The most beautiful drive in North America
Glennallen to Valdez
July 22nd, 2002
While staying 
in Glennallen, we decided to leave the rig and drive
the truck down to Valdez. This is the termination point of the
famous Alaskan Pipe Line. It turned out to be the most impressive
drive I have ever taken. A little over a hundred miles, it was
nothing less than spectacular. Our first treat was a roadside
stop at the pipeline information pull off. The placards explained
it all. On November 16, 1973, through Presidential approval of
pipeline legislation, Alyeska Pipeline Service Company received
permission to begin construction of the 800-mile trans-Alaska
pipeline, its pump stations and the Marine Terminal at Valdez.
The 360-mile road from the Yukon River to Prudhoe Bay was built,
and construction of the Valdez Terminal was begun in 1974. At the
same time, work started on pump stations on the pipeline work
pad. The first lengths of pipe were placed under the Tonsina
River in March of 1975. Barely two years later all pipe had been
installed and tested; and pump stations, the Terminal and
essential communications systems were almost completed. The first
oil entered the line at Prudhoe Bay on June 20 1977, and reached
Valdez on July 28. On August 1, 1977 the first tanker load of
North Slope oil left the Port of Valdez aboard the ARCO 
Juneau.
The area where the frozen-soil temperatures are near the thaw
point, heat pipes are installed inside the pipeline's vertical
supports. The finned radiators above the supports are the
external extensions of these heat pipes, which employ a fluid
with a low boiling point to take heat from the ground through
vaporization and condensation. Heat from the soil enters the
lower end of the sealed tube, causing the fluid inside to boil.
The resulting vapor rises to the radiator and condenses,
releasing energy. The condensate then returns to the bottom of
the tube as a film along the tube wall. Where permafrost
-permanently frozen soil - is present, and heat from the pipeline
might thaw unstable soils, 
the line is insulated and elevated. The pipe,
insulated to prevent heat transfer or loss, is mounted on
Teflon-coated shoe assemblies, designed to slide on crossbeams
installed between vertical supports. These specially designed
supports are located about every 60 feet. The zigzag design of
the line provides the flexibility necessary to accommodate
movements due to temperature changes or other causes. The road
from here to the great hill that leads into Valdez is
unbelievable. We passed through a very wide valley floor,
slightly elevated for the most part, giving us a wonderful view
of the valley floor which stretched out for miles
in both
directions. Ice blue lakes, all stocked with an assortment of
delicious and tasty fish appear mile after mile. The backdrop to
all of this are two mountain ranges with mountains reaching up
above the tree line and into the Snow Belt. The road is good and
straight in many places. Traffic is a little heavier than it had
been getting here, but the uphill runs all seemed to have truck
lanes. There were two other stops along the way that were well
into the spectacular category. One is a spot where two of the
State's most famous waterfalls come crashing down to the side of
the road. For hundreds of feet the waters of the Bridal Veil
Falls tumbled down in a thin but vigorous and noisy exhibition of
raw natural power. Not more then a quarter mile further down the
road, Horse Tail falls displays its spreading channels of water
that separate from the narrow start to a flurry of small rivulets
of water spreading dozens of years along the face of a cliff.
There was a small pull off opposite the falls, which could take
up to a dozen cars, unless several rigs were there. We made a
short stop at Worthington Glacier State Park to see that
magnificent ice
flow. Alaska is noted for its many glaciers and this one
was as good as they come. We declined a climb to the ice
edge as the weather was turning and time was running out. At the
crest of the 8 mile long hill that leads into the city was
Blueberry Lake State Park. We pulled in to see if we could find
any fruit. The walk down the drive was fabulous and I quickly cut
out over the meandering hills toward the lake below. The bugs
were quite profuse which was of no consequence to a DEET covered
human, but the Artic graylings in the lake were delighted as they
jumped and twisted in the air while picking off the flying pest
as they skimmed over the surface of the water. What a sight it
was. Jagged rock outcrops nestled in a kind of tundra stretched
out before me for miles. Short Alder scrubs dotted the hillside
giving diversion to the otherwise almost manicured looking scene.
We never found the berries but I didn't want to 
leave.
Finally, it was back to the truck and a spirited ride down Valdez
hill to the city below. As we pulled into town we had to stop one
more time at the Crooked Creek observation station operated by
the US Fish and Game division. Here the pink salmon were
spawning. The pink, (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) salmon is not big in
terms of salmons. Also known as the "Humpback" or
"Humpy" because of its very pronounced laterally
flattened hump, which develops on the back of adult males before
spawning. It is known as the "bread and butter" of the
fishing industry in Alaska for its abundance in coastal waters.
We stood at the side of the creek and watched the fish as they
battled seemingly impossible odds of climbing over the 
rocks in the shallow
water, climbing still further up the creek to lay their eggs and
sperm as a final act, completing their intended purpose in life.
The scene is both heroic and tragic, and totally fascinating.
From the still water pools to the rocky climbs these energetic
symbols of Alaskan prosperity preformed their final dance for all
who gathered on the banks in attendance to the best natural show
in town. There may be great things to see in Valdez, I wouldn't
know. We burned up all our time and energy on the way down. When
considering what we had seen, and what me might see, we decided
that the best thing to see in the time remaining was the run back
up the road to Glennallan, so after a short meal we headed back up
the great Valdez hill, through the Thompson Pass, and off through
the valley to Glennallan. That stretch of road has now replaced
the 80 miles between Terrace and Prince Rupert in British
Columbia as the most beautiful road I have ever driven down in my
life.
***THE END ***
