February 28, 2011
Mmm-mm, I just returned from a short vacation to Seward, Alaska, and I just found my new favorite restaurant in Seward. I was turned on to the restaurant by several of the locals that I've chatted up during my last several vacations to Seward, and I'm here to tell you, they were right.
February 27, 2011
Sorry I haven't written about the Alaska Iron Dog 2011 race much lately, but I've come down to Seward, Alaska for a vacation, and I've been trying to avoid computers. But I just got online and saw that the race has ended after days of horrible weather, so I thought I'd write a quick note here.
The winner of the 2011 Alaska Iron Dog race is ... drum roll here ... the winner is the Huntington/Olds team, the same team which won the race last year. They came from behind to defeat the Palin/Quam team by about six minutes, and claim the winning prize of $50,000.
February 23, 2011
When you drive on the long dirt road in Hatcher Pass, Alaska, you'll wind through the mountains, eventually ending up with gorgeous views of the valley, like this.
February 23, 2011
If you ever get the opportunity to drive on the dirt road that is Hatcher Pass, you'll encounter road conditions like this. Note: car rental companies don't like it if you drive their cars on roads like these, lol. The dirt road portion of Hatcher Pass usually opens some time in July, and closes in September, probably early September.
February 23, 2011
This is a view of the Hatcher Pass mountain range in Alaska. I believe I took this photo in October or November, 2010.
February 23, 2011
Iron Dog race update #2: Lost in the earlier story is that eight out of the original thrity teams that started Alaska's 2011 Iron Dog race have scratched from the contest due to injuries or mechanical problems. I'm finding it hard to find news on the official Iron Dog website, but if you dig hard enough you can find information like this.
February 23, 2011
Iron Dog race update: The lead Iron Dog "snowmachine" racers have reached Nome, Alaska. The lead team of McKenna and VanMeter won $10,000 for being the first team to pull into Nome, and the second place team of Todd Palin and Quam pulled in a few minutes later to claim a $3,000 prize.
Just reading the story on the Fairbanks News-Miner website, this opening line was pretty funny:
"The lead pack of racers in the Iron Dog snowmachine are sticking together like the duct tape they put on their faces to fend off frostbite."
February 21, 2011
I remain fascinated by ravens in Alaska, and today a friend passed me a story about ravens in Fairbanks, Alaska. It turns out that the ravens in Fairbanks used to live a more rural life, leaving Fairbanks every night and traveling 30-40 miles to their homes in the woods, and then flying back to Fairbanks the next morning for easy food from the people of Fairbanks.
February 20, 2011
The 2,000 mile Alaska Iron Dog race gets under way later today. The Iron Dog race is a snowmachine ("snowmobile" for those of us who grew up outside of Alaska) race that begins in a town named Big Lake, just north of Wasilla. The race is billed as "the world's longest snowmachine race", and runs through Nome, Alaska, and is scheduled to end in Fairbanks, Alaska by next weekend.
February 20, 2011
Dana Stabenow news: In this, my first winter in Alaska, I've been reading the Dana Stabenow "Kate Shugak" mystery series, and for some reason this morning I was reminded that there was an effort to make a Kate Shugak tv series. As I Google'd to find out what might be going on, I ran across this tv series page on Ms. Stabenow's website.
February 19, 2011
If you're interested in my favorite Alaska websites, I'm starting a list on my new Mat-Su Valley Programming website. Appropriately enough, the list is named My favorite Alaska websites. You might be surprised to see NASA and the Challenger shuttle referenced on that list; I know I was surprised when I first discovered them.
February 18, 2011
This is another view of the Denali mountain range taken from the river area in Talkeetna, Alaska. I believe I took this photo in the summer of 2010.
February 18, 2011
This is a photo of Denali ("The Great One"), taken from the rivers in Talkeetna, Alaska. (Sorry I don't know the exact date of this photo.)
February 18, 2011
Moby Dick Hostel, Seward, Alaska: I don't have too much to report about it yet, but I took a couple of photos of the Moby Dick Hostel in Seward, Alaska, the last time I was in Seward. I haven't seen the inside of the hostel yet, but I plan to stay there the next time I'm in Seward.
Here's the first photo of the hostel. (Click the image to see a much larger version. You can press [Esc] to close that larger image.)
February 18, 2011
This is a photo of the speed limit sign on the Dalton Highway. It's not too remarkable, until you notice the yellow "miles" sign under the speed limit sign.
February 18, 2011
Here's a photo of me driving on the Dalton Highway in Alaska, on the way to Deadhorse and Prudhoe Bay. As you can see, there's not much traffic on the Dalton Highway.
February 18, 2011
This is a second photo of the Moby Dick Hostel in Seward, Alaska. Sorry about the angle of the photo, I was busy dropping my camera when I took this photo. Here's a link to my first Moby Dick Hostel photo.
February 18, 2011
If you leave Fairbanks, Alaska and drive north on the Dalton Highway, if you're lucky you'll see the sign on the road that points you to the spot where you'll find this Arctic Circle sign. (It's easy to miss that sign, and the next time I drive up there I'll try to note that mileage or any other road markers, so you won't have to miss it.)