Anchorage, Aweigh

“We’re having a heat wave…” Well, not the kind of heat wave we experience in the lower 48, but for Alaska, today will be a scorcher. It was 55 degrees at 9:00 this morning, with an expected high in Anchorage of 70.

We leave Talkeetna, having enjoyed our short time here. The people are extremely friendly and they have wisely kept the town a bit difficult to access. If that ever changes, I predict that there will be Holiday Inn Expresses, Starbuck’s Coffee and the required McDonald’s Restaurant. It will spoil the authenticity of this cool town. The mixture of rabid hunters and fishermen, laced with the artsy folks, topped with an intellectual crowd makes this place unique. Not sure if it was really represented in Northern Exposure. The worst fate for this town would to have it become the Vail of Colorado or the Woodstock of Vermont. High priced land, highly wired people and fake wilderness. If we are so lucky as to come back to Alaska in ten years or so, we hope that it remains as it is.

A “Bronx Transplant” waited us on at the West Rib Café. The young woman packed up her bags, left the hustle and bustle of New York City and trekked to Alaska. Her first intention was to stay in Anchorage, but someone had suggested that she try Talkeetna. A friend of a friend was a bush pilot there and had a space to live. So there you go. She had been there for three and a half months. She would be heading back to the craziness of subways and tiny apartments in two weeks. She was ambivalent about it. Her intent was to go back to school and finish her degree. We both think that living in a place like this changed her. She might go back and realize that the frenetic pace of the city life is not what it is cracked up to be. Who knows, maybe we will return in ten years and she will own the West Rib Café.

It is worth noting that the prices of some things are upside down from our costs in Michigan. We paid $2.89 a gallon for diesel fuel (a real bargain for our trip) and $3.39 for a half-gallon of 2% milk. That equates to $7.78 per gallon. In Michigan, a gallon of fat-free milk ran $2.25 and the diesel was $2.75. We didn’t see any cow pastures in our travels in Alaska, so that may explain it.

It is funny to see the abridged menus in Alaska. In Talkeetna, one restaurant’s dinner menu was soup and chili. Period. At a breakfast restaurant this morning, the “basic” breakfast was: three eggs, bacon, potatoes and toast. There wasn’t an “early bird” special or a “dieter’s delight” fresh fruit and yogurt. You ordered the three-egg breakfast, or you didn’t eat. If you looked at the ala Carte choices, you would be paying far more for an egg and toast than for the three-egg selection. Pay your $9.00 (no tax in Alaska) and be done with it.

As we move south on the Parks Highway, we begin to see the transition from wilderness to city life. There are the weekend warrior fish camps dotting the highway where there had been nothing but gravel turnouts further north. The highway widened a bit and it suddenly transformed into a limited access highway with entrances and exits. We were approaching the largest city in Alaska, Anchorage. Population of this city is 278,000. That is 41% of Alaska’s entire population of 678,000. Wow. This is not the capital of Alaska, as one might think. No, those of you who memorized your state capitals will remember that the capital of Alaska is ____________ (answer at end).

We arrive and quickly (well, okay, kind of quickly) find a place for a motor home to park. We decide to hoof it and see the city. From our parking lot, it is only three or four blocks to the visitor information center. Along the way, we capture a few shots of the city. Like Fairbanks, Anchorage has a sod roofed, log cabin visitors’ center. It is in stark contrast to this modern city. The city is extremely clean and attractive. Flowerpots abound and retro streetlights give it a modern flair.

We photograph some reindeer hot dog vendors (poor Rudolph) and then head down to the weekend market, taking place near the train depot. It looks like a nice flea market with white tents. Included are arts and crafts vendors, tons of food and local produce. Because of the short growing season, most folks think that Alaska wouldn’t have great produce. However, because of the extremely long days, Alaska boasts some enormous fruits and vegetables. They have reported a pumpkin weighing 942 pounds and a head of cabbage charted at 106 pounds! The backdrop for this open air market is the majestic Alaska Range! If you look at the photo, you will see them in the distance.

We stopped at Ship Creek, where weekend fishermen prolifically dotted the water, wearing their waders and hoping for a great dinner catch. Imagine this in most major cities. We also saw a spillway where salmon jump up to three feet when the tide is in.
We also saw the monument to statehood. Alaska became a state (the 49th) in 1959. Finally, we visited Cook Inlet, where a statue depicting explorer Captain Cook. From the viewpoint, you can see the inlet itself and on a clear day Mt. McKinley (over 200 miles).

Tonight we will be camped out at Wal-Mart and tomorrow we will head to the Kenai Peninsula. The peninsula includes Seward and Homer. Both are major fishing areas. We have been told that the views are spectacular and we look forward to seeing the Gulf of Alaska.

The capital of Alaska is Juneau.