Alaska - Interesting Facts

 

I thought it would be fun to share interesting facts I've learned about Alaska during our first two months here.   If any of them have already been mentioned in a previous post just be nice and act like you're reading it for the first time.  

1.  Private Planes - There are lots of single engine planes here.  It is very noticeable.  It is not unusual to see three or four in the sky at the same time.  You will also see them parked behind houses.  Here are statics from an article in the 01-09-2022 Business Insider Magazine:

• Alaska has 6 times more pilots and 16 times as many aircraft per capita than any other place in the US.
• Alaska has large spans of wilderness that separate 82% of its communities from the state's road system.  
• There are 402 Alaskan communities that rely on planes for year-round access.  In these communities airplanes take the place of school buses, cars, trucks and ambulances.

2. Points North, East, West - Alaska claims the points in the US that are farthest North, East and West.  North makes since to me.  East and West not so much.  It becomes understandable once you become familiar with the 180th meridian.  The meridian at 180 longitude, also known as the International Date Line, divides the earth into eastern and western hemispheres.  The 180th goes through the Aleutian Islands, which are the islands that trail off western Alaska into the Bering Sea.  

• Semisopochnoi Island, Alaska  (circled on the map), is the easternmost point in all U.S. territory by longitude
• Amatignak Island, Alaska (south and a little east on the map) is the westernmost point in all U.S. territories by longitude
• Point Barrow, Alaska is the northernmost point in the United States

3.  Ice Cream - Alaska has the highest consumption of ice cream per capita of any state. I like this statistic.  I've been to Dairy Queen three times in the past month.   Heath Bar Blizzards...YUM!

4.  Day/Night, Light/Dark - The summer solstice is the day with the longest period of daylight and the shortest night of the year.  Winter solstice is opposite; it has the shortest period of daylight and the longest night of the year.  The length of daylight/dark depends on how far north you are.
If you are in far north  Utqiagvik (formerly known as Barrow), Alaska, you will have over 80 days of uninterrupted sunlight in the summer.  However, you pay for it in winter.  Winter in Utqiaqvik means 67 days without sunlight.  When the sun sets in November it doesn't rise above the horizen again until January.

This is not so extreme in Anchorage.  Anchorage has 19 hours of light on the longest day of the year and 6 hours of daylight on the shortest day.

When we were in Anchorage in June apartment hunting sunrise was at 4:24am and sunset at 11:34pm for 19 hours of daylight.  Today (09-30) sunrise is at 8:04am and sunset at 7:33pm for 11 hours of daylight.  Anchorage loses 5 minutes of daylight each day during September and October.

5.  Constitutional Convention - Every 10 years Alaskans vote on whether to hold a constitutional Convention.  Discussion on whether to hold one is going on now.  The question will be on November's ballot.

6.  Northern Lights, / Aurora Borealis - Seeing the Northern Lights is a must on BB's and my list of things to do while in Alaska.  Did you know they are forecasted like the weather?  We use the forecast posted by the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks.  

7.  Alaska Size - Alaska is larger than the next three biggest states (Texas, California, Montana) combined. It is larger than the 22 smallest states combined.

Sal

Enjoying a Pretty Sunday

This morning was beautiful.  Sunny and warm-ish.  Our fleece jackets felt good, but I saw one guy in a tank top and a woman in a sleeveless blouse.  Fifty-some degrees feels different to Virginia girls than it does to true Alaskans.  It was in the low 70s when we visited in June, perfect weather for us but we heard many comments about how hot it was.  So, obviously, it’s all what you’re used to.

It started clouding up mid afternoon, so Sal and I headed out for a walk while it was still pretty.  There is a loop trail around a lake near University of Alaska Anchorage, which is about 10 minutes from us.  As a bonus, it’s also a dog park, so it was a fun place to walk.  Friendly dogs and people.  And, no surprise, really pretty.

Later, we’ll head out again. We have established a Sunday evening tradition.  (Well, this will be our third Sunday in a row, so I think I can call it a tradition.)  We go to Dairy Queen and get Blizzards* (Sal a Heath Bar and me a Pumpkin Pie), and we drive to Point Woronzof Park, which has a pretty view of downtown Anchorage, and we enjoy our treats.  It’s also a favorite spot for moose, and we’ve seem two bull moose and a mom with her two teenage moose.  One Sunday we were told there was a bear right down the path, but we opted to stay in the car rather than check it out. I think they said it was a black bear.  They are both here in Anchorage, black bears and brown, the grizzlies.  We see pictures posted on Nextdoor fairly frequently of bears in people’s yards. 😬  Would love too see one…from the car.

* Alaska has the highest consumption of ice cream per capita of any state.  We’re just trying to fit in.

Pictures from our walk.

Pictures of Anchorage from Point Woronzof Park.

We went to Seward

BB and I just got back from a 3-day, 2-night stay in Seward.  We drove through Seward when we visited Exit Glacier in Kenai Fjords NP a few weeks ago and placed it on our list of places to visit.  Several people recommend we visit the Alaska SeaLife Center.  So off we went!

Seward is located on Resurrection Bay, which is on the east coast of the Kenai Peninsula about 127 miles south of Anchorage.  Driving time is about 2.5 hours.  We left home early due to a highway closure.  Scheduled blasting on the Seward Highway would have all lanes closed between 9:00am and 10:00am with one lane open at other times.  We left home at 6:45am to get through the blasting area ahead of the closure. 

I hoped a beautiful sunrise and scenery would be additional rewards for getting up early.  Alas, no.  The weather was rainy and foggy.  But we did make it past the blasting area before the road closed.

Our first stop in Seward was the Alaska SeaLife Center.  The Alaska SeaLife Center is the only facility in Alaska that combines a public aquarium with marine research, public education and wildlife rescue and rehabilitation.  We spent several hours there.  The antics of the Steller Sea Lions and Spotted Seals were amusing.  We saw them swim by the observation window right side up, upside down and sideways!   We were amazed at how deep the Eider Ducks could dive for food.  However, not everything we saw was 'cute.'  Have you ever seen a Wolf Eel?  Definitely NOT cute!

We spent some time walking on Fourth Avenue, checking out shops and restaurants.  A lot of things were closed, some for the season and some for a mid-week 'weekend.'  We ended up on a bench overlooking the water.  This brown, furry head pops up!  We watched the seal's head pop up a few more times before he swam out of site.

We took Ballaine Road, which runs alongside the bay, to our hotel.  BB spotted a Bald Eagle flying low over the road!  It landed in a tree by the water.  We pulled over to watch and take pictures.  It was very cooperative; it didn't fly away until after we left.

Our hotel was by the Seward boat harbor.  We had a beautiful view of the harbor, bay and mountains from our hotel room.  

BB and I took a short stroll by the harbor after breakfast on our first morning in Seward.  We spent a few enjoyable minutes watching a sea otter eat a fish.  

The activity scheduled for our second day in Seward was a 6-hour boat tour.  We took the Major Marine Tours  6 Hour Kenai Fjords NP Tour.  The weather cooperated (no rain!), but with the boat moving it was windy!  We were prepared and bundled up in our coats, hats and gloves.  Captain Laura is very knowledgeable on a wide range of topics.  She told us about the animals we saw, the glaciers and how they formed the mountains and bays, and the history of the area.  The crew made a point of staying visible and attentive and was willing to answer questions.  This was a great tour!  I would do it again.

   Animals we saw:
     Orcas
     Bald Eagle
     Mountain Goat
     Moon Jelly Fish
     Sea Otters
     Steller Sea Lions
     Harbor Seals

Glaciers and Misc:
     Rainbows
     Aialik Glacier
     Bear Glacier
     Other glaciers that I don't remember their names
     Lots of beautiful scenery

I thought we might be leaving mid-morning of our third day.  It was raining and colder.  We went back to Fourth Avenue to wander the shops again.  One of the shop keepers mentioned the museum, officially the Seward Community Library and Museum.  We decided to check it out.  Admission was $5.00.  As we handed the fee to the person at the desk he said something like, "Must be raining outside."  It gave me the feeling that the only time he saw visitors at the museum was when the weather was bad.  Well, at first I kind of agreed with that thought, however, BB and I both really enjoyed the museum.  It was a typical small town museum but we found things that really interested us.

I mentioned in a previous post that our Dad had a private pilot's license, liked to hang out at airports and had an interest in aviation history.  Both BB and I grew up hearing about Charles Lindburg's solo flight from New York to Paris in 1927.  What neither of us remember hearing about is the first flight around the world in 1924.  Four airplanes (Douglas World Cruisers- named Seattle, Chicago, Boston and New Orleans), each with one pilot and one flight mechanic from the US Army Air Service, left from Seattle, Washington to carry out the first circumnavigation of the globe by air.   The world flight began on April 6, 1924.  Seward was one of the stops as the planes made their way up the coast of Alaska and over to the Soviet Union's Komandorski Islands.  Two of the four planes, Chicago and New Orleans, completed the flight on September 28, 1924.  The Seattle crashed into a mountainside on the Alaska Peninsula.  An oil pump failure forced the Boston into the North Sea.  Have no worries, all 8 crewmembers survived the adventure and made it home.

Seward's museum had a section on the 1964 Alaska earthquake AKA the Good Friday earthquake.  The 9.2 magnitude quake lasted four minutes and thirty-eight seconds. The town was struck by several tidal waves.  Oil tanks caught on fire, which spread to a large section of the town.  Twelve people died.  The museum has photos of Seward before and after the quake.  There are audio recordings of survivors describing their experiences.  As part of the Library, but separate from the museum, was a 30-minute movie on the earthquake and how it devastated Seward.  The audio recordings and movie were interesting and very emotional to listen to and to watch.

We left Seward for home around 3:30pm.  The mountaintops on the Kenai peninsula had a dusting of snow.  When we got closer to home we saw that the mountains around Anchorage were also dusted with snow.

This was a good trip.  The only disappointment was that I didn't get to meet Morris the Talking Moose.  The store where he lives in Moose Pass was closed.  

One of the petting ponds at the SeaLife Center:

The view of the harbor and bay from the hotel room:

Bald Eagle seen in Seward:

Otter eating his breakfast:

Spiral Cove in Resurrection Bay:

Mountain Goat:

Aialik Glacier:

Sal

An Alaskan Nugget — the State Flag

 

I’d seen the Alaska state flag, of course, and thought it was a pretty flag, but I didn’t know the sweet origins of the flag until a recent trip to Seward.  Here’s what I learned.

Alaska was purchased from Russia in 1867.  As a territory, it was controlled by the federal government and flew only the US flag.  But in 1926, the Territorial Governor George Parks thought having a flag might help Alaska become a state.  A contest was held open to all Alaskan children in grades 7 to 12 to design Alaska’s new flag.

Benny Benson’s roots came from all over.  His father was a Swedish fisherman and his mother an Aleut-Russian.  A series of tragedies struck his family, and when Benny was three years old he was sent to an orphanage in Unalaska, which later relocated to Seward.  

Benny was in 7th grade at a territorial school when he entered his flag design.  It was the unanimous winner.  He described his entry in his submission:

The blue field is for the Alaska sky and the forget-me-not, an Alaskan flower.  The North Star is for the future of the state of Alaska, the most northerly in the Union.  The dipper is for the Great Bear — symbolizing strength.

Benny was awarded a watch with the flag emblem and a $1,000 educational scholarship, which he used to study diesel mechanics,

When Alaska became the 49th state in 1959, Benny’s territorial flag became the official state flag.

An Alaskan Nugget - the Iditarod Trail

Mention the Iditarod and you think of the 1,000 mile sled dog race from Anchorage to Nome.  So we were confused when we saw Mile 0 signs for the Iditarod in Seward, a port town about 125 south of Anchorage.  Here’s what we learned.

The natural ice-free harbor at Resurrection Bay was the beginning of a network of trails that became known as the Iditarod Trail.  Seward was created there in 1903 when construction began on the Alaska Central Railway.  The railway project went bust, and the unfinished rail beds became a system of trails.  The Alaska Road Commission improved the trails, which were named the Seward to Nome Mail Trail.  After the gold stampede to the Iditarod district in 1909, the trail became known as the Iditarod Trail.

Mushers delivered mail between the remote mining camps and the outside world.  Later dogsled trains carried gold shipments between the towns of Iditarod and Seward.  When airplanes were introduced in the 1920s, trail use declined.  

The first running of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in 1973 rekindled interest in the route.  Congress designated it a National Historic Trail in 1978.

Snow!

Well, a little bit of snow.

The Chugach Mountains that surround Anchorage have a dusting of snow today.

But no snow on the city; however, still lots of rain.

Sal

The Great Alaskan Duck Race 2022

BB and I were running errands a week or so back when a truck pulling a trailer carrying a BIG yellow rubber duck passed by.  Oh, did I get excited!  Another addition to our list of record holders!  We need to follow that duck!

"No, no" says BB.  "That is nowhere near the largest rubber duck."
"Has to be!" I exclaim.
"Nope." She said.  "Look it up."

Turns out it wasn't the world's largest rubber duck. The World's Largest Rubber Duck, sometimes called Mamma Duck, is 6 stories or 61 feet high and weighs 31,500 pounds.  Her motto?  The world is her bathtub. Mama Duck travels a lot, but she wasn't in Anchorage that day.

I estimate the duck we saw to be about 12 feet tall.

Soon after our duck siting we started seeing posters for The Great Alaska Duck Race 2022.  The race, scheduled for Saturday, September 10, would be held in Ship Creek in downtown Anchorage.  Ticket sales help out Alaska non-profits while giving the purchaser the chance to win some awesome prizes.

BB and I bought our tickets.  My purchase supports Alaska Trails.  Alaska Trails' vision is 'to create a world-class trail system connecting 500+ miles of Alaska's iconic terrain and diverse communities from the Pacific to the Interior..."  something like the Appalachian Trail or Pacific Crest Trail, but in Alaska.  I definitely support this!

BB and I woke up yesterday (Saturday, 9/10) to a clear blue sky and temperatures in the mid-50s.  The weather was as perfect as we have had so far in Anchorage.  

We got to the race early enough to check out the creek and the racecourse.  We took pictures of the big ducks; there were 2, one at the start and the other at the finish line.   At the starting line we saw many black net bags full of yellow rubber ducks and 1 red net bag of yellow rubber ducks.  (I've read too many spy, action, thriller books...why 1 red bag?) waiting to be spilled off the bridge and into the creek.  A race worker advised the best place to watch the ducks enter the water.  Off we went to claim our spot.

We cheered for our ducks as they went by and offered encouraging words for those caught up on the rocks. 

Although our ducks didn't place in the race, we thoroughly enjoyed the event.

Local news covered the event.  I watched the recording and got a surprise...stop it at the 1:03 mark.  Do you see us?  Look for my red purse...  

https://www.ky3.com/video/2022/09/11/great-alaska-duck-race

BB and I with a Big Duck:

Bags of ducks (1 red?)

Racing down the creek

A few were left behind

Cleanup crew

Here is a screenshot from the video in case you need help finding us

Sal

Another Record Holder Added to Our List

This morning the Palisade was at Lithia Hyundai for routine maintenance.  We wanted something to do while waiting for the car.  BB noticed that Alaska Wild Berry Products was nearby.  Several people mentioned that wonderful chocolates and fudge were found there.  They also talked about a big chocolate fountain.

We left the car at Hyundai and set off for Alaska Wild Berry Products.  It was about four blocks and a five minute walk to the store.  It was raining, but that didn't stop us! 

Alaska Wild Berry Products is the largest candy manufacturer in Alaska.  While chocolates and fudge were my main interest, the store also has wild berry jams and jellies, and a wide selection of Alaska souvenirs and gifts.

We entered the main door...and there it was ... the CHOCOLATE WATERFALL.  Over 3,000 pounds of chocolate drop through five copper candy kettles before falling into a chocolate pool.  This 20 foot chocolate waterfall is said to be the largest one in the world. 

Our list of record holders encountered during this adventure increases by one.  The updated list:
  The largest Buffalo, Moose and Beaver statues
  The largest gold pan (maybe) 
  Just missed seeing the largest golf ball (used to be here, they took it away a while back)
  The largest Chocolate Waterfall

We got chocolate and maple fudge.  We are saving them to have for a treat after supper.  We'll see if they last that long.

Sal

It’s official. I’m the best.

Alaska, long known for its taste and high standards, recognizes and awards as Virginia never did.  

I do enjoy treats, but “cuddles?”  I prefer a hair ball to cuddles, but in a contest, you say what the judges want to hear.  

My competitive juices are raging.  Denali, mayor of Talkeetna, I’m coming after you.

But first, a nap.  Being fabulous is tiring.

My sourdough hopes are on the rise after a flat start

 Sourdough breads were to be my thing here in Alaska.  I’ve never been much of a baker.  Cornbread, a caramel cake for Sal’s birthday and an occasion dessert pretty much sums up my baking experience.  But Alaska and sourdough seemed a natural pairing, and it was an inside activity requiring little, none really, physical activity, so right up my alley.  But baking is a science, and I’ve always been kind of a wing it cook.  Do you see problems I didn’t anticipate?

First off, I cheated.  I was gifted a fabulous book, Alaska Sourdough, which took you through all the steps of making the sourdough starter, maintaining it and recipes from breads to ginger cookies.  That would be my guide.  However, at the State Fair there was a woman, award-winning author Laurel Downing Bill, selling sourdough starter that had originally come to Alaska in the 1890’s with her gold-mining great-grandfather.  How cool was that, I thought.  Upon discussion, I learned that the starter was actually freeze dried, but still, ok.  I purchased it, bought a special non-metal container, the distilled water and unbleached flour required, and started my sourdough journey.

First off, wow, it was stinky.  Maybe the term “sour” should have alerted me, but no.  But I stirred it and fed it and it responded with bubbles and growing and it seemed happy.  Now I’d make my bread.

Cheat number 2.  I read that sourdough can take longer to rise than yeast bread, like maybe 8 hours or more.  Come on, that’s ridiculous.  I started my loaf for that evening’s dinner around 2:00.  And it was to go through two proofs.  With very little rise I baked it at 6:30.  Bread fail.

Nice color and crisp bottom, but absolutely no rise.  As Paul Hollywood would say, “It’s a shame.”  Sal gamely ate one slice, I ate two.  

Discouraged but flipping through my book for a second attempt, I found the perfect recipe, Sourdough Hotcakes.  Who cares if they rise or not?  Who would even know?

Yum.  Success.  I am back on my journey.  I have a jar of starter in the fridge and we’ll enjoy pancakes until I’m ready to attempt another bread.  And I will sometime, now that I know the bread rise will require an early rise from me.

Day Trip to Kenai Fjords National Park

 BB and I realized two things Friday:

• It was Labor Day weekend and we didn't have any plans
• Most things we want to do seem to be open or available for 'the season'.  The season seems to be Memorial Day to Labor Day.  Thinking we have a year to do all we want to do is a false assumption.

So we planned a daytrip.

We decided to take a daytrip to Kenai Fjords National Park.  BB found that the Park offers Ranger Led walks during the summer season, which ended yesterday, September 5.  We decided to get up early Monday and arrive at the Park in time to take the 10:00am Ranger Led walk to the Exit Glacier Overlook.  

We were up and out early.  Kenai Fjords NP is located 2.5 hours south of Anchorage near Seward.  Driving down the Seward Highway alongside Turnagain Arm at sunrise provided us one amazing view after another.  The sunrise generated color that reflected off the clouds and mountain tops.  Once we turned inland the road followed valleys and was fog covered.  We wondered what views and sights were hidden behind the fog.

We arrived at Exit Glacier in plenty of time for the Ranger Walk.  We couldn't have had a better morning for it, blue skies, a nice temperature and no humidity (I don't think Alaska knows what humidity is).  Ranger Araya led the walk.   She told us how glaciers are formed and how scientist determine how big it was in the past.  She also told us how the native people in the area lived off the land and were influenced by the climate. 

Visiting Kenai Fjords was definitely worth getting up at 5:30am!

We brought a picnic lunch with us, peanut butter and pickle sandwiches.  It is a great combination.  These sandwiches were on untoasted multi-grain bread.  Take this sandwich up a level by grilling it (grill as you would a grilled cheese - the pickle goes on after you grill it).  We enjoyed these sandwiches at a pull off with a scenic view of Exit Glacier.  We noticed another family having a picnic lunch at the pull off.  They also had peanut butter sandwiches, but with banana instead of pickle.

More spectacular views on the drive home as we saw all the views that were obscured by the morning fog.  Also got a look at a small community named Moose Pass.  We didn't stop; however, we will on a trip to Seward we plan to make in a few weeks.  The Alaska Mile Post book says the Moose Drop-In Trading Post in Moose Pass is home of Morris, the Talking Moose. I definitely have to meet Morris!

The Seward Highway on the drive back to Anchorage was one long line of traffic.  Traffic moved at posted speed or slightly below and everyone behaved.

On the drive to Kenai

Us by Exit Creek

BB Crossing the creek

Our picnic lunch view

Along the drive view

Sal

Will it ever stop raining? / Updated

 It has probably rained every day since we got to Anchorage on August 12.  Not all day and usually more of a light rain or drizzle than a downpour, but still, you know?  I’ve been googling those Jennifer Gardner red rain boots I see everywhere on social media and am tempted.

This chart was in the paper today.

I read somewhere that this is typically the rainy season here.  And when does the rainy season stop?  When it starts to snow.

But at least it’s not Richmond humid hot. 

Friday Update

I wrote the above too soon.  Today is beautiful.  Sal and I went downtown to our favorite brewery, 49th State Brewery, sat on the deck overlooking the Cook Inlet and the mountains, enjoyed our favorite brew (Raspberry Wheat) and split a pizza.  Perfect afternoon.

Fur Rondy — Can’t Wait!

 Oh my goodness, did we enjoy John’s visit.  We saw, ate and drank a lot and relished (a nod to the numerous hot dogs consumed) every minute.  And we laughed.  A lot.  I think we are pretty good tour guides.  All we need is more visitors!

Today Sal and I went downtown to the Fur Rondy Headquarters.  This may sound crazy, but I can hardly wait until February.  (This despite the nice man at the Visitor’s Center explaining winter is not as bad here as people think.  It is not a constant -5 degrees in Anchorage; it might be -5 for a week, then warm up to +5 for a week, then down again, etc.  Hmmm.  Not as reassuring to me as he intended.)

The Fur Rondy (Rendezvous) “is our nation’s premier winter festival,” per the Mayor of Anchorage.  2023 will be the 88th year of the festival, and while dates and events for 2023 have not yet been announced, wandering the headquarters, speaking with an event rep and scouring the 2022 Festival Guide has me so excited.  It’s a multi-day event; last year dates were February 25-March 6.  And the events are many and sound fun and thrilling.

The ceremonial start of the Iditarod takes place in downtown Anchorage the first Saturday in March.  After our visit to Husky Homestead, we are big Jeff King fans and would love to cheer him off if he competes next year.  Another big race, the Open World Championship Dog Team Race, held over three days, is part of the festival.  In contrast to the roughly 1,000 mile Iditarod, it’s a sprinting competition that has  continuously been voted the “Best Event” by the International Sled Dog Racing Association.  The 21+ mile trail goes through town, down highways (even down our street) and through dog parks before heading back downtown.  The team with the fastest total time wins.

Those events I think will be really exciting.  But other events sound so much fun.  The Running of the Reindeer.  We’ll watch, although I am a bit tempted to try it.  I know I’d love to try ice bowling.  Snow Sculptures. Frostbite Footrace.  Scavenger hunts. Curling events; they will teach you.  A talent show.  Strap skis to a porta-potty for the Outhouse Races.  Hockey.  Fireworks.  Concerts and more.

See why I am so excited?  I imagine by February people here are ready to play and party.  Winter, even at only +5 degrees, is bound to be tiresome by that time.

This husky statue is outside the Fur Rondy headquarters.  The plaque on the statue reads:

Each winter the City of Anchorage, Alaska is host to two of the world’s greatest sled dog races, the Fur Rendezvous World Championship and the Iditarod.  This is the starting line for these two great races.

This monument  is dedicated to all dog mushers and their heroic dogs.

Jeff King said there are dog sled races in Argentina, New Zealand, France, Norway — all around the world. But he compared it to country music.  You can sing country music anywhere, but if you want to be great, you go to Nashville.  If you want to be a great musher, you go to Alaska.