How do you guys live in alaska??? (Anchorage, Juneau and: transplants, crime rates)

[warptman]

I'm going to New York in May, just to the Airport to change planes. Farthest east I've been is Ohio.

[Barkingowl]

I'd have to say that some folks in Alaska live extremely well judging by some of the listings on Marty's site.

[Marty Van Diest]

Warpt...you must be heading overseas...where are you going?

[warptman]

(Close your eyes Cobolt) I leave here May 3rd for a couple days in Anchorage, then 1am May 6th to Salt Lake-New York-London. Can't wait. 21 day hurry-up-and-see things trip through Europe.

[karibear]

Originally Posted by warptman

I'm going to New York in May, just to the Airport to change planes. Farthest east I've been is Ohio.

I drove my kids down the Alcan to visit relatives in... ummm... the summer of '80, I think. Seward to Anchorage, hang a right, cross the border just past Tok, keep right and keep going to Denver, hang a left to KC, straight on with a stop at St Louis, then on to Buffalo. We hit every traffic jam in every major city, Calgary, Denver, KC, STL, Indianapolis, Buffalo. And a few others. Even back then, once you got east of the Mississippi, the 'clear' sky was kind of a nickel-colored gray with a very bright spot where the sun was supposed to be. By the time we got to Denver, we were all anxious to get home and away from the godawful traffic! Covered over 11,000 miles in about 7 of the longest weeks of my life. I thought - briefly - about going on to NYC, just so the kids could see Lady Liberty since we were so close, then sanity kicked back in again.

[warptman]

I drove my parents down the Alcan last August, it was their first time on the road. We drove to Baker Mt for my niece's 3rd birthday. I made a side trip to Salt Lake to see a Rush concert, too. That was my first time in Utah and into Salt Lake. So many cars, got there at rush hour, no fun. Found a hotel and waited for the concert. We were down states for a week and a half, was a blast. I've been through Canada 13 times now.

[vpcats]

The more I read stuff on the Alaskan threads, the more I am convinced that you folks are really awesome.

Believe it or not, I had a real total assenine idea about Alaska. Thought it was all just uninhabitable. Never really thought about Alaska as a real, actual, living, breathing, way of life.

Weird and pretty stupid of me I think now.

[Rance]

It is uninhabital! It just takes a very special breed to live here and love it.

[Grammy Linna]

Lived in Fairbanks in the 80s. My husband worked on the slope, the kids were young and I worked full time. Hated the winter- the cold, the dark, the ice fog, nose hair freezing, the baseboard heater breaking and water flooded the basement, learning to build a fire in the fireplace when all I knew to bring heat into a room was crank the thermostat up to 85. Hated the summers- mosquotos (?) big as bats and they could find you in the middle of nowhere, 24 hours of daylight. (It is just not right to come out of a bar @2:00am and have daylight.) Kids sleep deprived and grumpy because noone wants to go to bed when it is still light outside.

Loved the hotsprings for relaxing(reminding the kids a million times-do not touch your hair when it is frozen or it will break) and the pumphouse for hot drinks and shooting pool.

It was an adventure, the longest three years of my life. I admire people that live there and love it. Tell your friend to go for it, just be open minded that people may not be like her and to accept them for what they are. I loved the people, most were open and friendly.

[Barkingowl]

Originally Posted by Grammy Linna

Hated the winter- the cold, the dark, the ice fog, nose hair freezing, the baseboard heater breaking and water flooded the basement, learning to build a fire in the fireplace when all I knew to bring heat into a room was crank the thermostat up to 85.

I used to live outside of Pittsburgh, about 30 miles outside the city in farm country. One Christmas we drove down to Wilmington, NC to visit my wife's relatives. When we got back home the furnace had failed & the pipes burst. There was about 2" of water on the floor. The only heat we had was the fireplace in the master bedroom. It was so big you could've thrown 6' lengths of timber in it. My eldest boy was breaking up old furniture with an axe & feeding it into the fireplace. We burned wet unseasoned willow & pine all night long just to be able to sleep. What a night that was...