Specific view of Alaska (Anchorage, Fairbanks: for sale, place to live, cabins)

[Rance]

A nice evening on the lake last night!

[freeedom]

Rance,

A picture is worth a thousand words,,,,thru in this case, just one is needed " perfect". thank you for sharing your little slice of heaven with us.

[Rance]

Hung out near a glacier today:

[freeedom]

Absolutely gorgeous! Pure and clean and beautiful! That sky is breathtaking! You know we love your pictures! thanks :-)

[skibladnir]

Yes Rance
Always a Thank You to you for the beautifull photos. Most photographers say if you get one good one in a 100 you are lucky..I would qualify you as pro from what I have seen. Keep up the good work..you should sell them!

[citybythebay]

Originally Posted by Rance

A nice evening on the lake last night!

Awesome pics, Rance!...

[niceplacetovisit]

Originally Posted by Manmountain

I'm christian, male , thanks......

That about sums it up. You'll find plenty of what your looking for at the PLETHORA of churches in Anchorage...especially Baptist ones!

ENJOY!

[rotorhead]

The end of the world doesn't bother me much, but civilization as we know it hangs by a much thinner thread than most people realize.

How many people living in Los Anchorage (or Fairbanks, or....you name it) would end up with a ruined house if the power went out for two or three days straight? Even if the natural gas WAS kept running, do you have generator fuel to keep the heater going for that long? Unless you have an old Coleman wall heater or an older gravity furnace (or a state-of-the-art co-gen plant) you still need 110volts to run the fan blower, igniter, etc. on virtually all modern furnaces. I used to live in Eagle River and even our very well insulate home cooled down pretty quickly in winter till we got the woodstove lit....and WE installed that stove. The fireplace the house had originally wouldn't come close to heating the place even running full-out. I've seen more than one house made temporarily (and expensively) uninhabitable just by accidentally leaving the garage door open on a really cold night (got antifreeze in YOUR boilers water?).

Despite that (small and old) power plant that MatSu commuters see along the highway almost all of the electrical power for the Anchorage area (and a lot of the railbelt) comes from across the inlet. That generating plant is totally dependant on a steady supply of gas through an underwater pipeline from the offshore wells, not something that'll be fast or easy to fix if theres a break or disruption. As far as the plant itself, its unlike every other power plant in the US in being totally isolated from the interstate highway system, in fact there is NO road access whatsoever. Every turbine, bolt, nut, everything, is hauled in by barge or by air. The major electrical transmission lines are no longer totally dependent on the underwater cables by Pt. Mackenzie but they run through forests and swamps that make even routine scheduled maintenance a major logistical challenge. If there is a repeat of the '64 quake (a fairly likely probability over time) its most likely going to be months, not weeks, till the power goes back on. Hope its not in the middle of a cold snap when it happens.

How about access to the valley and the rest of the state by road....ever think how you'll get back home to Wasilla or Palmer if those bridges over the Eagle River valley get knocked a bit off kilter? Not a lot of alternate routes, in fact none that don't take you onto the military reservation at Richardson. The quake up there two-three years ago knocked dozens of minor bridges off their foundations, and the epicenter was a long way from most road systems. Just driving the kids in the camper down to visit Grandma in Arizona for a couple months while "they" get things straightened out isn't going to be fast or easy. A lot of the photos of the '64 quake prominently featured pretzeled railroad tracks, so that option is out as well for the short run.

When the next "big one" comes to southcentral AK, its going to take a long time to restore access by land. A better bet is to fix the local airstrip and hope for good weather. The initial relief efforts are all going to be by air anyway and if evacuation is necessary for the sick/injured or just the folks getting in the way, its going to be on those otherwise empty outbound planes as well.

The upshot is that it doesn't hurt to think ahead. Its not a matter of IF another big quake/tsunami will hit a major Alaskan city, its a matter of WHEN. Alaska is not alone in having the majority of its population butted right up against the ocean, but its location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" makes it far more prone to earthquakes than every other state (specifically including CA). Having a backpack ready to go with season-specific clothes and other basic survival equipment ought to be a basic part of every Alaskans routine (especially in Anchorage) but I know for most people its not. The state has several very good websites covering just this issue, check them out.

[Manmountain]

Great Post Rotorhead; thanks for the info. ,

An outlet to plug in a generator to the furnace blower and a lotta wood stored would make a great start toward becoming less vulnerable.

Theres just no excuse for being a ward of the state...................

[Rance]

Somedays I actually wish for a major earthquake. Weird I know...but true.