Deja Vu in Valdez

I was sitting in my cubicle late Thursday afternoon when our assignment manager, Ed, walked up to me and asked if I could go to Valdez on Monday to shoot a story about the horrific oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. According to Ed, many in Valdez who went through the Exxon Valdez oil spill 20+ years ago were having a case of deja vu while watching the news footage out of the Gulf. I had never been to Valdez and always wanted to go, so I jumped at the chance. The flight to Valdez didn't take that long (probably about an hour?) but I lost track of the time. I do recall it wasn't very long at all. On the road system, Valdez is 305 miles east of Anchorage and most of the route is a two lane road so I'm glad we flew. We really lucked up with the weather, too -- blue skies, sunshine and pleasant temperatures!





Photojournalist Mike Nederbrock -- one of the best at KTUU!




We drove several miles outside of downtown Valdez so Nederbrock could show me these spectacular waterfalls that many tourists flock to see. They're literally right off the road...

Unfortunately, the waterfalls were frozen over. But I still thought they were beautiful!


The flight back to Anchorage from Valdez was unreal... I couldn't stop drooling while hovering by the window. I'd say that hands down, it's the most scenic trip I've ever experienced in my life. The photos don't do it justice at all. It's a flight that I would highly recommend on a sunny day.