QUESTION - Alaska, your personal experience?

bear_slayer

[Bear_Slayer]

I am looking to do a road trip into and through as much of Alaska as possible, with the goal of exploring for relocation purposes.

I would like to ferry my truck/camper from Seattle to Homer then travel up through Glenallen, Tok, Fairbanks, and further north following the Pipeline Corridor.

I'm looking for information regarding the following:

Ferry boat resources to avoid Canada, entirely

What to expect for roads, stopping places (I want to avoid tourist places.)

Friendliness of various villages, and peoples along the way.

Opportunities for labor employment along the way.

Any other info you can offer that is helpful.

[conservative in nyc]

You can take firearms on the Alaska State Ferry as long as they are unloaded and securely locked in your car. And since you can leave from Bellingham, Washington, you don't need to go through Canada if you're only visiting the Inside Passage. If you can time it right and get on a Cross-Gulf ferry trip, you might even be able to get all the way up to Interior Alaska without going through Canada and keeping your weapons.

[Brad C.]

Just read a lot of BS being posted to you, and thought I would chime in.

I lived in Alaska for 25 years, 10 in Anchorage and 15 in Fairbanks. It is a place that just drives you mad, or it gets into your blood and you can't live without it. You will know after your 1st winter whether you will be staying or leaving.

Anchorage is the major staging point for most people starting out. It ain't such a bad town, but they say the nicest thing about it is that it is just 1/2 hour away from Alaska. I found the constant freeze/thaw cycle in the winter was a real pain in the rear. It is nice in the fact that you are closer to the water and major fishing then in Fairbanks.

Fairbanks has changed over the last couple of years. Once Home Depot decided to open a store, what some would call a flood of other followed. So there is now a line of "major" stores in one small section of town, along with the other stores in scattered areas around town. Rest assured, it does not come close to being Seattle.

My wife just visited family and friends there, and when she came back she wondered just how we had lived there for so long. She described it as a "town that barely survives winter". However, we met and befriended some of the best people I would ever hope to know there.

The major problem for visitors is the extremely limited road system in the state. The things you see from the road may be in Alaska, but that doesn't mean that is all of Alaska. It's all beautiful, but it is impossible to describe how incredible it is to step out of a plane on to one of the glaciers around Denali. Or to watch the thousands of caribou wander across the barren arctic slope.

If you are going north, take the Alaska Ferry and plan on stopping in some of the towns along the way for a day or two. The southeast is a completely different world than the cities and villages of south central and the north. The only problem you are going to have is that you almost have to drive through Canada once you get up north. I think there is a once a week ferry that goes across the flats to Valdez, but it may not fit in your schedule.

Alaska is something every one should see at least part of. Go with the thought of making life long friends, and I think you will find what you are looking for.

BTW, read the poem on my page here; it may give you an idea of why so many people love it. I know I would still be there if not for family concerns here in Florida.

I wish you well, and a safe journey into the Great Land!

[Neoliberalnot]

Good idea to take you pistols (.44 Magnum). We never went on a Salmon trip without at least one person armed. The Griz like Salmon and are not interested in compromise.

[Neoliberalnot]

"When he came home his wife had sold his house, closed all his bank accounts, and left without a trace with over $400,000...lol.""

Hopefully that taught your brother a lesson -- never marry a liberal.

[RightWhale]

The pistols are only to give you confidence. Makes no difference to the grizly.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Limited road service. Second the issue with libs and greens. *sigh*

[headsonpikes]

Let me know when you fixed the laws so that I can take my pistols through and I'll make a point to visit.

Ahhh, pistols - that explains your aversion - have you considered air-freighting them to Alaska?

[Neoliberalnot]

"The option is to ship them to a FFL dealer in Alaska, and pick them up on arrival."

I flew to Yakutat a year ago and several buds brought handguns in checked luggage on the plane. You must declare your firearms and follow several regulations concerning ammo, containment, etc.

[Neoliberalnot]

"BTW, read the poem on my page here; it may give you an idea of why so many people love it. I know I would still be there if not for family concerns here in Florida."

Robert Service huh? Now there's a name I haven't heard since Sam McGee. Boy, talk about moving between extremes. Adaptability is a virtue.

[Neoliberalnot]

A .44 mag beats a sharp stick. Several rounds in the head and chest can be a deterrent and make for a painful dinner.

[Beagle8U]

It wasn't my brother that it happened to, it was a friend that he worked with.

[Brad C.]

Yep, the poet laureate of Alaska so to speak. The man could paint some interesting pictures in my mind with his choice of words.

Been a while since I read him, I should dust off that book and give it a good read.

I sure miss the place, though I heard it has already snowed.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

http://www.mochinet.com/poets/service/index.cgi

Above URL is a great search engine data base of Robert Service!

[Brad C.]

The joke we had was the best bear gun was a .22. Just shoot your buddy's foot and run.

Then again, some would recommend that you always carry a bell that tinkles when you walk, so the bear is not surprised when you approach. It is rumored that griz scat is easy to identify, because of the bells in it (grin).

[RightWhale]

Fairbanks is torn between two factions now. One wants the city classified as more then 50,000 population so it can get more Fed dollars for roads and other public projects. The other wants it classified as under 50,000 so it isn't listed as the fourth most dangerous city in America. One thing for sure, it is in the top ten marketing areas and there is considerable money sloshing around. MONEY by the trainload. There is so much money sloshing around that people wander up and down the road looking for any piece of permafrost they can buy for three times what it is worth so they can put a couple rental cabins on it. Everybody has a new truck or two. Everybody is bringing in truckloads of gravel to upgrade their driveway at $200 a load so they have a place to park their snowmachine and 4-wheeler and SUV. At the same time some places can't find workers, McDonalds for one. Who wants an $8.50 job?

[RightWhale]

it has already snowed

Yes, and the snow has already melted and is gone. 50 today.

[Brad C.]

I have heard that it was just booming up there now, but no one could tell me why. Some said it was the extra military being stationed there, others said that it was in prep for the gas line that may or may not get built.

It's really kind of funny for me. When I left the real estate market was rather slow, and it was EXPLODING here in Florida, and now the markets have reveresed in both locations.

It will be some time before any one could call Fairbanks a big city. While other cities with a 50K population might be considered large, most are surrounded by other towns with nothing to distinguish it from it's neighbors. Where as Fairbanks stands alone, all by itself in the wilderness. Unless you consider the sprawling metropolis of North Pole (grin)

[RightWhale]

Officially the Borough is 85,000. The City of Fairbanks is just a dot on the map of the Borough. NP is another dot towards the bottom edge of the map. Anticipation of the gas pipeline is no doubt a big part of the hustle and bustle. The military buildup as the focus changes toward the Pacific is also a big part of it. A lot of it is simply the ancient American tradition of moving to a hot economic zone and selling out a couple years later. If you left two years ago you have missed a fundamental change in the activity level. It runs around the clock, no time off winter or summer. People used to be home more or less by 9 PM. Now they roll in 6 AM. I heard someone last spring describe Fairbanks as crazy insane, and no one seems to seriously deny that now.

[thackney]

I know a fellow that lives in Barrow. You can only get there by boat or airplane.

By Boat? I defy you to find one person who went to Barrow without using a plane. Only the crew on the Barge delivering yearly supplies travels by boat and they don't stay.