Tax day Tea Party in Wasilla, Alaska

I'm sorry the pictures below aren't the best, but I just wanted to note that there was a Tax Day "Tea Party" here in Wasilla, Alaska yesterday (April 15, 2010). I was a little busy at the time trying to get things done, but I ran across this gathering of maybe 100-200 people on Crusey Street in Wasilla. This was probably around 5:30 p.m. local time.

This first photo is of the group from my car as I sat at the Crusey Street traffic light:

Does Sarah Palin always wear red?

To the person who wrote and asked if Sarah Palin always wears red outfits, all I can say is I don't know. I've noticed that too, and I think it's pretty funny.

Here are a few pictures from the Sarah Palin red wardrobe collection:

Sarah Palin in red outfit #1:

Recent weather in Wasilla, Alaska

They told me the winter/spring weather might be crazy here in Alaska, lol ... here's the recent actual weather from Wasilla, Alaska, for the last 24 hours or so:

Alaska walking and biking paths

One of the really great things about most towns/cities in Alaska is the presence of paved paths along the sides of the roads. These paths are excellent places to walk, ride a bike, skateboard, whatever.

I took the picture below while walking on a path today here in Wasilla. I was standing on the bike/walking path (the paved area on the right), while the larger paved area on the left is a normal two-way street. Every other town I've been in also has these paths by the sides of the roads. Even Anchorage has them in some areas.

Alaska eagle mating dance death spiral

I was sad yesterday to read this report of two eagles in Alaska's Prince William Sound area that got so caught up in their mating ritual that they forgot they were plunging to Earth as fast as gravity would take them.

The short story is that the male died, and the female somehow miraculously lived, and is currently trying to recover, though one of her wings may be permanently damaged.

Cooper tires seem to be preferred in Alaska

I'm not sure why yet, but Cooper tires seem to be the preferred brand here in Alaska. For instance, as I've been traveling along, I've seen ads for several tire businesses that claim to have the "lowest prices on Cooper tires" in town.

So a lady and a dog walk into a tire shop ...

In Alaska, you get used to dogs being everywhere. They're in cars, walking down streets (usually with their owners), and from time to time you'll find a dog in a local pub, store, or coffee shop, like this dog in the coffee shop in Seward, Alaska.

So Alaskans are used to seeing dogs in many public places, and I think most people like it. All of these dogs are especially well-behaved, like the dog in the coffee shop linked to above, or another dog I met at the general store in Hyder, Alaska a few weeks ago.

Long Alaska summer days are coming

Woo-hoo, a small party on Monday (April 11, 2010) as those of us here in Wasilla, Alaska officially move up to 16 hours of sunlight per day!

By contrast, Louisville, Kentucky, where I just moved from, is currently at 13 hours and two minutes of sunlight per day. (Other locations where I have relatives: Chicago is 13 hours, 11 minutes; Mesa, Arizona is 13 hours, 43 minutes.)

Sarah Palin's Alaska

It looks like TLC will be airing a television show named Sarah Palin's Alaska.

The only information available at this time is that it will be an eight-part Discovery/TLC documentary series about Alaska, and "Emmy-award winner Mark Burnett of Survivor and Apprentice fame" will be the executive producer. No dates have been announced yet.

I personally don't like it when people mix politics with other things like this, but Alaska is definitely a tremendously interesting topic -- I can't argue with them about that.

Man dies in Fairbanks from exposure (cold weather)

I just read where a man in Fairbanks died from apparent exposure (cold weather). There are a lot of ways to die in Alaska -- eaten by a bear, kicked by a moose, earthquake, avalanche, flying off an icy road and down the side of a mountain all come to mind -- but I would hate to freeze to death, or even to get frostbite.

The few times my fingers or toes have ever gotten very cold like that and then had to warm up, I always thought both the freezing and subsequent warmup experience was very painful.

Earthquake in Wasilla, Alaska

April 7, 2010, Wasilla, Alaska: At 8:18 a.m. local time, I'm standing in my motel room here in Wasilla, when I hear a rumbling sound, and then the floor starts shaking under my feet, and the walls make cracking sounds -- an earthquake! By the time I think to get under a doorway, it is over.

Here's a link to some initial information about this Alaska earthquake. I'll add more information here as I learn it (or feel it).

Scary rental search in Wasilla, Alaska

Wasilla, Alaska rental experience: Wow, trying to find a decent place to rent in Wasilla, Alaska is a real bear. I've been trying to find a good house, duplex unit, or quadplex unit to rent in Wasilla for the last few days, and it is really, really hard to find a nice and safe rental unit.

There are two major problems in trying to find a Wasilla rental unit: there are few places to rent, and they good rental units are very expensive.

Charlene Moss realty - a bad experience

I just want to take a moment from my current housing/rental search in Wasilla, Alaska to vent about the Charlene Moss real estate (realty) company.

From what I've seen, the Charlene Moss realty company controls a fair amount of the homes, duplexes, and quadplex rentals in Wasilla. Whether that's good or bad remains to be seen, but what is a problem is when they give you this information when you call them:

Waiting for new tires in Dease Lake, British Columbia

Another two inches of snow here in Dease Lake, British Columbia this morning, even though none was predicted. It may still be snowing now, but it's hard to tell because the wind is blowing, and what I'm seeing may just be blown snow.

Mama Z's restaurant in Dease Lake, British Columbia

I ate dinner at Mama Z's Jade Boulder Cafe here in Dease Lake, British Columbia last night, and while there were only two entrees available -- lasagna and clam chowder -- the lasagna was indeed excellent.

Motels in Dease Lake, British Columbia

There are two motels in Dease Lake, British Columbia. One motel is the one I'm staying at, the Northway Motor Inn. I need to venture out again to find out the name of the second motel.

The court circuit is coming to Dease Lake, British Columbia

How cool, a thing called the "court circuit" is coming through Dease Lake, British Columbia during the next few days. I'm told that the court circuit is basically a traveling court. They come into town, hear the trials of all the legal cases that have happened in this area, and then they leave town.

Day 14: Food prices in Dease Lake, British Columbia

While I remain more or less stranded here in Dease Lake, British Columbia, I thought I'd share some of the crazy prices from the gasoline station and grocery store here in Dease Lake:

Day 12: Stranded in Dease Lake, British Columbia

Well, I've finally gone and done it: I've stranded myself in a small "town" named Dease Lake, British Columbia.

I don't know what the population is here, but the town consists of two small hotels, a gas station that doubles as a general store, and, well, that's about it. There is a restaurant here too, but it's only open some of the time, and I haven't figured out their hours yet. (There are a couple of other places in town, but they aren't open this time of year.)

Canada gas prices

So far the gas prices in British Columbia have been at least $1.05/liter (Canadian dollar), which equates to $3.97/gallon. Here in Dease Lake it was about $1.10/liter, which is $4.16/gallon.

When I left Kentucky gas was about $2.60/gallon, so yes, gas costs significantly more here in Canada.