Daughter moving to King Cove - need car transport advice (Anchorage: credit, how much)

[southeasttexas]

My daughter (25) is an elementary school teacher, and is moving to King Cove in Late July.

Here is the issue. She needs to pack up her low mileage Ford Crown Vic, hopefully packing it with her belongings, then shipping it to Anchorage, then ferry it out to King Cove. (buying another car won't work for us, thanks). She will sell and leave the car there in few years, so no return for it is necessary.

So, any ideas about this? Any tips, or any great deals we may not see just by surfing the net? Thanks.

[Frostnip]

You say "us." Are you moving to Alaska as well?

Might make more sense to ditch the car and get an atv instead. I haven't been to King Cove but this is the case in a lot of smaller communities not on the road system. Why does she not just ask her new future co-workers what they did?

The implication that she's going into rural/bush Alaska teaching without intending to (or at least being open to) sticking with it is kinda sad. Kids have too much teacher churn as it is.

[Ted Bear]

Crown Vic? ATV?


Sounds like someone needs to do a little more research.


"the road system in King Cove is fairly limited, consisting of a few gravel roads in and out of the community"


Unless she plans to live in it, might want to leave the Crown Vic at home.

[HannahTravels]

If you don't mind me asking, does she really need a car out there? I'm also a bush teacher and I live in a village farther north on the peninsula (same general area) and nobody has cars. Like the other poster said, everyone has ATV's that they use to get around. King Cove is quite a bit bigger than where I live, so maybe there is a need, but I'd seriously look into getting some other form of transportation. Also, will the school not provide any form of transportation? My district has two trucks and/or ATV's available for teachers to use to run errands (post office, store, clinic, etc). Has she checked to make sure something like this isn't already available for her to use?

If you are serious about shipping it out, be aware of the cost. I know someone who shipped a car to a village on the peninsula (WAY north of King Cove) this summer and it cost them $2,000. I'd imagine it will be more expensive than that to get something all the way out to where your daughter is teaching. Heck, it cost me $1,000 just to ship a car to Juneau a few years ago. Also, if possible, she should drive the car to ANC instead of shipping. The ALCAN trip is really incredible. My husband and I have done it twice in the last 5 years and it's been spectacular both times.

Good luck to her on her new teaching adventure!

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by Frostnip

The implication that she's going into rural/bush Alaska teaching without intending to (or at least being open to) sticking with it is kinda sad. Kids have too much teacher churn as it is.

This is one of the reasons I chose to have my offspring educated elsewhere. One of the best decisions I ever made. With the temporary teachers and the emphasis on sports above all else, the Alaska schools aren't worth a ****. The school here has come close to losing its accreditation several time despite almost drowning in oil money at one time. Yet every time I take the ferry to Ketchikan, the thing is teeming with those rude sports teams and the so-called adults who company them.

[AlaskaErik]

I'm originally from Cold Bay, which is about 30 miles from King Cove. First of all, a Crown Vic is absolutely not suited for King Cove. 4x4 pickup truck or Jeep is the only way to go. The easiest way to get a vehicle to King Cove is by Alaska Marine Highway ferry out of Homer or Whittier. But you will have to accompany the vehicle. Other than that, it will have to be shipped there by ship or barge. If she's single, a four wheeler would work.

[AKStafford]

The Alaska Marine Highway has a ferry run from Homer out to King Cove: Alaska Marine Highway System - Route Guide

[Haolejohn]

Originally Posted by southeasttexas

My daughter (25) is an elementary school teacher, and is moving to King Cove in Late July.

Here is the issue. She needs to pack up her low mileage Ford Crown Vic, hopefully packing it with her belongings, then shipping it to Anchorage, then ferry it out to King Cove. (buying another car won't work for us, thanks). She will sell and leave the car there in few years, so no return for it is necessary.

So, any ideas about this? Any tips, or any great deals we may not see just by surfing the net? Thanks.

I've never been to King COve, but I do not think a vehicle will be needed. As a matter of fact, I strongly recommend just bringing her clothes, some food (quite a bit) and some items that will make her happy.

This is my fifth year in the bush, and unless she wants to run the possibility of losing a lot of money, just do the first year without the car.

Also, if dead set on shipping a vehicle, check for shipping out of seattle, might cost the same.

[Metlakatla]

Yeah, ditch the car. Sounds like your daughter's in it for the money anyway, and from what it sounds like, she won't be able to sell the car when she leaves.

[Frostnip]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

This is one of the reasons I chose to have my offspring educated elsewhere. One of the best decisions I ever made. With the temporary teachers and the emphasis on sports above all else, the Alaska schools aren't worth a ****. The school here has come close to losing its accreditation several time despite almost drowning in oil money at one time. Yet every time I take the ferry to Ketchikan, the thing is teeming with those rude sports teams and the so-called adults who company them.

Not to get too much into the politics of it, but one of the problems is the instability of the funding, rather than the quantity of it. Because districts can't predict from one year to the next how much they'll be receiving, even when the funding is generous, they have to be careful about salaries and benefits, because that's a long-term commitment. So they'll dump extra funds in flush years into tech (which may or may not be fully utilized), facilities (which may or may not be needed), professional dev sessions (which may or may not be applicable), etc. (Or they'll follow Anc's modus operandi, which is to hire a zillion teachers and paras at generous rates, then decide they're broke, and pink slip everyone a year later...) I'd like to see a state ed fund managed like the dividend is, or at least a commitment from the state to multi-year budget minimums for education, so districts could actually plan long-term, particularly when it comes to staffing and curriculum. Some years districts need to make hiring and program decisions before they even know what the following year's funding formula will be, which is ridiculous.

We also need a greater commitment from the UA system to training local people to teach at their own local schools. But that's a separate can of worms.