I want to come visit Alaska from the UK - Totally confused as when to come.. (Barrow: cost of, bill)

[Moose Whisperer]

Originally Posted by Floyd_Davidson

In particular when they drop by here and ask. Given that is the main purpose of City-Data.com, eh?

Sorry, nice try, but your deflection wouldn't even hold up in a high-school debate. Your tirade was not made for the benefit of the OP, but merely an attempt to spew venom at another member:

Originally Posted by Floyd_Davidson

your prices are not correct either, because nobody from the Lower-48 can get to the Matanuska glacier for $15. And in fact it would cost almost the same price to see Barrow as it does to see that glacier. The full round trip airfare from Seattle to Anchorage is $507, and from Seattle to Barrow is $737. The $230 difference is one night in a hotel, two days rent for a car, a tour, whatever...

Keep trying though...

[bortstc37]

well, the issue that everybody seems to be dancing around is the cultural one. if you're on the road system, you are mostly in contact with the exact same culture you find everywhere else in america. wal-mart, denny's, mcdonalds, chevron, and so on. the main differences are that it's colder, prettier, and the people have more guns. you probably won't get anything resembling a rugged/rustic experience unless you are specifically seeking it out. you can do the whole thing in an RV. you can watch your TV shows every night. chances are even good that you'll still have cell phone coverage under the same plan. you can pay $30 a plate to eat local seafood or anything else you can imagine. you can pay tourguides to show you whatever is nearby and safe enough to not risk anybody getting hurt. i think this is what floyd means when he says it's just like the lower 48.

there is a lot to be seen on the road system, but even the "real" alaskan stuff available on or near the road system probably won't be immediately apparent to a casual tourist just here for a visit. they'll probably buy a miniature totem pole in a gift shop in anchorage and think that they've done something cultural. they'll take pictures and see things through binoculars but never get beyond a zone of comfort and safety (aka the road) and never get beyond the consumer culture aspect of being a tourist. there is too much to get in the way of even the most well-intentioned visitor seeing anything not put there for him or her to see (like a well-placed fish wheel, some rusty mining gear, an old log cabin). obviously, scenery is exempt from this, but most tourists will only see that from a distance anyways, and probably remark how pretty it is and how much they'd like to live here. who actually gets out into the country on a 2 or 3 week visit? they can walk on (or see) a glacier, sure, but it's probably one they can be driven do by car or boat. there will likely be someone there to make sure they don't slip and fall.

what i don't see is how somebody visiting for 2 or 3 weeks would ever be able to experience anything beyond what i've been describing without having the benefit of a local friend or guide willing to show him/her/them around to the stuff that's not simply put there to fleece tourists. i suggest that somebody step up to the plate and offer to show admiral UK what YOUR real alaska is (since everyone has a different definition anyways). show him the best restaurant that isn't outrageous. take him hunting or fishing at some secret spot that won't already be crowded with tourists. go 4 wheeling or snowmachining. hike someplace remote and remember that bear gun (because i know how you like to impress people with your bear gun). give him some real home-cooked moose stew with vegetables you grew in your garden. otherwise, he'll be doomed to go back home and show people the following:
1. a blurry photo of a bear in denali park- blurry because he was shaking and nervous to be outside the tour bus without some kind of wall between giant bear and human.
2. miniature totem pole/totem pole postcard/anything totem pole.
3. jewelry made from a bear's tooth or a walrus' tusk, outrageously priced because it was probably in a gift shop.
4. mukluks?

i know that anybody with whom i'm even barely acquainted would be welcome if they ever found themselves in this village (which isn't really a place that anybody ends up in accidentally). i'd be more than happy to play tour guide to a visitor. i'm sure floyd would do the same if anyone sent him a message that said "hey! i'm coming to barrow."

what we need is a road-system tourism rescue squad.

[arctichomesteader]

There's a lot of nice areas on the road system. By lower 48 standards, my place near Manley Hot Springs is quite "remote." And it's a beautiful area, quite undeveloped, not too much at the village, and the closest city (Fairbanks) is a long drive away. There's also places like Central and such that are quite "remote" by lower 48 standards (though not so much by Alaska standards). All these end of the road places are definately part of the real Alaska but they are quite different than the bush.

The bush in Alaska is unique in the United States, if you're visiting for 2 or 3 weeks you have to experience it at least a bit. And anyplace up near the Arctic Ocean is a must see if you're going to visit. You don't go to a place like Barrow to see the houses so much as you go to experience the unique culture and surrounding environment, and if you time it right, that'll include the whaling...

And I'd definately also include someplace in Southeast Alaska as well in the trip, not really Juneau, but the more remote places...

Personally, I'd skip Anchorage entirely, it's not that different from other cities except it has nicer scenery...

Alaska is larger than most countries in the world, you can't see it all in such little time, but you could get a taste of each region and see things you couldn't elsewhere...

[tigre79]

If people want to do the cattle-car tourist stuff, they can do that - it's their money and they may not be adventurous enough to go anywhere I'd consider really interesting anyways, even if someone offered to take them. I saw some of those people while I was there, and was a little puzzled over it, but it's not my business how they want to spend their time or money. Different people are interested in different things. Some people come to Florida and spend all their time in Miami or some touristy beach. I think there are a lot of better places to be, but maybe they would hate the places I love because there are mosquitoes or they're afraid of the alligators, or snakes, or some other issue.

It's not that hard to go interesting places on your own up there, but you have to take the trouble to seek them out. All you really need is a rental car, a Milepost, and a bit of curiosity. I didn't see any McDonald's or anything like that on the Denali Highway, or the Richardson, or McCarthy Road, or anywhere besides Fairbanks, Wasilla, and Anchorage for that matter. And I didn't spend $30 on dinner when I cooked it for myself out at Wonder Lake. I definitely didn't see anyone trying to keep me from slipping or falling any of the places I hiked. That might have been nice when I was rock hopping on the edge of the Little Su and fell in briefly. I saw little kids and middle-aged parents hiking the lateral moraines of glaciers with nothing but careful footing to keep them from sliding down steep scree and talus slopes. That is not normal for most of us in the Lower 48.

I don't know if everyone does this, but my first trip somewhere I think I'll want to return to is more of a reconnaissance mission that a traditional vacation. That means trying to see a lot of different areas in a limited amount of time and figuring out where you want to go back to and really explore. I think most of us know we aren't seeing that much in a couple of weeks. How could we, it's an enormous place. Try to give us a break though, we're not all sitting around in our RVs watching the tv.

[Floyd_Davidson]

Originally Posted by bortstc37

i'm sure floyd would do the same if anyone sent him a message that said "hey! i'm coming to barrow."

what we need is a road-system tourism rescue squad.

Just a little research at all quickly discovers that I do several "hey! I'm coming[/here]" deals every year! It's a blast. And the cards and letters and emails that I get after they leave are just astounding too. Here's a snip from a father who brought his three children to Barrow this summer:

"Words alone can not express it. The best I can say
is that forevermore, when I look at a map of Alaska, I will feel that Barrow
is just like home. You have made it feel that special. It isn't about the
stuff we saw, but it is all about the people that make a place special."

The reason he referenced the "stuff we saw" is because that in itself was absolutely overwhelming in his mind. Here's a picture of one place where he saw a little bit of "stuff". He's holding a gun used for whaling (it shot at least one whale this fall). Standing behind him is Joe The Waterman, and the stuff is all part of Joe's Museum. (Tundra Tours doesn't take you there either.)

That is what can't be found on the road system. The people and the culture.

[Moose Whisperer]

Originally Posted by bortstc37

i suggest that somebody step up to the plate and offer to show admiral UK what YOUR real alaska is (since everyone has a different definition anyways)..

Up until now, no one other than Floyd was attempting to delineate that certain Alaskan experiences were “real”, while others were not. Most advice given here suggested that just as many unique and meaningful experiences could be had on or off the road system. The reality is one can take away whatever one wants to, or finds valuable from any experience.

A person could just as easily fly into a “remote” village (as defined by no connection to the road system), check into the local motel, watch satellite TV all night, stop by the gift shop to by a cheapo totem pole on the way back to the airport, and come away with just as a “consumerized” tourist experience as one that could be had in Anchorage. Connection to a road system has nothing to do with the value one will take away from their time in Alaska. It comes down to assuming that an individual will do what ever planning and research necessary to produce a meaningful trip, appropriate to their own wants and abilities.

At no time did the original poster come here to state that he was only interested in seeing the “real” Alaska. In fact, he mentioned several things related to driving or taking the train which implies connection to the road system.

Can someone visiting from afar experience everything Alaska has to offer in 2-3 weeks? Of course not. But that has nothing to do with whether one goes to the “right place” to experience the “Real” Alaska; it’s simply due the physical limitations of time and logistics. To imply that certain experiences are “real” while others are not is simply patronizing and insulting.

[Moose Whisperer]

Originally Posted by Floyd_Davidson

Just a little research at all quickly discovers that I do several "hey! I'm coming[/here]" deals every year! It's a blast. And the cards and letters and emails that I get after they leave are just astounding too. Here's a snip from a father who brought his three children to Barrow this summer:

"Words alone can not express it. The best I can say
is that forevermore, when I look at a map of Alaska, I will feel that Barrow
is just like home. You have made it feel that special. It isn't about the
stuff we saw, but it is all about the people that make a place special."

The reason he referenced the "stuff we saw" is because that in itself was absolutely overwhelming in his mind. Here's a picture of one place where he saw a little bit of "stuff". He's holding a gun used for whaling (it shot at least one whale this fall). Standing behind him is Joe The Waterman, and the stuff is all part of Joe's Museum. (Tundra Tours doesn't take you there either.)

So that particular person found value and meaning from their experience. Good for them. Yet you deride others and dismiss their experiences simply because they were had at a location that happens to be connect to the road system.

[bortstc37]

i just don't see why everyone is trying to discourage the original poster from visiting bush places. he said he wanted to go to barrow. why try to talk him out of it? what's wrong with barrow?
at the very least, he'd have a local that would be happy to show him all of the best that the town has to offer. who of you would do the same in your area?

[Moose Whisperer]

Originally Posted by bortstc37

i just don't see why everyone is trying to discourage the original poster from visiting bush places. he said he wanted to go to barrow. why try to talk him out of it? what's wrong with barrow?
at the very least, he'd have a local that would be happy to show him all of the best that the town has to offer. who of you would do the same in your area?

NO ONE (or at least not me) is trying to discourage him from visiting Bush Alaska. In fact the opposite is true. A couple of bush Alaskans are copping an attitude that it's a waste of time to visit any part of the state connected to a highway.

[warptman]

He needs to fly up to Barrow and hang out with Majik!