Only in Alaska: Welcome to the 49th state

by Catherine Bodry on

Alaska is one of those places where your expectations are met and often exceeded: the mountains are gargantuan and they’re everywhere, there are moose wandering the cities, and folks still run trap lines and live in log cabins. Yes, people still mush dogs (an Iditarod champion even lives in my small town), and many Alaska Natives still practice subsistence living.

Though the stereotypical Alaska is alive and kicking, there’s a whole lot more to the state. Environmental issues such as climate change and Pebble Mine, the political scene in 2008 (remember Sarah Palin? We’ve still got her), and an 800-mile pipeline that supplies a sizable sip of oil to the rest of the country all make Alaska more than simply a vast and beautiful place where hairy hippies live in off-the-grid harmony.

I hope to highlight some of the quirky qualities of living in or visiting Alaska – and there are plenty. Here are some stats, just to get you started:

  • Alaska is the largest state in the US. It’s more than twice the size of Texas, which means that if you cut Alaska in half, Texas would be the third largest state. In general, it’s about the one-third of the size of the continental contiguous US.
  • Though it’s not the least populated state (that would be Wyoming), it’s the least densely populated. There’s just under one square mile per person.
  • The population is approaching 600,000. Around half that number lives in Anchorage (279,000), and another 35,000 are in Fairbanks. The state capital, Juneau, has 31,000 residents, while Ketchikan, Sitka, Homer, Soldotna, Wasilla, and Seward collectively add roughly another 40,000. That leaves only 215,000 residents scattered across a massive sweep of land. It can be pretty quiet up here.
  • It’s the only state with a capital that’s not accessible by road.
  • Alaska has the US’s largest national park (Wrangell-St. Elias, 13 million acres), national forest (Tongass, 17 million acres), second-largest national forest (Chugach, 5.5 million acres), and the highest mountain (Mt. McKinley [locals call it ‘Denali’], 20,320 ft).
  • Though English is the official language, it is still possible to hear Yupik and Iñupiaq spoken. It’s not common in the cities, but in rural villages many residents still use their native languages.

With the widest spaces, the highest peaks, a somewhat surprising political influence, and a romantic place in Americans’ imaginations, it’s no wonder that Alaska receives $1.6 billion in tourist dollars. But if you can’t afford the trip this summer, I hope to provide a virtual tour of some of unique aspects of the state. Stay tuned!

Possible swine flu on Alaska cruise ship

by Catherine Bodry on

The numbers of cruise ship bookings to Alaska are down this year, and with a possible case of swine flu detected on board one ship in Alaska waters, I’m worried they could very well go down even more.

The Associated Press reports today that “a female crew member of the Serenade of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean ship, became ill May 2 while sailing from San Francisco northward.” Swine flu was suspected, and the Washington State Public Health Laboratory forwarded tests to the CDC, which is validating the results. Meanwhile, state officials in Alaska conducted its own tests in Ketchikan when the ship docked there. The results were negative, though officials note that the patient had been taking Tamiflu and hadn’t run a fever for several days, so the negative results were not surprising.

If this case turns out to be positive for swine flu, it will be the first reported case in Alaska.

UPDATE: Alaska health officials say tests confirmed that swine flu sickened the crew member, but she has since recovered after a course of treatment and a CDC-recommended 7-day period of isolation. However, Alaska health officials argue that the case can’t be considered Alaska’s “first case” of swine flu for several reasons, one being that the woman became ill before entering state waters.

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[Via Anchorage Daily News]

Got road rage? Try using a different digit to express it

by Catherine Bodry on

I’m a bit of a road rager. Since I live 126 miles down a two-lane mountain road from a major airport, doctor, dentist, and multi-screen movie theater, I often find myself tailgating RVs and Sunday drivers who don’t read the “holdup of more than five vehicles is illegal” signs. They also often neglect to move into the right lane when a passing lane opens on uphill stretches.

The worst part of my drive is the last 30 miles or so to Anchorage, where the highway winds along Turrnagain Arm. It’s impossible to pass, so if you get a slow car in front of you, you’re stuck. This part of the drive is also where I usually am starving and have to pee, and find myself honking, flashing my brights, and generally being fairly obnoxious in an attempt to get the folks in front of me to speed up or pull over.

When I finally do pass them, my middle finger is -was – usually my expression of choice. But I’ve discovered a much more effective tool for expressing your road rage: a big ol’ thumbs down. Here’s my philosophy: if someone gives me their middle finger, my immediate response is “oh yeah? Well, f%&# YOU!” But if someone were to give me the thumbs down, I would hang my head in shame and reflect on how lame I am.

So on your next road trip, or trip to the store, consider this less aggressive form of expression. It works on both ends (there’s no escalating anger), and perhaps the roads are a better place because of it.

How I keep my backpack organized

by Catherine Bodry on

I’ve become such a smug packer. On my last trip, I packed for three states, two countries, and three climates, which varyied from Alaska winter to springtime Mexico, and I would proudly show off display my bag (which I carried on each flight) to anyone who was (or wasn’t) interested.

What’s ironic is that I’m a total mess – I’m famously disorganized, and the contents of my bag will spew over the floor and bed of my hotel room in a colorful vomit until it’s time to move on. So, in order to contain my sloppy piles, I’ve implemented a packing strategy that has changed my travel life. Well, it’s less of a strategy and more of a product: Eagle Creek’s packing cubes. (Full disclosure – I receive a pro-purchase deal on Eagle Creek products, but I was buying packing cubes long before that privilege.)

For my round-the-world trip, I used a Marmot Diva backpack, which is thin and deep, and only has a top opening. With the packing cubes, I could color-coordinate (pants in the yellow cube, shirts in the blue one) and grab exactly what I needed rather than dig blindly through the black cavern of the backpack. Though the pack is cylindrical and the cubes are square, I could use the empty space along the sides of the cubes for stuffing dirty clothes, books, and shoes.I found that the half-cube size works better for me than the full size. The full one is so big that it ends up becoming just as disorganized as my pack would be without one, unless I’m taking bulky winter gear. The half cube is perfect for my lighter clothes: I simply roll everything up into tubes and line them up inside. I use a long tube cube for my underwear and one or two pairs of socks. Once I’m home, I’ll throw all my travel accessories (pack towel, hand sanitizer, headlamp, etc) into a cube or two and keep it in a drawer, where it’s all in one place.

I would have included a picture of my own stellar packing job, except that I’ve been home a month now and my stuff is currently spilling out of my cubes and pack on my bedroom floor….

Alaska Airlines offers double miles for frequent flyers

by Grant Martin on

It’s never too late to jump on the bandwagon. Behind nearly every other carrier in the airline industry, Alaska Airlines recently announced that frequent flyers can now earn double elite miles on all non-promo fares.

This now means that you only need to earn 10K or 20K miles to achieve MVP or MVP Gold status respectively. Codeshare partners only need 12.5K or 25K. That’s a pretty fine deal.

Tickets must be booked after registration and flights must take place between this Wednesday, the 6th of May and June 30th. Still, that gives you almost two months to (re)qualify for status. Sneak a couple of mileage runs in over Memorial Day weekend and you’ll be rolling in the perks in no time.

Sign up at Alaska Airlines promotion page here and get your flying pants on.