I just finished an amazing month of travel in one of the most beautiful places in the world. Nowhere in the world do you see so much wilderness and wildlife, yet so easily accessible. Alaska has 23 national parks! It is the largest state in the United States; twice the size of Texas. Mount McKinley has the highest peak in North America. After reading my blog, it should not surprise you that I am a big proponent of conserving and protecting the environment. A place like Denali has done such a good job protecting the wildlife there that the animals probably think of vehicles and people as just another animal.
One thing you find out very quickly traveling in Alaska is everything is expensive. Expect to pay up to 30% more for anything that you'd pay in the lower 48 states. One puzzling thing is why seafood that is abundant there like salmon and halibut are so expensive in restaurants. Most of the salmon or halibut dishes I ate or saw are about $30 a dinner. Even Alaskans don't understand why.
Speaking of fishing, most non-Alaskans see pictures of pristine rivers or streams full of salmon where there are very few people fishing. That's not true. Yes, those places exist but you probably have to fly to those remote places at $600-700 per trip. Alaskans love their fishing too. When the season starts, you can see them standing shoulder-to-shoulder in the river. Alaskans called it "combat fishing." In some parts of Alaska they do something called dip-netting. This involves putting a big net into the river and catching whatever salmon swims into the net. I think the limit for Alaska residents is 25 fish per year. More for native-Alaskans.
Alaskans also love their coffee. You see standalone expresso stands at almost every shopping mall parking lot. The local Costco even has a big roaster on its premises. Don't know why but maybe it makes the coffee taste fresher and better.
I mentioned about the sled dogs in Denali. The NPS has a live webcam that you can see the puppies. Allow some time for the camera to refresh
Live Puppy Cam from Denali National Park Kennel
If you enjoy watching bears catching salmon at Brooks Falls in the Katmai National Park, go to this website:
Live Bear Cam at Katmai National Park
Salmon runs are most active in July so you can see a lot of bears having a fish buffet here.
At this website you can get links to other live cams of other animals around the world. If you are bored, this is something that will make you smile. Watching live animals in action is never boring.
Here is a very good article in the New York Times about the bears at Katmai National Park:
At Katmai National Park in Alaska, Bears Rule - August 7, 2015
Did I enjoy my trip? Absolutely!
However, if I have more information or the right information, I'd have done it slightly differently. I'd have rented a car in Anchorage to drive to Denali instead of taking the train or shuttle bus. It'd have given me more flexibility in my schedule and allow me to do more things at Denali. I found out that Alaskans use a travel guide called Milepost to give them detail information about what is available at each mile post on the Alaskan roads. It includes advertising from local businesses at each mile post. This is different from the generic travel guides from Frommer or Lonely Planet. If you are planning on traveling on your own, this is the book to get.
What about future Alaska trips? Here are some future Alaska trip ideas for me:
Finally, thank you very much for reading my blog. Knowing that my friends and family are reading my blog makes me a better traveler. I go out of my way to do the things I like and make sure that you enjoying reading about them too. Instead of casually looking at things, I spend more time reading and asking questions so that I can share the information with you. This is also a journal for my travels. I still go back to my 2011 European trip to refresh my memory on some of the places I visited. As we grow older, we like hang on to whatever good memories we have.
I am working on my next trips. Keep checking back to see if I updated the blog. Until then, hope to see or talk to you soon.
One thing you find out very quickly traveling in Alaska is everything is expensive. Expect to pay up to 30% more for anything that you'd pay in the lower 48 states. One puzzling thing is why seafood that is abundant there like salmon and halibut are so expensive in restaurants. Most of the salmon or halibut dishes I ate or saw are about $30 a dinner. Even Alaskans don't understand why.
Speaking of fishing, most non-Alaskans see pictures of pristine rivers or streams full of salmon where there are very few people fishing. That's not true. Yes, those places exist but you probably have to fly to those remote places at $600-700 per trip. Alaskans love their fishing too. When the season starts, you can see them standing shoulder-to-shoulder in the river. Alaskans called it "combat fishing." In some parts of Alaska they do something called dip-netting. This involves putting a big net into the river and catching whatever salmon swims into the net. I think the limit for Alaska residents is 25 fish per year. More for native-Alaskans.
 |
| Dip Nets being sold at Costco |
 |
| Another item you won't see at Costco elsewhere - Bear Repellant |
Alaskans also love their coffee. You see standalone expresso stands at almost every shopping mall parking lot. The local Costco even has a big roaster on its premises. Don't know why but maybe it makes the coffee taste fresher and better.
 |
| Big coffee roaster at Costco |
I mentioned about the sled dogs in Denali. The NPS has a live webcam that you can see the puppies. Allow some time for the camera to refresh
Live Puppy Cam from Denali National Park Kennel
If you enjoy watching bears catching salmon at Brooks Falls in the Katmai National Park, go to this website:
Live Bear Cam at Katmai National Park
Salmon runs are most active in July so you can see a lot of bears having a fish buffet here.
At this website you can get links to other live cams of other animals around the world. If you are bored, this is something that will make you smile. Watching live animals in action is never boring.
Here is a very good article in the New York Times about the bears at Katmai National Park:
At Katmai National Park in Alaska, Bears Rule - August 7, 2015
Did I enjoy my trip? Absolutely!
However, if I have more information or the right information, I'd have done it slightly differently. I'd have rented a car in Anchorage to drive to Denali instead of taking the train or shuttle bus. It'd have given me more flexibility in my schedule and allow me to do more things at Denali. I found out that Alaskans use a travel guide called Milepost to give them detail information about what is available at each mile post on the Alaskan roads. It includes advertising from local businesses at each mile post. This is different from the generic travel guides from Frommer or Lonely Planet. If you are planning on traveling on your own, this is the book to get.
What about future Alaska trips? Here are some future Alaska trip ideas for me:
- Fly to Katmai or other areas to see live bears catching salmon in action. There are many companies offering these trips from the Kenai Peninsula.
- Salmon fishing in a remote area. Possibly combining that with bear-watching.
- Camping or back-country hiking and camping at Denali National Park
- Driving a car or RV from the lower 48 states through Canada to Alaska. Drive through the Yukon area and visit historic places like Dawson City.
- Go further north to the Arctic Circle and places like Nome and Barrow.
- Explore more of Southeast Alaska - Haines, Skagway, Ketchikan, etc
- Visit the Prince William Sound area.
Finally, thank you very much for reading my blog. Knowing that my friends and family are reading my blog makes me a better traveler. I go out of my way to do the things I like and make sure that you enjoying reading about them too. Instead of casually looking at things, I spend more time reading and asking questions so that I can share the information with you. This is also a journal for my travels. I still go back to my 2011 European trip to refresh my memory on some of the places I visited. As we grow older, we like hang on to whatever good memories we have.
I am working on my next trips. Keep checking back to see if I updated the blog. Until then, hope to see or talk to you soon.
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