It was a beautiful afternoon driving into Valdez, and I saw more people using the bike paths than I had anywhere else. Alaska has a strange system of what I assume are bike paths. They're probably six foot wide asphalt paths that parallel the highways, but are spaced away by a little distance. At first I thought they were ATV roads because the paved paths seem to replace the unofficial trails along the roads which were clearly used by ATVs. I assumed this was a way of keeping ATVs off the roads in a state where ATVs are probably necessities for many people due to the lack of roads. The paved paths are most common in and just outside of towns, but in places they extend fifty miles outside of town, or just pop up in the middle of nowhere. It seemed that perhaps they were gradually paving paths over the entire highway system. Some of the paths even had their own fancy bridges over rivers!
Then my whole theory was blown when Deb saw a sign that specifically prohibited ATVs on the paths. Which leaves bikes and pedestrians, as far as I can figure. I'm floored that they would be paving bike paths in the middle of nowhere.
We arrived in Valdez and headed straight for our bed and breakfast to get showers and an internet fix before going to the harbor to see the town. Valdez has about 4,000 people and looks to be very well-off. I liked the harbor area, but the town itself was kind of sad in its dullness. It felt like a giant subdivision. In fact, driving into town, we saw what appeared to be some abandoned subdivisions. In Anchorage and Fairbanks, we had seen some subdivisions, but even there they weren't obvious since they towns were big enough to absorb them. Valdez, however, seems to have experienced most of its growth under the subdivision plan. The houses all look the same.
The harbor was lively, though, and people were out and about. All through town, the public facilities are very nice. The streets have art and colorful banners, and there are public restrooms around. You can see that the harbor serves not just fishing boats and commercial tour boats, but also a lively kayaking scene.
<<
<
Current
>
