From the movie Insomnia, this is a great quote from an Alaskan resident to a visitor:
“There are two kinds of people who live in Alaska: the ones who are born here and the ones who come here to escape something else. I wasn’t born here.”
Dateline: March, 2010.
Not one of my better times. On the drive from the Lower 48 back to Alaska, I got stranded in Canada. The reports said the roads were clear, so I was hoping to make it through with my old tires, but “clear” has a different meaning in the winter in Canada than it has in the Lower 48. “Snow-packed with occasional ice” was a more apt description. My tires weren’t up to the task, and not wanting to die, I was forced to stop in Dease Lake, British Columbia, population 303, one motel, one gas station, one mechanic.
Back in September of many years ago, I left the little cabin in Talkeetna, Alaska, and started the long drive back to the Lower 48.
I’ve heard the song Hurt, performed by Johnny Cash several times lately, so I’ll make it today’s song of the day. I first heard it when I lived in the little cabin in Alaska in 2007, so along with a handful of other great songs I first heard there, it holds a special place in my heart.
In this photo I’m taking a photo of other people taking photos of Denali from the top of the hill in Talkeetna, Alaska. Having lived in Talkeetna, I was fortunate to see Denali many times, but for other people it was rare. The top of Denali can usually only be seen once every eight days, on average.
The road on the right leads into town, and you can’t really see Denali until you come to this point, so it was common to see people suddenly stop on the road, and then turn into this parking area.
(Click on the photo to see a much larger image of Denali.)
The last time I moved to Alaska I decided to only take what would fit in my RAV-4, so I measured the capacity of my car and then created a RAV-4 simulator in my living room.
The sign for the 'Free Store' in Talkeetna, Alaska.
A squirrel asking for some Buddha wisdom, and admiring that nice acorn hat. (Friends always send me squirrel photos because I lived with a squirrel in Talkeetna, Alaska.)
Once upon a time, a black bear walked into the Breeze Inn in Seward, Alaska and was enjoying the view of the big glass windows ... but was encouraged to leave.
If you ever drive to Deadhorse and Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, when you turn around to drive back to Fairbanks, you’ll see this sign.
This is a photo from somewhere on the Dalton Highway, between Fairbanks and Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. I drove up to Prudhoe Bay in an August many moons ago.
Back in the day I drove up to Fairbanks, Alaska, and then from there I drove up to Prudhoe Bay, which is as far north as you can drive in Alaska. I put some gas cans on the car because I didn’t know if there were really going to be any gas stations on the 494 mile drive, but a little “town” of Coldfoot had a couple of gas pumps.
I stopped here, filled up the gas tank, had a burger, and then finished the trek on the Dalton Highway to Deadhorse and Prudhoe Bay, where I stayed at this little, ahem, motel.
Here’s another photo from my drive from Fairbanks, Alaska to Deadhorse and Prudhoe Bay.
Today people on Twitter are noting the farthest north they’ve ever been. The farthest north I’ve ever been is Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. I drove there when I lived in Talkeetna.
This is one of my favorite traffic signs in all of the world. You can find it if you drive north from Anchorage, Alaska towards Wasilla and Palmer.
When I lived in Alaska in 2010-2011, I would take the exit to the right to go to Palmer. If you keep going straight you’ll go to Wasilla, followed by Willow, Talkeetna, and eventually Denali and then Fairbanks. (If you’re really gung-ho, as I was, you can also keep driving to Prudhoe Bay, if you don’t mind 400 miles of dirt roads in the Arctic Circle.)
And as you can tell from the highway numbers 1 & 3, there aren’t many main roads in Alaska. :)
This is THE speed limit sign on the Dalton Highway in Alaska. If I remember right, this is the only speed limit sign you’ll see when headed north from Fairbanks heading towards Prudhoe Bay.
I started off driving about 50 mph, but then after realizing I was the only person on the road — an almost-entirely entirely dirt road — and how late it was going to be when I got to Prudhoe Bay, I drove as fast as conditions allowed.
This photo was taken somewhere in British Columbia, Canada. I know where, but I’m not telling. :) The thing I don’t know is whether these trees are Aspen or Cottonwood or White Birch. I suspect that they are White Birch or Paper Birch, but I could easily be wrong, as I haven’t looked into it much, and didn’t ask any of the locals.
This is a painting of a roadhouse in Wasilla, Alaska, circa 1957. It reminds me of living in Talkeetna. I found it on the “Last Frontier Magazine” Twitter page.
May 19, 2015: Farming at 10:30pm. Photo from the Palmer, Alaska News Facebook page.
If I have my druthers, I’ll finish writing my current book near this wonderful spot, somewhere in Alaska.
