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The tourists have departed and the land is changing colors, and it's the time when Alaskans can see the state unhindered by tour buses and being asked pesky questions like, "when do the Northern Lights come out?" Best of all, the fish are running and the crowds are gone. Hook a fish Best Fishing Specials Of 2023 on The Kenai River: • Drifters Lodge,18404 Sterling Hwy., Cooper Landing, AK 99572 20 percent to 30 percent off guided fishing and rafting trips on the Kenai River. Call and book at 9...
Why do I write so many columns about trains? Because I'm old, you're old and we can't walk that far anymore. Taking a train means you see more of a country and its cities, towns and villages, and in style and comfort. Comfort means a lot at our age. Czech railway company RegioJet picks up speed If you're traveling by train between major cities in the Czech Republic or Vienna, Regiojet offers economy class, first class, business class, and four-bed cabins, which are like bunk beds and perfect if...
It didn't take long for new Alaska Marine Highway Director Craig Torga to make waves. Since his appointment in March this year, he's been busy turning the ferry service around. The winter schedule is now out and he's heeded the concerns of remote ports. For example, Kake, Angoon and Tenakee Springs will have two stops a week Wednesday and Saturday, every month this winter - a far cry from last year's dead zone in January and February. And Gustavus will also get two visits a week. Unfortunately,...
By DIMITRA LAVRAKAS Senior Voice Travel Correspondent "That the Alaska Railroad was ever built is astonishing," writes Alaskan author Steven Levi in his rollicking history of the Alaska Railroad in "A Rat's Nest of Rails: Tundra, Ice, Mosquitoes and Permafrost Saga of the Alaska Railroad" (signed copies available at https://authormasterminds.com/steve-levi). It was a feat of engineering and pluck, resulting in 100 years of carrying freight and tourists, much to the benefit of Alaska. "It was...
All Aboard: The Alaska Railroad Centennial On view May 5, 2023 – Feb. 18, 2024, Anchorage Museum Atrium, first floor. Opening in the centennial year of the completion of the Alaska Railroad, this exhibition created in collaboration with Alaska Railroad historians and experts looks at the history, impact and legacy of the railroad through archival images, objects and ephemera. Examining three key eras of railroad history spanning the 20th and 21st centuries, the exhibition highlights crucial m...
William G. O'Leary has served as president and chief executive officer for 10 years and is responsible for the daily management and operations of the Alaska Railroad Corporation. Here he gives his thoughts on the railroad's past and its future. Looking back on the history of the railroad, what do you think were the most important decisions made that made the railroad so successful? One of the pivotal moments in Alaska Railroad history was its purchase by the state from the federal government in...
It seemed like it would never happen, but the snow is gone and you can take to the road to check out all the great summer fairs and festivals Alaska has to offer. This year, try voyaging in a direction you've never gone by taking the Alaska Marine Highway to Cordova, Haines or Ketchikan, and be treated to bubble feeding whales, porpoises trailing alongside and breaching belugas-all at no extra cost. Here are some fairs and festivals to put on your list. Southcentral Anchorage Love My Pet Fest,...
Recently, a press statement came in from online travel guide Travel Lemming that reported on national parks ranked by affordability, accessibility, biodiversity, crowds, reviews and weather. The overall rankings of Alaska's National Parks are: Kenai Fjords, No. 13; Katmai, No. 21; Denali, No. 36; Wrangell-St. Elias, No. 39; Lake Clark, No. 43; Glacier Bay, No. 48; Gates of the Arctic, No. 62; and Kobuk Valley, No. 63. All eight of Alaska's National Parks were in the top 15 for crowds. Gates of t...
Gone are so many of the historic Alaska roadhouses that provided travelers with a meal and sometimes lodging, but senior centers across the Kenai have stepped in. The Seward Highway to Kenai's communities is lined with breathtaking scenery from bore tides, mountains and a side trip to Portage and its glaciers. (A word about Turnagain: Do not get out of your car and try to walk on the sucking mud or you will become the center of a rescue situation.) And once on the Kenai you have dining options....
You enter Newport via the impressive 600-foot Yaquina Bay Bridge, a combination of art deco and art moderne with touches of gothic architectural style that opened in 1936. It sits a thrilling 135 feet above sea level. With so many things to do, Newport, Oregon, is a perfect place for a quick getaway or a family reunion. Plus, you can fly direct from Alaska to Portland's sweet and user-friendly airport with a mere 60 gates and dodge the complexity of Seattle's 111 gates and that darned...
Thousands upon thousands of travelers have been stuck recently in transportation hell due to a number of problems. Whether it's weather, lack of airline employees, FAA system failures, it's a real bummer. Stalled before even boarding There is nothing more chilling for a traveler that to arrive at the airport and see "canceled" up and down a flight monitor. That's what happened on Dec. 22, when a bomb cyclone hit the upper Midwest, shutting down 2,700 flights on Dec. 22 and 5,700 the next day....
For 39 years, Angel Flight West has transported thousands of people to medical care – for free. Flights are generally for passengers who can't afford airline tickets, or for whom travel by land or commercial airline could pose a physical hardship, passengers with compromised immune systems or who live in remote areas without access to commercial transportation. Angel Flight West provides air transportation within and across 12 Western states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, I...
For the second year in a row, Alaska Airlines and GCI have teamed up to donate one million miles to the American Cancer Society and their program to help Alaskan cancer patients travel for their treatment. Whether traveling from remote areas of the state or traveling out of state, every patient could use a little more support in their corner. The American Cancer Society can assist patients who need to travel within Alaska for medical treatment. In some limited cases, travel to the mainland may also be possible for patients who cannot otherwise...
In 1994, when I first moved to Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow), the Russian icebreaker "Yamal" cruised into town with tourists aboard. It took 13 helicopter trips just to unload their luggage for transport to the Wiley Post and Will Rogers Airport for the flight out of town. The cruisers themselves were lightered to the beach in Zodiacs. As editor of the Arctic Sounder, I got a helicopter ride out to the ship and landed on the deck. I forgot that ships are like a country unto themselves and hadn't...
When someone in your family is dying whether, it's in-state or the Lower 48, you want to get to them fast. When I was visiting a friend in Kodiak, her mother lay dying in Alabama, and we managed to get her off the island on the last flight out and to Anchorage on a reduced fare, then on to Alabama thanks to Alaska Airlines. Alaska Airlines How does the Alaska Airlines bereavement fare work? If you need to travel within the next seven days due to the death of one of your immediate family...
Twenty-one states have decriminalized possession of cannabis and some allow growing for your own use. Pot shops have popped up all over and the taxes from the sale of marijuana in specialized stores have bolstered many a municipal budget. In Congress, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer introduced the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, which would federally decriminalize weed. However, the bill's passage is uncertain. As a THC user, how do you get from Alaska to another state...
November brings a flurry of seasonal salutes to the whales and eagles that enhance our life here. In Haines, thousands of bald eagles gather to chase the late chum and coho salmon run, while in Sitka the annual migration of humpback whales is saluted with several days of delving into the science of marine life that supports life on our planet. Sitka Whalefest This annual celebration of science and everything marine life occurs in Sitka for three days, November 3 to 6. This year's theme is "How...
As winter's chill comes on, Alaskans start thinking about keeping warm. Aside from muktuk, bacon and caribou soup, the fat Alaskans love most comes from ice cream. If you have children and grandchildren in Austin, Texas, New York City, or Chicago, Illinois, when you visit, bring them to the Museum of Ice Cream. There are also locations in Shanghai and Singapore. However, if you have hearing aids, you might want to block the irritating pop music by turning them down or off. And if you go in the...
Fall in Alaska is to be treasured by Alaskans-no tourists, no tour buses clogging the roads, no sightseeing planes or helicopters flying overhead. Just the sound of the tree leaves floating through the air after they turn gold and fall to the ground. It's time to take a trip and enjoy the beauty of Alaska. September with Get Lost Travel Vans in Anchorage. Travel van and SUV rental rates are just $199 per night plus tax, with just three-night minimum for a savings of up to $100 per night over...
Fall in Alaska comes with many perks - sightings of migratory birds and Alaskans heading to warmer climes, but best is the darkness that brings the awesome Aurora Borealis. Now Explore Fairbanks has a website that shows you the potential for aurora viewing and how many hours of daylight there is at any given time. While it may be sad to watch the light fade, after Dec. 21 there is the joy of seeing the minutes of light adding up. Go to https://www.explorefairbanks.com/#tracker. Fairbanks is the...
To get a taste of how lush Haida Gwaii in British Columbia is, once called Queen Charlotte Islands, think back on that Alaska Marine Highway ferry ride to Bellingham or Prince Rupert. Sailing past the village of Bella Bella through a tight narrows on the Inside Passage, it's as if you could spread your arms and touch both shores. The almost primordial growth of cedars and firs, ferns and devil's club crowd right to the waterline, making access into the forest very difficult, but a beautiful...
While travel by car seems prohibitive with gas prices at an all-time high of $5.51 in June, a drive to a festival may be the cure for he several years of isolation due to the pandemic. Get out and meet your fellow Alaskans or travel to a town you once lived in and see old friends. Kachemak Bay Highland Games, July 2-3, Homer. Men in skirts! Highland games of skill like tossing the caber – a big hunk of wood as far as you can. Clan regalia will be on sale. On Saturday night at 6:30 p.m., there's...
Alaska has museums from Dutch Harbor, to Sitka, to tiny Anaktuvuk Pass in the middle of the Brooks Range. But the most striking-looking building in all of Juneau, and surely anywhere else in the state, has to be the Sealaska Heritage Institute on Front Street. The huge 40-foot exterior panels outside the building were designed by internationally celebrated Haida artist Robert Davidson, and its design represents a supernatural being called the "Greatest Echo," a theme chosen by Davidson because...
Dear Savvy Senior: My wife and I planning to travel much more frequently in retirement and are very interested in educational trips and adventures. Can you recommend any groups or firms that specialize in this type of travel geared towards retirees? - Love to Learn Dear Love: Educational travel, which combines travel with in-depth learning opportunities has become a very popular way of travel among retirees. Here are a few good places to turn to find these types of trips in the U.S. and abroad....
On April 13, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that the Transportation Security Administration had issued an extension of the mask mandate until May 3 after the CDC’s “close monitoring of the COVID-19 landscape in the United States and internationally.” But federal officials stopped that enforcement on travel on April 18 after U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle of the Middle District of Florida ruled the mandate exceeded the statutory authority of the CDC. With that, some airlines announced that masks are now opt...
