Winter is Coming

I can't say I'm too excited about winter coming. Mainly because I haven't sold my house yet and I feel like I was cheated out of my summer a little. We had some records this summer as far as rainfall was concerned. A month straight of rain every day. This is a big deal when we're talking about a summer that only lasts a few months. We even had a snowfall in early spring that allowed me to make a pretty awesome pirate snowman, but still meant taking away precious summer activities. The darkness is a definite downer, as the sun rises around 10a.m. or later and sets around 3 to 4 p.m. Most 9-5 workers never see daylight in the winter except on days off. Depression becomes an issue, but I'm one of those people who tries to stay positive. I love the state and try to embrace every season with an optimistic outlook. When it rained for a month I said, "Well, it's filling our well with fresh water. We know it won't be going dry and we don't have to water any plants or grass!" When it snowed in late April after I started seeing fresh grass and flowers shooting up, I made a snowman. When nights become days, I stargaze and watch the northern lights. When we get a foot of new powder on the ground I rejoice in the crisp, white surroundings, snapping photos of mountains that look like comfy down pillows. I opt to shovel my driveway for exercise. Hatcher Pass is gorgeous no matter what the season may be, but winter is indescribable. I love living 15 minutes from this recreation destination and try to visit often. There are a lot of ski trails around and my husband and I are looking forward to doing some cross-country skiing and snow-shoeing. I hope my next property is close to snow-machine trails, as it is an exhilarating way to take away winter blues. There is nothing like spending the crisp daylight riding around the wilderness and coming back to a cozy cabin, stripping off the snowsuits and warming up in front of a roaring fire. Of course, there's one major aspect to colder weather that is often overlooked by all those people griping about watching snow flurries in September. As a person who enjoys and appreciates all this beautiful nature, I always think of the increasingly melting glaciers. They are rapidly disappearing and I couldn't imagine an Alaska without them.

The fact is, Alaska isn't for everyone. We have a lot of Texas, Maryland and California transplants here and I have no idea why. Maybe they were sick of the heat. My husband came from Maryland to escape the cities and crowds. Some people have ideas of grandeur, thinking they'll get free money from the dividend, higher pay rates and a picturesque log home. What they get is a 2 year waiting period for the dividend, higher cost of living, and an apartment in the city because they realize that's all that's available.

Transplants get stuck in the city when they realize everything is so far away. I've known people who lived here for 15 years and never traveled farther than 40 miles outside of Anchorage. These "Debbie downers" really irritate me. I don't know why they even live in the state. They typically do nothing but complain and when I suggest a vacation, they say it's too expensive to go out of state. At this point, I am envisioning myself punching them in the jugular and confiscating their dividends. I can only say to choose your state wisely. Alaska is not a state, but a state of mind, as so many people before me have said. This makes me believe there are true Alaskans out there, I just have trouble finding them.

As for me, the sun has finally made an appearance through the snow clouds hovering threateningly, so I'm going to make the most of it and rake some leaves. Maybe there's another Alaskan out there doing the same.

Selling the House

My husband and I have put our house on the market. We had a five year plan which consisted of building a house and selling it to finance our own business venture. Selling a house in Alaska, hopefully, won't be such a problem as selling a house in other states. The economy in Alaska has stayed much stronger than many other states and the real estate market isn't in dire straits. We still have our military bases and the need for military housing hasn't gone away. We still receive a dividend ($1200 this year) and there haven't been too many business closures. The job market is a bit tougher, but it's there.

The house isn't anything too fancy or expensive. I will give myself a pat on the back and go so far as to say the landscaping is phenomenal. My husband and I worked very hard on our gardens and have invested a lot of time and money to make our property appealing. We have tested many perennials available to Alaskans and found the plants which work best for our location. We even created a separate climate zone for touchy plants with a southern exposure rock garden. One of my favorite hardy plants is the anemone. The delicate white petals give way to interesting seed heads after a long bloom time. A good year gives two bloom periods. It will spread as much as you let it. The same goes for Catchfly. It's a cute, mounding plant with a purple and white flower that releases seeds from a pod once the flower has peaked. Great for rock gardens, it pairs well with another vigorous plant, SilverMound. SilverMound looks like a light green, fluffy pillow and has a wonderful scent. Their growth rate and size always astonish me.

In any case, I hope the next owner appreciates the plants and enjoys the peaceful environment we've created. I need to sell the property very soon, so I'm praying someone falls in love with this place before I go crazy trying to keep everything perfect for house showings.

Ultimate Denali Trip Fail

Well, for the 3rd year in a row, I had the great fortune to take a trip into Denali National Park as one of the winners of the Denali Road Lottery. This wonderful chance meant I would be one of the few people chosen to drive my own vehicle the 90 miles back to Wonder Lake, a gorgeous setting where so many spectacular photographs of McKinley have been taken. Normally, access into the park is limited to biking or riding a tour bus. For $10, a person has a chance to drive at their own pace, stop when they want and enjoy the quiet of a small car vs a bus full of people. I had been looking forward to taking this trip once again and for once, I had everything. I left early. I had a reliable vehicle with studded tires, my sisters were coming, so the driving could be divided, coolers packed, snack food ready, fresh batteries for the cameras and an early start. The topper to it all, was the stunning, cloud-free sky.

About an hour and a half into the trip, I looked over at my husband and smiled. We had had a rough year and this was going to be a highlight for us. I squeezed his hand and leaned back as I watched the sun slowly coming up. It was going to be a gorgeous day. My sisters were in the front, one driving, one controlling the screwy heating in my parents' car. Suddenly, they both look at the gauges. I started blocking out everything that happened from this point. The next thing my sister said was, "Folks, we're having technical difficulties." I sat staring in disbelief and disappointment as we pulled off the road and the car died. Of course, the trip was ruined. There were no options. By the time my father would arrive to check the vehicle, it would be too late to get another vehicle and start again. There was nothing that could have predicted the car failure. It needed a fuel pump replacement and a $200 tow. The car wasn't old, it didn't have high mileage, it had just had an oil change and regular tune-ups. Nothing predicted it. Except me. A couple weeks earlier I had awoken from a dream where we all overslept on the day of the trip. I was so upset about the whole thing I told my sisters and said, "We can't oversleep!"

Despite all our meticulous planning, the trip had ended in failure. We all crammed into my Dad's truck, said good-bye to the car that failed us, and turned around. Looking back to the north, we had a clear shot of Mt. McKinley. The mountain that shrouds itself 90% of the year and hides its presence with storm clouds generated from the 20,320 foot peak was towering behind us, laughing.

Valdez Still Ranks Number 1 With Me

My vacation to Valdez this year was spectacular. One of my favorite little towns in this vast state, I try to go every year to enjoy the Pink Salmon run. Having worked at a visitor center, I would suggest Valdez to anyone traveling in an RV, but never got too much enthusiasm from that person once they heard it would take them at least six hours to drive to this quaint fishing town. Personally, I think a six hour drive is totally worth it, and would try to explain this as I also slipped in the correct pronunciation of the town (Alaskans call it Val-deez, not Val-dez). I would stay strong, raving about the glacier views along the highways, the gorgeous waterfalls in Keystone Canyon, lots of eagles and bears, the Alyeska Pipeline and of course, the destination of Prince William Sound. In the end, most people didn't go, as they had heard so many reviews from friends and relatives about another little Alaskan fishing town, Seward. Even my mother-in-law, after taking her to both destinations, agreed she liked Seward better.

The main thing visitors seem to enjoy about the drive to Seward (drive south from Anchorage) is the rocky coastline along Cook Inlet. There are small waterfalls dotting the landscape, a few glaciers, and the town itself is very well-maintained and also hosts an aquarium with otters, seals, puffins, etc. I admit, I like the town as well, but I never get the feeling I've left civilization when I'm there. I suppose I'm just the type of person who opts to take the road less traveled and socialize with the true Alaskan populace, not the business-owning, busy socialites of Seward. Seward has truly become the visitors' destination, being only a couple hours from Anchorage and consisting of almost nothing but Inns, B&B's, seafood dining, and breath-taking panoramas. The biggest downside for me is the highway which leads to Seward. With so many short trips available to weekend vacationers, locals flock to a dozen different locations along this highway. It leads to Ski Resorts, fishing, wind surfing, hiking, glacier trekking, cruises, whale watching and on and on. Unfortunately, that makes for a dangerously crowded road with a bunch of people going too fast and causing lots of accidents. Traffic regularly gets backed up for hours with fatal accidents. The thought of getting hit by one of these impatient drivers is enough to make me choose Valdez. That, and the fact that I would have to drive through the congested city of Anchorage to get there.

I'm a true Alaskan. I want silence and solitude, a highway where I see another traveler only every half hour, and a town that minds its own business, unless they see you're not catching any fish. In this case they'll be the first to let you know what you're doing wrong.

In the end, both destinations are beautiful, and if you're willing to fly, it's only a 45-60 minute ride to Valdez from the area of Anchorage. Though I personally don't like the drive to Seward, there is another option. In the summer there are fantastic train rides available to Seward, Denali and Fairbanks. If a traveler wants things done for them, it's best to book a package tour or book a train ride, cruise and hotel separately for Seward. Though some things are missed without a package tour option, you still get a little more freedom to wander around. Ultimately, there is no wrong choice when it comes to choosing a vacation destination in Alaska.

Watch my videos of Valdez fishing and bear watching here.

Alaska Driving101

I would like to create a blog dedicated to everything Alaska. I'm a pretty typical Alaskan woman. I've lived here for 29 years and really don't want to ever move. I lived in Maryland for a year and a half, got married, and brought my husband to my beloved home for our honeymoon. After spending two weeks enjoying the wilderness, we went back to the busy and crowded lower 48. It took my husband about a week to decide he was ready to move to Alaska.

Alaska is worlds away from the other states. Our population is small (626,932) but our state is huge. Most of us love fishing and hunting, including myself. I don't necessarily hunt any longer, but I would not be opposed to hunting again for subsistence. I plan to live in a cabin somewhere in the woods, far from stores and highways, so I would consider game for meat. Caribou makes a nutritious, low-fat meal. For a lot of Alaskans, a moose or caribou are essential for survival. Natives hunt for the village, sharing and using every part of the animals they kill. Personally, I think the biggest problem is killing moose on roadways. Seeing a moose after it's been hit by a vehicle is a good way to ruin my day. It's gruesome, and a lot of people try not to look, but I believe it's the responsibility of every driver to look at the results when things go wrong. Burn the image into your brain and remember it when you want to talk or text while driving. Most of the time, accidents with moose happen at night, when a person can only see the road. It's so important to watch the sides of the road and look for that glint of an eye caught by the headlights.

A lot of Alaskan roads and highways have no light. There isn't always a power source to provide visibility, so night driving is hazardous. Fortunately, this is only a problem in winter. Summer provides nearly 24 hours of daylight, depending on the location in Alaska. It makes for the best road trips ever. Winter road trips are almost non-existent. Roads are icy, lots of mountain passes mean avalanche danger, sudden snowstorms cause many accidents and good daylight is available from around 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. In Alaska, this doesn't get you very far.

I'm still always surprised when I find an Alaskan who hasn't tried to explore the state much. Of course, these people are usually only found in Anchorage. Anchorage is the largest city, and is overflowing with lower 49 transplants. It's a melting pot for people from all over. Texas, California and Maryland provide Anchorage with most of its new citizens, but places like Hawaii, Mexico, Korea and Japan also contribute to a growing population. It helps that Anchorage has military bases, an international airport and a sea port. There are a lot of military personnel and their families stationed in Anchorage. Besides these things, a lot of newcomers to the state go to Anchorage in search of jobs. Unfortunately, my husband and I fall into this category, somewhat. I live an hour from Anchorage, so I commute like many others. Commuters from my area double the population of Anchorage on weekdays. It's a hectic drive, and worse once arriving in the city. A lot of commuters do their shopping in Anchorage before driving home. One reason is to avoid rush hour, another is no taxes. Yes, no taxes. However, the citizens of Anchorage have increasingly high property taxes and less fire and police service response. Still, they refuse to implement a sales tax to offset these conditions. However, implementing a sales tax could drive commuters to buy more locally. I think this would be a good thing. Unfortunately, I can't decide for the Anchorage citizens.