Prince William Sound, Alaska

Journey through a Glacial Alaska


Meares glacier
Front view of the Meares glacier with the Chugach mountains that feed its ice stream from behind.
strategic withdrawal
A puffin moves away from boats approaching its territory.
slippery landing
Flock of birds occupy the bluish surface of an iceberg that has broken off from the Columbia Glacier.
toothed iceberg
Detail of a fractured iceberg adrift in the extension of the huge Columbia Glacier.
mirror sea
Reflection of the Chugach Mountains in the frigid sea that precedes the Meares Glacier.
float rest
Group of otters float in the frigid waters that precede the Meares glacier.
a disputed deck
Passengers on a nature and wildlife contemplation boat peer out onto the Prince William Sound scene.
shallow flight
Seabirds fly over the ice-dappled sea several kilometers downstream of the Columbia Glacier.
geological monument
A small islet cut out of rock, it stands out from the marine immensity of Valdez's Braço de Mar.
noisy cologne
Sea lions compete for a rocky outcrop of Braço de Valdez.
blue downfall
Ice fragment collapses from the front wall of the Meares glacier.
olfactory swimming
Sea lions ply a canal in Prince William Sound.
pink meadow
A sea of ​​flowers decorates the verdant forest of the mountains north of the Richardson Highway.
ice river
Glacier flows from the heights of the Chugach Mountains.
scenic flight
Seaplane flies over Prince William Sound.
glacier fragments
Small icebergs contrast with the immensity of the Chugach Mountains in the background.
mini-forest
Conifers fill the center of an islet in the Valdez Sea Arm.
to alaska
Small boat navigates a forested channel just outside Valdez.
under the fog
Hiker ascends a low slope near the Valdez glacier.
Nestled against the Chugach Mountains, Prince William Sound is home to some of Alaska's stunning scenery. Neither powerful earthquakes nor a devastating oil spill affected its natural splendor.

The fastest and most direct connection from Whittier to Valdez, the opposite corner of Prince William Sound revealed itself to be ferries from the Alaska Marine Highway System.

When we consulted the vessel's departure and arrival calendar, we realized that we would have to wait longer than we could for the next one.

Reformed, we got into the car.

We inaugurate another extensive and delicious journey through Alaskan roads.

Chugach's still snowy mountains, as seen from the Richardson Highway, east of Valdez.

We head north.

We pass along Anchorage and Palmer.

Then we took the Glenn Highway, the extreme route that skirts the Chugach Mountains, their ice fields, glaciers and the many lakes they give rise to.

At the junction known as the Hub of Alaska, we cut south.

Across Alaska Below, Toward Majestic Prince William Sound

Without the insurmountable Chugach barrier in front of us, we head to the eastern end of Prince William Sound.

We approach the endless Thompson Pass, a semi-flooded canyon filled with logs and natural dykes, all caused by the relentless spring thaw.

pink meadow

A sea of ​​flowers decorates the verdant forest of the mountains north of the Richardson Highway.

Twenty-five years after its seismic destruction, Valdez is back in the mouths of the world. For the worst reasons.

Originally a simple fishing village on Prince William Sound, the city housed the Trans-Alaska Pipeline terminal station.

Valdez Oil Terminal, Black Gold Route, Valdez, Alaska, USA

Tanks at the Valdez oil terminal, safe from tsunamis.

From then on, tankers after tankers filled their tanks before setting sail for Outside's refineries.

The worst was about to happen.

Alaska's Monumental Stronghold, Despite the “Exxon Valdez” Catastrophe

In March 1989, the super tanker “Exxon Valdez” rammed the Bligh Reef. caused the worst ecological disaster ofAlaska. 

Nature recovered faster than expected.

The tail of a humpback whale has yet another appearance on the surface.

Currently, from June to August, pleasure boats anchored in the local port almost never stop.

Visitors are shown the trajectory that led to the accident, the magnificent panoramas of Prince William Sound and its incredible fauna.

“Exxon Valdez” remains an unavoidable theme.

a disputed deck

Passengers on a nature and wildlife contemplation boat peer out onto the Prince William Sound scene.

We go aboard one of the boats owned by Stan Stephens, owner of a tour company that make the region's stunning nature known to outsiders.

Twenty years have passed.

Traces of the oil spill linger beneath the gray sand and rocks. How they subsist in the minds of the people of the region.

Nature, its fauna and flora, seem to have resisted everything.

glacier behind glacier

We pass by humpback whales, seals and otters, eagles and loons that enrich the region's ecosystem.

float rest

Group of otters float in the frigid waters that precede the Meares glacier.

On deck, as he passed by Bligh's reef, the monotone voice of the narrator describes the events but affects the passengers' enthusiasm for seeing and photographing the animals up close...

We advanced along the strait parallel to the runway used by oil tankers on their way to the Pacific.

As on the fateful day, pieces of ice float, now small in size. They don't require care or detours, but let us see the glaciers.

glacier fragments

Small icebergs contrast with the immensity of the Chugach Mountains in the background.

After a coastline filled with conifers, the Chugach Mountains are revealed in the distance.

And covering them in white, the immense ice field from which glaciers like Columbia and Mears flow.

strategic withdrawal

A puffin moves away from boats approaching its territory.

The gigantic Columbia (one of Alaska's largest glaciers) has long projected an extensive treacherous surface.

It fills it with considerable icebergs and ice fragments in permanent flow towards the homonymous bay and against Heather's island.

toothed iceberg

Detail of a fractured iceberg adrift in the extension of the huge Columbia Glacier.

Allied to the catastrophic example of "Exxon Valdez", deters tour boat pilots from venturing into its domain.

mirror sea

Reflection of the Chugach Mountains in the frigid sea that precedes the Meares Glacier.

The Imposing Ice of the Meares Glacier

The incursion they choose is, therefore, that of the neighbor Meares.

Meares is much less than Columbia. To compensate, it remains accessible even close to the ice wall.

As we head into its hidden cove, the icebergs increase.

slippery landing

Flock of birds occupy the bluish surface of an iceberg that has broken off from the Columbia Glacier.

The cold intensifies, blown from the Chugach Mountains by a powerful north wind. 

We stopped at two hundred meters.

We look at the frigid scenario.

Meares glacier

Front view of the Meares glacier with the Chugach mountains that feed its ice stream from behind.

As usual when visiting glaciers, there is absolute silence.

Passengers feel the grandeur of the landscape, listening to the sounds of the unpredictable ice melts.

blue downfall

Ice fragment collapses from the front wall of the Meares glacier.

On the way back to Valdez, we see colonies of otters, sea lions and three humpback whales.

noisy cologne

Sea lions compete for a rocky outcrop of Braço de Valdez.

Passage to Largo de Córdova, Valdez's less Touristic Neighborhood

With just 1000 homes and 2500 inhabitants, the third large (before the main) settlement on the Prince William Sound is Cordova.

Devoid of access by land, the city is lost in the Chugach National Forest, stretched between an arm of the sea that the natives called Orca and Lake Eyak.

to alaska

Small boat navigates a forested channel just outside Valdez.

The absolute autonomy in which the Cordovan community has become accustomed to living, separated from the tourist activity that takes over every year on the other side of the strait due to the high costs of the ferry and the rare accommodations, is taken as a source of pride.

We are in American territory where genuineness continues to outweigh appearances.

Key West, USA

The Tropical Wild West of the USA

We've come to the end of the Overseas Highway and the ultimate stronghold of propagandism Florida Keys. The continental United States here they surrender to a dazzling turquoise emerald marine vastness. And to a southern reverie fueled by a kind of Caribbean spell.
Ketchikan, Alaska

Here begins Alaska

The reality goes unnoticed in most of the world, but there are two Alaskas. In urban terms, the state is inaugurated in the south of its hidden frying pan handle, a strip of land separated from the contiguous USA along the west coast of Canada. Ketchikan, is the southernmost of Alaskan cities, its Rain Capital and the Salmon Capital of the World.
Cape Cross, Namíbia

The Most Turbulent of the African Colonies

Diogo Cão landed in this cape of Africa in 1486, installed a pattern and turned around. The immediate coastline to the north and south was German, South African, and finally Namibian. Indifferent to successive transfers of nationality, one of the largest seal colonies in the world has maintained its hold there and animates it with deafening marine barks and endless tantrums.
Anchorage to Homer, USA

Journey to the End of the Alaskan Road

If Anchorage became the great city of the 49th US state, Homer, 350km away, is its most famous dead end. Veterans of these parts consider this strange tongue of land sacred ground. They also venerate the fact that, from there, they cannot continue anywhere.
Mount Denali, Alaska

The Sacred Ceiling of North America

The Athabascan Indians called him Denali, or the Great, and they revered his haughtiness. This stunning mountain has aroused the greed of climbers and a long succession of record-breaking climbs.
glaciers

icy blue planet

They form at high latitudes and/or altitudes. In Alaska or New Zealand, Argentina or Chile, rivers of ice are always stunning visions of an Earth as frigid as it is inhospitable.
Juneau, Alaska

The Little Capital of Greater Alaska

From June to August, Juneau disappears behind cruise ships that dock at its dockside. Even so, it is in this small capital that the fate of the 49th American state is decided.
Talkeetna, Alaska

Talkeetna's Alaska-Style Life

Once a mere mining outpost, Talkeetna rejuvenated in 1950 to serve Mt. McKinley climbers. The town is by far the most alternative and most captivating town between Anchorage and Fairbanks.
Husavik a Myvatn, Iceland

Endless Snow on the Island of Fire

When, in mid-May, Iceland already enjoys some sun warmth but the cold and snow persist, the inhabitants give in to an intriguing summer anxiety.
Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentina

The Resisting Glacier

Warming is supposedly global, but not everywhere. In Patagonia, some rivers of ice resist. From time to time, the advance of the Perito Moreno causes landslides that bring Argentina to a halt.
PN Katmai, Alaska

In the Footsteps of the Grizzly Man

Timothy Treadwell spent summers on end with the bears of Katmai. Traveling through Alaska, we followed some of its trails, but unlike the species' crazy protector, we never went too far.
Valdez, Alaska

On the Black Gold Route

In 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker caused a massive environmental disaster. The vessel stopped plying the seas, but the victim city that gave it its name continues on the path of crude oil from the Arctic Ocean.
sitka, Alaska

Sitka: Journey through a once Russian Alaska

In 1867, Tsar Alexander II had to sell Russian Alaska to the United States. In the small town of Sitka, we find the Russian legacy but also the Tlingit natives who fought them.
Skagway, Alaska

A Klondike's Gold Fever Variant

The last great American gold rush is long over. These days, hundreds of cruise ships each summer pour thousands of well-heeled visitors into the shop-lined streets of Skagway.
Seward, Alaska

The Longest 4th of July

The independence of the United States is celebrated, in Seward, Alaska, in a modest way. Even so, the 4th of July and its celebration seem to have no end.
Seward, Alaska

The Alaskan Dog Mushing Summer

It's almost 30 degrees and the glaciers are melting. In Alaska, entrepreneurs have little time to get rich. Until the end of August, dog mushing cannot stop.
Homer a Whittier, Alaska

In Search of the Stealth Whittier

We leave Homer in search of Whittier, a refuge built in World War II and housing two hundred or so people, almost all in a single building.
Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska

The Glacier Behind Juneau

The Tlingit natives named this one of more than 140 glaciers on the Juneau Icefield. Best known for Mendenhall, over the past three centuries, global warming has seen its distance to Alaska's diminutive capital increase by more than four kilometers.
Believers greet each other in the Bukhara region.
City
Bukhara, Uzbequistan

Among the Minarets of Old Turkestan

Situated on the ancient Silk Road, Bukhara has developed for at least two thousand years as an essential commercial, cultural and religious hub in Central Asia. It was Buddhist and then Muslim. It was part of the great Arab empire and that of Genghis Khan, the Turko-Mongol kingdoms and the Soviet Union, until it settled in the still young and peculiar Uzbekistan.
Host Wezi points out something in the distance
Beaches
Cobue; Nkwichi Lodge, Mozambique

The Hidden Mozambique of the Creaking Sands

During a tour from the bottom to the top of Lake Malawi, we find ourselves on the island of Likoma, an hour by boat from Nkwichi Lodge, the solitary base of this inland coast of Mozambique. On the Mozambican side, the lake is known as Niassa. Whatever its name, there we discover some of the most stunning and unspoilt scenery in south-east Africa.
The Zambezi River, PN Mana Pools
safari
Kanga Pan, Mana Pools NP, Zimbabwe

A Perennial Source of Wildlife

A depression located 15km southeast of the Zambezi River retains water and minerals throughout Zimbabwe's dry season. Kanga Pan, as it is known, nurtures one of the most prolific ecosystems in the immense and stunning Mana Pools National Park.
Braga or Braka or Brakra in Nepal
Annapurna (circuit)
Annapurna Circuit: 6th – Braga, Nepal

The Ancient Nepal of Braga

Four days of walking later, we slept at 3.519 meters from Braga (Braka). Upon arrival, only the name is familiar to us. Faced with the mystical charm of the town, arranged around one of the oldest and most revered Buddhist monasteries on the Annapurna circuit, we continued our journey there. acclimatization with ascent to Ice Lake (4620m).
holy plain, Bagan, Myanmar
Architecture & Design
Bagan, Myanmar

The Plain of Pagodas, Temples and other Heavenly Redemptions

Burmese religiosity has always been based on a commitment to redemption. In Bagan, wealthy and fearful believers continue to erect pagodas in hopes of winning the benevolence of the gods.
Full Dog Mushing
Aventura
Seward, Alaska

The Alaskan Dog Mushing Summer

It's almost 30 degrees and the glaciers are melting. In Alaska, entrepreneurs have little time to get rich. Until the end of August, dog mushing cannot stop.
Conflicted Way
Ceremonies and Festivities
Jerusalem, Israel

Through the Belicious Streets of Via Dolorosa

In Jerusalem, while traveling the Via Dolorosa, the most sensitive believers realize how difficult the peace of the Lord is to achieve in the most disputed streets on the face of the earth.
Camel Racing, Desert Festival, Sam Sam Dunes, Rajasthan, India
Cities
Jaisalmer, India

There's a Feast in the Thar Desert

As soon as the short winter breaks, Jaisalmer indulges in parades, camel races, and turban and mustache competitions. Its walls, alleys and surrounding dunes take on more color than ever. During the three days of the event, natives and outsiders watch, dazzled, as the vast and inhospitable Thar finally shines through.
Obese resident of Tupola Tapaau, a small island in Western Samoa.
Lunch time
Tonga, Western Samoa, Polynesia

XXL Pacific

For centuries, the natives of the Polynesian islands subsisted on land and sea. Until the intrusion of colonial powers and the subsequent introduction of fatty pieces of meat, fast food and sugary drinks have spawned a plague of diabetes and obesity. Today, while much of Tonga's national GDP, Western Samoa and neighbors is wasted on these “western poisons”, fishermen barely manage to sell their fish.
Nahuatl celebration
Culture

Mexico City, Mexico

mexican soul

With more than 20 million inhabitants in a vast metropolitan area, this megalopolis marks, from its heart of zócalo, the spiritual pulse of a nation that has always been vulnerable and dramatic.

Reindeer Racing, Kings Cup, Inari, Finland
Sport
Inari, Finland

The Wackiest Race on the Top of the World

Finland's Lapps have been competing in the tow of their reindeer for centuries. In the final of the Kings Cup - Porokuninkuusajot - , they face each other at great speed, well above the Arctic Circle and well below zero.
View from John Ford Point, Monument Valley, Nacao Navajo, United States
Traveling
Monument Valley, USA

Indians or Cowboys?

Iconic Western filmmakers like John Ford immortalized what is the largest Indian territory in the United States. Today, in the Navajo Nation, the Navajo also live in the shoes of their old enemies.
Cobá, trip to the Mayan Ruins, Pac Chen, Mayans of now
Ethnic
Cobá to Pac Chen, Mexico

From the Ruins to the Mayan Homes

On the Yucatan Peninsula, the history of the second largest indigenous Mexican people is intertwined with their daily lives and merges with modernity. In Cobá, we went from the top of one of its ancient pyramids to the heart of a village of our times.
ice tunnel, black gold route, Valdez, Alaska, USA
Got2Globe Photo Portfolio
Got2Globe Portfolio

Sensations vs Impressions

Hué, Communist City, Imperial Vietnam, Imperial Communism
History
Hue, Vietnam

The Red Heritage of Imperial Vietnam

It suffered the worst hardships of the Vietnam War and was despised by the Vietcong due to the feudal past. The national-communist flags fly over its walls but Hué regains its splendor.
Zanzibar, African islands, spices, Tanzania, dhow
Islands
Zanzibar, Tanzania

The African Spice Islands

Vasco da Gama opened the Indian Ocean to the Portuguese empire. In the XNUMXth century, the Zanzibar archipelago became the largest producer of cloves and the available spices diversified, as did the people who disputed them.
Geothermal, Iceland Heat, Ice Land, Geothermal, Blue Lagoon
Winter White
Iceland

The Geothermal Coziness of the Ice Island

Most visitors value Iceland's volcanic scenery for its beauty. Icelanders also draw from them heat and energy crucial to the life they lead to the Arctic gates.
Visitors to Ernest Hemingway's Home, Key West, Florida, United States
Literature
Key West, United States

Hemingway's Caribbean Playground

Effusive as ever, Ernest Hemingway called Key West "the best place I've ever been...". In the tropical depths of the contiguous US, he found evasion and crazy, drunken fun. And the inspiration to write with intensity to match.
tarsio, bohol, philippines, out of this world
Nature
Bohol, Philippines

Other-wordly Philippines

The Philippine archipelago spans 300.000 km² of the Pacific Ocean. Part of the Visayas sub-archipelago, Bohol is home to small alien-looking primates and the extraterrestrial hills of the Chocolate Hills.
Mother Armenia Statue, Yerevan, Armenia
Autumn
Yerevan, Armenia

A Capital between East and West

Heiress of the Soviet civilization, aligned with the great Russia, Armenia allows itself to be seduced by the most democratic and sophisticated ways of Western Europe. In recent times, the two worlds have collided in the streets of your capital. From popular and political dispute, Yerevan will dictate the new course of the nation.
Viewpoint Viewpoint, Alexander Selkirk, on Skin Robinson Crusoe, Chile
Natural Parks
Robinson Crusoe Island, Chile

Alexander Selkirk: in the Skin of the True Robinson Crusoe

The main island of the Juan Fernández archipelago was home to pirates and treasures. His story was made up of adventures like that of Alexander Selkirk, the abandoned sailor who inspired Dafoe's novel
One of the tallest buildings in Valletta, Malta
UNESCO World Heritage
Valletta, Malta

An ex-Humble Amazing Capital

At the time of its foundation, the Order of Knights Hospitaller called it "the most humble". Over the centuries, the title ceased to serve him. In 2018, Valletta was the tiniest European Capital of Culture ever and one of the most steeped in history and dazzling in memory.
Era Susi towed by dog, Oulanka, Finland
Characters
PN Oulanka, Finland

A Slightly Lonesome Wolf

Jukka “Era-Susi” Nordman has created one of the largest packs of sled dogs in the world. He became one of Finland's most iconic characters but remains faithful to his nickname: Wilderness Wolf.
amazing
Beaches

Amberris Caye, Belize

Belize's Playground

Madonna sang it as La Isla Bonita and reinforced the motto. Today, neither hurricanes nor political strife discourage VIP and wealthy vacationers from enjoying this tropical getaway.

holy bookcase
Religion
Tsfat (Safed), Israel

When the Kabbalah is a Victim of Itself

In the 50s, Tsfat brought together the artistic life of the young Israeli nation and regained its secular mystique. But famous converts like Madonna have come to disturb the most elemental Kabbalist discretion.
The Toy Train story
On Rails
Siliguri a Darjeeling, India

The Himalayan Toy Train Still Running

Neither the steep slope of some stretches nor the modernity stop it. From Siliguri, in the tropical foothills of the great Asian mountain range, the Darjeeling, with its peaks in sight, the most famous of the Indian Toy Trains has ensured for 117 years, day after day, an arduous dream journey. Traveling through the area, we climb aboard and let ourselves be enchanted.
Buffaloes, Marajo Island, Brazil, Soure police buffaloes
Society
Marajó Island, Brazil

The Buffalo Island

A vessel that transported buffaloes from the India it will have sunk at the mouth of the Amazon River. Today, the island of Marajó that hosted them has one of the largest herds in the world and Brazil is no longer without these bovine animals.
Visitors at Talisay Ruins, Negros Island, Philippines
Daily life
Talisay City, Philippines

Monument to a Luso-Philippine Love

At the end of the 11th century, Mariano Lacson, a Filipino farmer, and Maria Braga, a Portuguese woman from Macau, fell in love and got married. During the pregnancy of what would be her 2th child, Maria succumbed to a fall. Destroyed, Mariano built a mansion in his honor. In the midst of World War II, the mansion was set on fire, but the elegant ruins that endured perpetuate their tragic relationship.
Bather rescue in Boucan Canot, Reunion Island
Wildlife
Reunion Island

The Bathing Melodrama of Reunion

Not all tropical coastlines are pleasurable and refreshing retreats. Beaten by violent surf, undermined by treacherous currents and, worse, the scene of the most frequent shark attacks on the face of the Earth, that of the Reunion Island he fails to grant his bathers the peace and delight they crave from him.
Passengers, scenic flights-Southern Alps, New Zealand
Scenic Flights
Aoraki / Mount Cook, New Zealand

The Aeronautical Conquest of the Southern Alps

In 1955, pilot Harry Wigley created a system for taking off and landing on asphalt or snow. Since then, his company has unveiled, from the air, some of the greatest scenery in Oceania.