Where I've been! Began in Anchorage, ended in Valdez on the 4th. But then by ferry to Cordova for two nights then ferry to Whittier then by bike back to Anchorage, stop for a night in Girdwood? 
The Irish lads. You'll notice that every one of them has a beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other. Something tells me that this isn't just a unique occasion and they do this every evening! 
The Trans Alaskan Pipeline. 1.5 million barrels (!) of crude oil passes by a given point every day. That means in the 15 minutes or so that I was standing there, approximately $2 million worth of oil passed by me! The diameter is 4 feet, which means that the velocity is around 15 or 16 miles per hour in the pipeline.Here, it is going under the ground. It is above ground where there is permafrost - the frictional heat from the oil going through the pipeline would melt any permafrost and cause the pipeline to move about over time. If there is no permafrost then it is buried underground. Here, it goes under a road that has permafrost underneath and so it is cooled by these heat fins and conduction of heat up from below by the big metal tubes.
Thank God, now I can finally eat!
The pipeline is arranged in a zig-zag fashion to account for thermal expansion/contraction. There are these teflon-coated skid pads that the pipeline can slide across when it heats up or cools down. Pretty ingenious. 
The pipeline going underground. 
My campsite on the beach near Copper Center. The nation's largest national park (Wrangell-St. Elias NP) is right across the river. 
High security at the Valdez ferry terminal - worried about terrorist hijacking the ferries and taking them across the harbor to the Trans Alaskan Pipeline terminal.
Valdez, AK.
Seayaks in Valdez. 
The marker of where the Exon Valdez ran aground in March of 1989 - don't get too close, Captain! On March 24, 1964 (Good Friday) there was a HUGE tsunami in the southeast Alaska region, lots of landslides and mudslides and 31 people alone in Valdez died. They decided to move the town of Valdez actually 5 miles after that date. Then, on March 27, 1989 (Good Friday, exactly 25 years after the tsunami) as most of you can remember the Exon Valdez oil tanker spilled a bunch of oil on Blithe Reef (shown in picture). Apparently it was marked well since 1912 (when another ship ran aground) so it was well marked but the Captain of the Valdez did not see it. So, the moral of the story: if I were any smart Alaskan I would not want to be around on Good Friday of 2014!!
Cordova, AK.
Self portrait near Thompson Pass.
Staple + bike tire = recipe for disaster 
3 comments:
Charlie, I just read all of your posts and it sounds like you are having quite an experience! I'm glad those people let you sit in their RV that one night when you were so cold. I hope the rain has stopped for a while..? Probably not. When we were up there in 2002, it rained a lot. We did get to see Denali both in a little plane and also from the national park one morning when it was nice and clear! Anyway..be careful and keep warm and dry and I hope your bottom is feeling better? Aunt Suzy in Pitkin
Hey man,
Sounds like you are having a blast in spite of all the rain! Cool that you've had no bike issues from the wetness. Enjoy the last few days up there.
Stefan
Yo man, looking a little scruffy in some of those pics, you need a shave. How about tapping into that pipeline and bringing some back with you, gas is $4/gallon here in Boulder.
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