The weather in Wasilla in September

I'm still sleeping with the windows open 24 hours a day, but this morning it was a little brisk. When I looked at my iPhone this morning, here's the weather report I saw:

It's unusual for the sky to be this clear in Alaska in September, but it's also unusual for the summer to be as wet as it was, so hey, it's a nice trade-off.

Wasilla weather in September

Here's a quick look at the weather in Wasilla in September, specifically the morning of September 16, 2010. On a related note, here's what the weather in Fairbanks, Alaska in September looks like at almost exactly the same time.

What can you see from 70 miles away?

Here's a question for you: What can you see from 70 miles away? Go take a look out your window ... can you see a tall building?

In Talkeetna, Alaska, on a clear day, you can see the Denali mountain range, which is at least 70 miles away, and it looks a little something like this:

Denali, from Talkeetna, September 12, 2010

Denali, towering over Talkeetna, Alaska, on September 12, 2010.

The gas station in Talkeetna, Alaska

For the locals that live in downtown Talkeetna, Alaska, this is the gas station they use -- an unattended pump that takes only credit cards. Nope, there's no building to walk into, no milk, no donuts, no soda, just gas pumps.

Talkeetna Welcome sign

Here's a photo of the world-famous Talkeetna Welcome sign. This sign greets you at the stop sign as you pull into town.

Nagley's grocery store in Talkeetna, Alaska

A photo of the world-famous Nagley's grocery store in beautiful downtown Talkeetna, Alaska.

The Fairview Inn in Talkeetna, Alaska

Here's a photo of the the Fairview Inn in Talkeetna, Alaska. The Fairview Inn is one of the first buildings you'll see in the downtown area. It's situated just across the street from Talkeetna park.

My hybrid dirt bike on the deck of my cabin in Talkeetna, Alaska

Here's a photo of my hybrid dirt bike on the deck of my cabin in Talkeetna, Alaska. The red car in the background is my Toyota RAV4.

Seavey sled dog show in Anchorage, Photo 2

Here's the second of two photos from the Seavey family sled dog show in Anchorage, Alaska, in June, 2007.

Seavey sled dog show in Anchorage, Photo 1

Here's a photo from the Seavey sled dog show in Anchorage, back in June, 2007.

Talkeetna doctor blows up clinic/office

A Talkeetna doctor (okay, the only doctor in Talkeetna) apparently blew up his clinic/office in an accident Tuesday. The accident is being blamed on a faulty pipe in a wood stove and a whopping 47 pounds of gunpowder and propane tanks. The explosion blew out the back door, and is reported to have shot fireballs 50 to 60 feet into the sky.

You can read the full story on the Anchorage Daily News website.

Denali, from Talkeetna, September 10, 2007

Here's a view of a part of the Denali mountain range from the rivers in Talkeetna on September 10, 2007.

Denali National Park in September

This is a view of Denali National Park from September 12, 2007, just a day or two before the last Denali shuttle buses of the season are allowed to run. Autumn has more than arrived!

The leaves are yellow, the fireweed is dead

Sorry I haven't kept things up to date here lately, I've been busy with a few business projects. Within the last week or two the leaves have started to change colors, and many are yellow or a yellowish-green by now. The fireweed has also died ... I don't know if it turns to seed, or what it does, but it looks like a dead white color. (I'll look at it more closely on my next walk.)

While I don't have any photos of the current trees, here's one from Denali National Park on September 12, 2007:

Denali shuttle buses stop running in one week

If you were hoping to come to Alaska and take a shuttle bus into Denali National Park, time is running out! The shuttle buses quit running next week, on September 16, 2010. After that some private cars are allowed to drive thirty miles into the park ... and with the car problems I've had this summer, I wonder, what happens to a car that breaks down on those narrow twists and turns several thousand feet above the ground?

Turned down the fourplex rental unit

In a major reversal of course in the last twenty four hours, I decided not to take the rental property after it was offered to me today.

A woman from the rental office called just after lunch to tell me my application had been approved (I beat out the other rental applicants, thank you very much) and I could come in and sign the paperwork, but when I told her I changed my mind and didn't want the property, she seemed shocked:

"No ma'am, I've changed my mind, and I don't want to rent it."

Renting in Alaska is very hard

Trying to find a good rental unit in Wasilla, Alaska is one of the more difficult things I've ever attempted. I suppose if you're willing to pay $1,500 or more per month things are a little easier, but the under-$1,000/month rental market is an extremely competitive battle.

In Alaska you can flag down a train

I've had my car at a local repair shop for the last few days (see my RAV4 recall article) to see if they can find out what's wrong with it. It has an intermittent "power lag" problem, but with it being intermittent, and only being worse on cold and wet days, they haven't been able to find it. (Amazingly it has been sunny and warm for the last two days, but much cooler today.)

Alaska apartment living - Suck it up, you live in Alaska

Not wanting to scrape ice and snow off my car for 150 days in a row, I just told one of my neighbors that I'm looking for a new place to live that has a garage, and she basically said, "Suck it up, you live in Alaska." Ouch.

(For the record, I'm also trying to find a place to live that has a washer/dryer, as I'm not looking forward to carrying my laundry back and forth across the parking lot to our shared laundry facilities from October through March.)