From Bayside RV Park & Valdez Museum
Here we are in Valdez, with a bay side view, currently of clouds and fog!

From Bayside RV Park & Valdez Museum
From Bayside RV Park & Valdez Museum
From Bayside RV Park & Valdez Museum
Although unseen, views of snow capped mountains, birds, waterfalls and more should be at our doorstep when the weather clears.

From Bayside RV Park & Valdez Museum
From Bayside RV Park & Valdez Museum
We try to make our first stop in each town the visitor center. Here we find out we arrived just in time for a 3 day annual celebration of Gold Rush Days. Note the hanging over the wall of the visitor center made to look like an old time bar.

From Bayside RV Park & Valdez Museum
From Bayside RV Park & Valdez Museum
The Valdez Museum, our next stop, with displays both on the inside and exterior, features this old green wooden fishing vessel, (shown as lead photo of this post) which is no longer sea-worthy. This boat is of interest as she survived the 1964 earthquake, which destroyed many communities and villages along coastal Alaska. She was pulled under with the tidal waves 3 times, and still lived to sail another day.

From Bayside RV Park & Valdez Museum
From Bayside RV Park & Valdez Museum
From Bayside RV Park & Valdez Museum
These pictures do not show we were there during the two hours of free entry in honor of Gold Rush Days. The museum was jammed full of people and getting good shots of the exhibits is almost impossible.

From Bayside RV Park & Valdez Museum
From Bayside RV Park & Valdez Museum
From Bayside RV Park & Valdez Museum
From Bayside RV Park & Valdez Museum
These pictures certainly don't convey how interesting this museum is. I really enjoyed the terrific display of historic pictures, the old bar, (wide angle lens a must) history of the Exxon-Valdez oil spill, the Richardson Highway, Alaska's first highway, etc.

For further information including some great photos: Valdez Museum

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