Anchorage to Cordova
After driving 120 miles from
Seward to Anchorage on a hot, sunny day, I flew to Cordova on a Boeing 737-400 on the first leg of
the trip to the Yakutat Aleutian Tern Festival.
It was fascinating to see the
city below, then Eagle River. Urban sprawl into previously intact habitat was
evident everywhere, even high up the Eagle River valley. I spotted the Nike
Missile Site, still surrounded by patches of snow, and Eklutna Lake, the source
of Anchorage’s water.
Soon, all signs of
civilization disappeared. I could not stop gaping out my tiny window at the
wild tableau of Prince William Sound unrolling below. The eagle eye perspective
over snowy mountains, monstrous glaciers, icebergs, and sparkling blue fjords
was spectacular!
By comparing my photos to Google maps
later, I recognized Harriman Fjord and other glaciers named by the railroad magnate
Edward H. Harriman on his epic expedition to Alaska. The Harriman Expedition of
1899 is an interesting compilation of observations; I especially enjoyed the sections written by glacier pioneer John Muir. So many changes in this dynamic landscape!
Icebergs littered Columbia
Bay, the giant glacier retreated just out of my view. Next up, Valdez Arm and
the ill-fated Bligh Reef of the Exxon Valdez disaster of 1989. The Arm looked
so very wide, it is hard to understand how the oil tanker managed to hit the
reef, damaging that pristine ecosystem forever. Tiny Tatitlek dotted the
opposite shoreline.
Next, the harbor and town of
Cordova appeared, packed against the surrounding mountains, then the green
waters of Eyak Lake. The jet’s shadow grew ever larger, paralleling the Copper
River Highway. Soon we landed at the Merle K (Mudhole) Smith Airport to
discharge a few and load a few before continuing on to Yakutat.
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Traveling Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter
gre
No comments:
Post a Comment