Ok, I gotta know!!! (Sterling, Craig: rent, job, school)

[Rainy]

Well...not to discourage anyone, but there is another side to the coin that any single women thinking about coming up here looking for a man really need to know.

First of all, put Men in Trees back in the squawk box where it belongs. This ain't no tv show here.

Second of all--they are human beings too (men). Don't come up here and get yourself one if you're just going to wimp out in January and go crying back to the lower 48. Been on a few ferries and airplanes where I've met up with several women whining up a storm about how happily ever in the cabin in the woods wasn't supposed to include any sort of hardship. I've tended bar in enough parts of rural Alaska to have seen a few too many times the results of the old " she just couldn't take the winters here " syndrome.

Live up here for a year in all seasons for it's own sake before you get too involved with anyone, and don't harbor any fantasies about dragging your catch back to the lower 48 when and if you bag him.

Those single females among you might google Talkeetna Bachelor's Society---they put out a catalogue of available men and have an auction every year, though from what I've heard it's winding down. They auction off the guys and afterwards you get a drink and a dance with the one you buy, anything more is by mutual consent, and the proceeds go to a battered women's shelter in Palmer. There's also the Alaska Men magazine but that seems to have gotten really commercial over the years.

By the way, I'm female and have all my teeth.

[mal_flisk]

Talkeetna will have it again next year. The original organizer had to spend less time at it and had other people take over as the organizers. Men in Trees is the same as any other commercial program/movie about Alaska. Nightmute looks nothing like the town in "Insomnia", hockey is big up here, but HS basketball is the sport of most of bush Alaska.

The big thing everyone outside doesn't know is the lack of a road system. The state has less than 3000 miles of highways covering an area over 2 times the size of Texas. The Sterling/Seward/Parks/Dalton (Haul road) combination runs from Homer up to Deadhorse and is almost 1000 miles of road running south to north. There's a spur to Delta from Fairbanks, with a connection to Tok going out, a road from Tok to Gulkana, A road from Delta thru Gulkana, Glennallen to Valdez and another from Glenallen to Anchorage. That's really it. The remainder of any "roads" are less than 50 miles long. Even the Dalton - 400 miles from Fairbanks north to Deadhorse is paved for about 50 miles. The rest is gravel road. The Tok cutoff from Gulkana is pretty rough in spots.

Most of these "highways" are 2 lanes wide. On the majority of them, houses may, repeat may be as close as 5 miles apart, and any town with a population of over 400 is considered sizeable. I have driven for over an hour on these roads without seeing a car, or truck, but I usually see moose in the winter, as often as 3 an hour. Fox, ground squirrels and porcupine are the commonest roadkill. The ravens clean up until someone bigger shows up.

The men and women who live off the grid are the real Alaskans. The rest of us are crowded around our TV's and are missing out. I'm a city guy (too old to be a boy), but don't doubt that real Alaska is still as tough today as it was 100 years ago. The men and women are just as tough if they live outside the roads of civilization. They just carry their courtesies and civilization with them.

[ladywarrior0505]

Howdy folks,

Here's my two cents (still waiting on my first chance to visit AK). One of my best friends is a traveling nurse...not from house to house...she uses a company I referred her to, and they find her nursing positions around the country, and for several years she has been at a very small hospital in Kodiak. He is a itty bitty thing, and shocked me by buying the biggest Dodge Ram truck, and a huge RV, and she parks it somewhere in the vicinity of Kodiak, and that is where she lives, while she goes back and forth to work. I think she isn't making the most money, because she is always saying how she is short of money, but I know for a fact that she is having a fantastic time! I'm so jealous of her stories of seeing the wildlife (all of you are familiar I'm sure...moose, bears, wolves, others). And she talks about her fishing trips and catching huge Salmon or Tuna. I was shocked, since she is so small. It is just her and her dog. I think it would be awesome for the adventursome woman.

This is a great forum! Great to read the messages.

[ladywarrior0505]

oops...I mean my girlfriend...."SHE is an itty bitty thing...not he.

[WriterofWords]

What fantastic pictures! I wish I had the cash built up to go now! As soon as I can though,, my son and I will be on the way. It sounds like where I live used to be. It's just grown up too much and not in a good way, I'm ready to leave.

[WriterofWords]

Rainy thanks for the perspective, it always helps to have such a grounded viewpoint come into a discussion. I've loved reading everything everyone has written, and I'm sure no one actually expects Alaska to be like Northern Exposure or Men In Trees. If everyone thought that cities portrayed in movies were really like they are shown, no one would live in a city they'd all be in caves with shotguns waiting for the drug dealers and hookers to attack. But I believe Pretty Woman can happen,,,, you don't?

[Rainy]

LOL, Writer, it would probably surprise you how many think it is like a tv show, but that's only because it's their only frame of reference. I'll say that a lot of aspects of Northern Exposure were actually very right on. Pretty woman--I don't know, it could happen I guess but the character in the movie was in a line of work I'd avoid.

Alaska is a good place for a child to grow up, what part of it are you thinking about moving to?

Nice to know that Talkeetna is continuing with the auction.

[WriterofWords]

Originally Posted by Rainy

LOL, Writer, it would probably surprise you how many think it is like a tv show, but that's only because it's their only frame of reference. I'll say that a lot of aspects of Northern Exposure were actually very right on. Pretty woman--I don't know, it could happen I guess but the character in the movie was in a line of work I'd avoid.

Alaska is a good place for a child to grow up, what part of it are you thinking about moving to?

Nice to know that Talkeetna is continuing with the auction.

I was on the ATP chat the last two Tuesday's talking with different schools. The BSSD seems to have a lot to offer a teacher. Only problem is fly in and my animals. As much as I would love to take them up on an offer I'm not leaving my animals behind so that comes into play. My son is 15 now, and he's willing to go anywhere so that helps.

LOL I would most definately avoid that line of work, although they do make more than us teachers!

[Rainy]

Writer, the one who used to come into where I worked last winter definitely didn't make more than a teacher. lol.

Reading over my last post it looks like I've been a bartender all over; I probably worded it wrong. I worked last winter in a little place that was literally the only place to go for miles, and it was interesting because it wasn't just a certain type of person who went there.

It was draining though and I don't really have the personality for it. But I got to hear a lot about people's personal lives. And I was really surprised at how many of them went in for the online dating stuff. There were some pretty decent guys doing that who probably wouldn't even think about it if they lived somewhere else.

[BikeChick]

I'm new to the Alaska forum and actually popped on to look for information on vacationing in Alaska. This post was at the top of list so I started reading it and got hooked. I too have heard the talk about the abundance of single men in Alaska. It's nice to read Alaskans perspective on the truth (or not) on that rumor.

Rance - I echo other's comments that your sense of humor is wonderful.