Living in Alaska - Life in the Last Frontier

BEARFOOT GUIDES

When Steve and I travel, I always pick up free copies of the Bearfoot Travel Magazine. Bearfoot publishes three very informative and interesting guides (Information below was taken from their website):

The Parks Highway Bearfoot - The Parks Highway Bearfoot Guide covers the Parks Highway from Anchorage to Fairbanks. It also heads north of Fairbanks, up the Dalton Highway. Inside, you’ll find the communities of Palmer, Hatcher Pass, Wasilla, Big Lake, Willow, Talkeetna, Trapper Creek, Denali State Park, Cantwell, Denali National Park, Healy, Anderson, Clear, Nenana, Ester, Fairbanks, Fox, North Pole, Circle, Manley Hot Springs, and Deadhorse. Special sections include Wildlife of Denali and a section on Alaskan Native Art.

The East Alaska Bearfoot -The East Alaska Bearfoot covers the Glenn and Richardson Highways, which traverse the eastern side of Alaska to its border with Canada. Communities in this guide include Palmer, Sutton, Matanuska Glacier, Sheep Mountain, Eureka, Nelchina, Glennallen, Gakona, Chistochina, Mentasta, Tok, Chicken, Eagle, Dawson City, Fairbanks, Delta Junction, Copper Center, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Kenny Lake, Chitina, McCarthy, Kennicott, Tonsina, Thompson Pass, Valdez, Cordova, and Prince William Sound. There is a special section on Marine Mammals.

The Anchorage & Kenai Bearfoot -The Anchorage & Kenai Bearfoot starts in Anchorage and goes all the way down the Kenai Peninsula to Homer. The Kenai Peninsula has two highways, the Seward Highway and the Sterling Highway. This guide covers them both. The guide starts with a large section on Anchorage. and continues south to Girdwood, Portage, Whittier, Hope, Moose Pass, Seward, Cooper Landing, Sterling, Soldotna, Kenai, Nikiski, Ninilchik, Deep Creek, Clam Gulch, Anchor Point, and Homer. There are special sections on Wildlife in Anchorage, Day Trips from Anchorage, and Fishing.

The magazines are free and, in my opinion, better than many of the other travel guides you can pick up (or buy) in state.  If you’re visiting Alaska, look for the magazines at airports, rental car agencies, and visitor centers.

While traveling last week, I picked up the Parks Highway Bearfoot at a gas station along the way. I enjoyed thumbing through it and reading about some of the places we’d be passing through, even though we’ve visited all of these places many times over the years.  I still found very interesting tidbits of information in the Bearfoot Guide; and even learned some things!

The section on Fairbanks is larger than most, as Fairbanks is the second largest city in Alaska. For being the second largest city, Fairbanks really isn’t all that large - especially from the viewpoint of someone who was born and raised in Philadelphia (Philly proper has a population of 1.5 million, while the entire metropolitan area has almost 6 million residents). The population of Fairbanks proper is about 35,000 while the Fairbanks metropolitan area is less than 100,000. To put things in perspective, the Philadelphia Eagles stadium (Lincoln Financial Field) holds about 68,000 people - almost twice the population of Fairbanks proper.

There’s a heading entitled “Journal”, in the Fairbanks section of the magazine, and when I read the words there, I had to smile. This paragraph sums up exactly why I love living in Fairbanks:

Culturally, Fairbanks is one of the liveliest towns in Alaska. Its university is a great science college, allowing students to perform important arctic research. The people of Fairbanks have a lot of energy. They are actively involved in just about everything. They form singing and music groups, work on historical projects of all kinds, coordinate snowmachining activities, and throw themselves into various other summer and winter events that keep them busy and in touch year-round. They call themselves “The Golden Heart City”. Nobody thinks that’s corny; Fairbanks people are sincerely old-fashioned in their unabashed enthusiasm. It’s a place where anyone will talk with you on meeting you for the first time, and where you can revisit what a strong American community looks like.

Thanks, Bearfoot!

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(Read part one here)

(Read part two here)

TALKEETNA

Our last morning in Seward began under slightly overcast skies. I thought for sure that the rain was going to come back, but by the time we had the camper packed up and were on our way to Talkeetna, the sun was shining brightly and quickly warming the air.

I didn’t take many photos on the way to Talkeetna. The only brief stops we made between Seward and Talkeetna were at Tern Lake (photo at left) and at Bird Creek to top off the gas tank and the gas cans.

However, we also stopped to meet up with a friend - Mike in Eagle River. We met him at PizzaMan Pizza, where we enjoyed a wonderful lunch and great conversation.  I met Mike online in the Alaska Living Group. He moved to AK from Miami back in 2005, I believe.  It was good seeing him.

Traffic was slow in places, but fortunately there are quite a few passing lanes so Steve was able to get to the front of the line without causing me to have a heart attack.

Talkeetna is a railroad town. Most of the town is on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s full of cabins and railroad buildings. According to the Bearfoot Magazine for the Parks Hwy :

…Talkeetna is McKinley’s mountain town. The best professional climbers from every country in the world come to Talkeetna to use it as their jumping off point. Their influence is everywhere, on the streets, and in the National Park visitor center. Talkeetna is both surprisingly international and down-home. You’ll see Tibetan prayer flags, as well as Korean banners, grizzled trappers, and Alaska huskies, all in one place.

Talkeetna is a railroad town that was isolated from the road system for many years. It has served for decades as a staging area for Denali climbers. The town has an active social life, and a strong sense of fun and community. People here love to celebrate the Alaskan lifestyle. They say the TV town of Cicely, Alaska on Northern Exposure was based on Talkeetna.

After setting up the camper, Steve and I took a nice walk through town. The 5th annual Moose on Parade is currently going on. This event was inspired by the spirit of Wild Salmon on Parade (Anchorage) and Cows on Parade (Chicago). (The moose will participate in the July 4th parade and then be auctioned off to benefit the Talkeetna Chamber of Commerce, the Talkeetna Artists’ Guild, and the Talkeetna Historical Society.) I just had to grab some photos of some of the unique moose on display. They were everywhere!

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(Read part one here)

EXIT GLACIER

Sunday (Fathers Day), our plans included Stella, as her husband and his dad were out on a fishing trip. We woke to partly cloudy skies, but the clouds quickly blew off as the day got warmer. We wanted to take advantage of the great weather, starting with a hike at Exit Glacier.

The road to Exit Glacier is about six miles outside of Seward. Admission is currently free to this park, and has been for several years now. There is tent camping about halfway down the park road. We saw bear warning signs posted throughout the campground. There is a secure food locker and eating area set a distance from the tent sites.  That’s a little too nerve wracking for me - especially in a tent. I’d never sleep a wink, and every snap of a twig would have my heart racing.

There are two trails to hike at Exit Glacier as well as a one-mile wheelchair accessible trail. One of the hiking trails takes you up to an overlook where you can see the face of the glacier. It’s moderately strenuous (some uphill climbs) and can be buggy in the summer. We didn’t have much of a problem with mosquitoes at all on Sunday.

The other trail is 7.4 miles roundtrip, and is strenuous.  The website says that “Hikers gain approximately 1,000 feet of elevation with every mile and there are several rocky sections in the first mile that may require a bit of scrambling.”  That is some serious climbing. You don’t have to go all the way to the top to enjoy awesome views, so even going halfway would be an experience.

The three of us walked the easier trail to the glacier face. It was rather warm when we left the ranger station, and quite chilly (and windy) when we reached the overlook.  I guess it would be, standing next to one huge ice block! Those who weren’t prepared with a jacket or even a long sleeve shirt didn’t stay at the top very long.  Layers are a necessity in Alaska in all seasons.

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