Valdez to Palmer

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Valdez is another small fishing village, emphasis on small. Dave and I walked around the town last night, which took all of about a half hour. This morning we decided to run the van for a few miles to see if the radiator continued to leak. It did.

In this small town there is one repair shop, Mark’s Auto. When we pulled into Mark’s, Steve checked the radiator for us right away and confirmed there was a small leak in the seam. The owner, Mark called Honda in Anchorage for us and was given permission to do the warranty repair work right there in Valdez which was the good news. The bad news was there is no radiator for the van in the state. Honda in Anchorage said they could overnight it if we paid the freight, which we decided to do, but that would only get it into Anchorage, and it would be another day or two to get it to Valdez.

Decisions, decisions. With the prospect of having to spend a week in Valdez, we chose to drive back to Anchorage. Because the leak was small, Mark thought we could drive back the 300 miles to Anchorage without a problem as long as we brought antifreeze with us and checked the level frequently. It’s not that we didn’t like Valdez, but it is dismal and gray and they have only seen one day with sunlight in it this spring. And there is not much to do there. Dave says you can spend a year in Valdez in one day. So we decided to retrace our steps and headed back to Palmer (thirty miles outside of Anchorage) to spend the night.

Coming over the Thompson Pass was a harrowing experience for me. The pass was in a cloud so thick that you could not see more than 20 feet in front of you for several miles. It is frightening to be on a road where you can very easily drive off the edge in good weather, but not being able to see those drop offs and knowing they are, was downright scary. Dave, the retired trucker was not phased by any of this and drove on, but my knuckles have never been whiter. The ride back to the Homestead Campground was otherwise uneventful and we had no problem with the radiator.

(We can’t express enough appreciation to Mark at Mark’s Auto in Valdez for all the prompt assistance in diagnosing the problem and getting the radiator ordered for us and making all the arrangements with Honda in Anchorage.. He also explained all of our options and helped us to make the decision on the course of action we should take. Thank you, Mark! If any of you go through Valdez, stop and say “Hey” to this great guy.)

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Photos

They renta lot of kayaks here
Are you ready Nick and Sandra?