Is Alaska for me?

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I'm confused about this bridge.... is Cook Inlet a town? I thought it was the big inlet.

IS the bridge over the Knik arm, or the Turnigut arm? I mean, looking at a map, those seem to be the most likely places for bridges from Anchorage... going west or south.

I love rain and wind... wind is actually a feature I'm looking for, cause I want to generate my own power. We have talked about Adak, but Unexploded Ordinance is an issue for her (I don't know why!)

Good point about land looking great in winter but not so great in summer. I went thru Glen Allen once in the summer and it seemed great... actually in all my trips to Alaska (only a couple) I've never seen bad misquitoes, except by paradise lake in Denali National Park.

So, the posts you're sinking into the gravel-- are they going to support your floor, or are they going to support your foundation? I'm trying to figure out if there's a reason people don't build houses on foundations? My dream house, unfortunately, is a bit big to not have a foundation....but maybe that just means I replace the soil under it with a couple feet of gravel before pouring the cement, I'm going to have to talk to an architect.

We may decide to go up next spring instead of this winter. Haven't found a place that makes hitches for my truck, and since its a gasoline engine, I think the diesel block heaters won't work (I'm assuming they pull from the trucks tank.)

Camper has a propane heater already... would bring a back up, yes. When I last drove the Alcan, I took a week, and was going really slow as I had no time table. Realistically, in winter, I think its at least three days to Whitehorse after I get into Canada, but maybe I'm being too pessimistic. It was all paved, except for a part under repair, last I went.

Good point about the CB radio... gonna have to get one of those.

Thanks-

Don
 
The proposed bridge is over Knick Arm, to link Anchorage with the Knick/Goose Bay area, Wasilla and points beyond including Willow where I am. As the roads are now, you have to cut way out to the NE, then back to the NW in order to swing around and head due north again. It means I have an 80 mile commute each way, even though I'm not all that far from Anchorage as the crow flies. I get all the FM radio stations, for example.

I'm sure you could find places to generate wind power in theory. There are extreme gusts along Turnagain Arm and in Palmer. But I don't know of many who are actually doing it. Plus, there was a freezing wind this spring in the valley that brought a mountain worth of glacial dust down over everything. That's one reason I moved into the relative shelter of the Big Su depression north of Willow.

The posts on the cabin will support the cabin. Six 6x6 pressure treated posts with a few hundred lbs. of concrete around each, resting on packed natural gravel underneath the crud layers. Should resist frost heave. I'm not sure what all they do for larger buildings, but generally they can build whatever you want. There's no permafrost in these parts to worry about--just earthquakes.

Make sure whatever place you get isn't too close to swamp or streams. These may bring the evil biting black flies, which are far worse than mere mosquitoes. The less said about them the better. Thankfully they're restricted to certain very moist areas, typically south of where I am.
 
I used to live near Chugiak and worked in Wasilla (don't ask ... it's a long story). It was about 35 miles one way, but I could practically see Wasilla from where I lived about 5-6 miles across the Knik Arm. (you actually could see lights over there at night)

One question I have for Cosmoline and others up there: most of the south side of the Knik Arm shoreline from Anchorage on up past Chugiak is part of Fort Richardson. If they build a bridge, will it go through the Fort, or will it go directly from the port area of Anchorage ????

It's been a long time, almost 25 years.
 
It just occured to me that in January there won't me much daylight to allow only driving during daylight! November would be better.

The girlfriend says "Don't take your girlfriend to alaska only in the summer, cause then she'll leave you in the winter!" I figure if she likes it in winter, then summer will not drive her off...

I'm still trying to figure out frost heaves... but I'll talk to an architect up there before I build anything... sounds like Kenai and other points south of Anchroage are better than north of Fairbanks, or the Fairbanks area in this area.... so good. I'm wanting to build an earthquake proof house, but that has led me down the path of a heavy structure. I don't want to do a log cabin for fear of fire...

Thanks for the advice. We may end up going in the spring to look at things, and getting land next year, but not building the house and relocating until 2005. We'll see. On the other hand, driving up in the next week or so would be nice... seems we could avoid much of the bad winter weather and lack of sunlight.

Thanks again.
 
Actually, driving up there in the "spring" might be the best idea - before breakup but after the days start getting longer. As in March.

Then it's not much much different than winter in Colorado.


Remember the old Johnny Horton song: "when it's springtime in Alaska, it's forty below" ?? :)


edit: oh yeah, back when I lived up there, I think there were more folks living in old quonset huts than log cabins
 
Ok, what firearm could a person possibly carry in a vehicle on the Alcan Hiway these days?

Considering not having a Canadian hunting license, etc ....

Back when I went up and back, you could carry long guns without any problems.
 
People build up on pilings to resist the effects of frost heave and subsidence (sometimes it can be cheaper, too); if the ground does move under your house, building on pilings makes it easier to jack up the low side rather than having the house bend in the middle.

Wind power--you might want to do more checking on this. Wind turbines don't always work good in the cold; solar doesn't work too good when it is cloudy. Depending on where you build, exactly, you might have a tough time generating enough power.
 
Kaylee--

The firearms content is that we're discussing a good place to live with decent laws about firearms, and the practicalities of such. Why lock a thread that's not getting out of hand thats tangential? The people who aren't interested in the topic will likely ignore it.

Tallpine--

Thanks for the advice about spring... schedule works better anyway I think. Though there's still the possibility of next month.

rapaz--

I'm still trying to figure out about this frost heave thing and how you prevent it.

Firearms--

I figure the only way to move firearms to Alaska is via the Marine Highway. Can you take ammo thru canada?
 
Webasto and its kin can take whatever fuel the car runs on to heat the engine. They come with programmable timers and thermostats that can also steer the car's passanger dept. heater fan to circulate the engine block heat inside. A complete installation in a usual car or SUV is around 1000€.

I've got a Skoda TDI whose diesel motor is so economic that it generates very little excess heat to warm up the driver - it takes two thirds of my commute to get above zero in the car if not pre-heated. I hear the newest diesels are starting to have Webastos installed at the importer's because of this, so they're used even when driving!

Now I have to park the car right on the corner of the house where I have a power outlet, where I plug in for the Defa heater. It's timed to switch on an hour before I get on the road and has an extra heat blower in the car too, so I don't have to scrape the ice off the windows when I start. That's the main idea, the enging and innards of the car will be just slightly above zero, more would be wasting power. It's just that the power cord can't be safely extended because of the juice the Defa takes, so parking the car is inconvenient. So the next one will have the Webasto, and I think that would serve you perfectly as well.

Fellow Northerners across the globe, how do you take care of these things anyway? We have just the same climate, don't we?

For firearms content, :p , I thoroughly remove all oil from my Saiga when going shooting now, and just use a little silicone-based stuff on the rails...
 
One more thing about building on pilings-- in permafrost areas, the other reason to build on pilings is to avoid melting the permafrost under the house... causing the house to sink.

Basically, you probably want to build more or less like the people around you have built, presuming that what they have done is working. It's usually a good rule of thumb.

And to get some firearms content, I'd say that this is often a good rule for guns, too. If everyone uses a 12 gauge for bear defense, you might not want to get out in front of the curve by counting on a hotted up 22-250.

If you are driving through canada, you probably want to ship your firearms separately, although perhaps one of the canadians on this board knows differently. Whenever I cross into Canada, the only question the canadian border officials ask (besides "how long are you staying") is "do you have any guns in your car?"
 
There should be some FFL's in Alaska who will take your firearms and hold them for a fee until you get up here. The major stores won't do it, but punch in the state at Gunbroker's directory and some guys like Ted Ireton should pop up who might be able to help.
 
Lived in Fairbanks in early 60's

This was before the pipeline, so I am sure things are a lot different now -- but I will toss in a couple of things that I am sure have not changed, especially since most of the posters seem to live in the southern part of the state.

In the Fairbanks area, the winter is LOOOOONG and COOOOOOLD. Temperatures were usually -10 to -30, and a few memorable times dipped to around -65. Also dark! Dead of winter you had a couple hours of light, with the sun just peeping above the horizon. This was my number one THING I DID NOT LIKE ABOUT ALASKA!

Summers are short, but nice temperature wise -- don't remember many times that it got above 80. Seemed like light all night, but the sun did dip below the horizon for a few hours, but it was just "dusk", not full dark. We put heavy dark curtains on all the windows to help us sleep -- the first summer there, I don't think we hardly slept at all! Great for those all night fishing trips.

They used to use spray trucks in the populated areas to spray for bugs, and it worked well -- don't know if they still do this or not. But when you go out in the countryside to fish or hunt, make sure you have industrial strength bug repellant and and head net!

BTW, for current residents, is the Moose Pusher train still in existence? We used to get on in Fairbanks, head south toward Anchorage, and you could be off anywhere you wanted -- then in a couple of days you could wave them down to get back on -- great way to get to "the wilderness" for fishing and hunting.

Alll in all, my three years there was an experience I cherish, but I am not interested in moving back(40 years of Texas summer heat has just now about thawed me out!). I certainly understand why some love it and would not live anywhere else, but make no mistake, if you are thinking about living in the more northerly parts of the state, or outside the urbanized areas, you WILL need to make major compromises -- make sure that the advantages are worth it to YOU!
 
You know, Alaska is more than just the road system around Anchorage - Fairbanks - Kenai. You MIGHT just want to check out the southeast via ferry, or Kodiak before settling down some place.
The winters are much more moderate (forty above instead of forty below), the hunting/fishing better, and there are far less tourists in the summer!

Keith
 
Weather!!!

Much of Alaska has very mild winters! Here in Kodiak, it's not even cold enough to snow most of the winter. Typically, it's 40ish and damp even in January and February. Southeast Alaska is even milder.
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Far be it for me to disagree with Keith but the weather will probably be your greatest barrier. I'm not saying that it's too cold for you, just that it is something you should really focus on. The weather forecast for today in 'mild' Kodiak is a high of 49 and a low of 39 and the average low in the winter months is 25. Certainly sounds cold enough for snow to me. Looking on the bright side you would always probably wear at least a light jacket, even in the summer, so CCW concealment would be easy! The average high in its warmest month, August, is 61.

For Alaska it is mild. However, to an Arizonan, you might not agree.
 
MaterDei: good point. I'm hoping to live in state for a couple years before making any housing decisions. I'm hoping to attend school while working part-time most of the year whilst working a miserable but short and lucrative job such as hand on a crab boat. So, what is the school situation like up there? Universities, community colleges, and trade schools are all of interest.
 
The weather forecast for today in 'mild' Kodiak is a high of 49 and a low of 39 and the average low in the winter months is 25.
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Most people would consider 50 degree fall weather pretty mild and pleasant. And a January low of 25 degrees, means a high of what - perhaps 40 degrees? Too mild to snow, or too mild for snow to stay on the ground anyway. It's a marine climate like England or Ireland. It's usually sloppy in the winter, but your pipes don't freeze and you don't have to plug your car in.

And it's 19 degrees right now in Fairbanks, in October...

In the summer, the interior can be 85 to 95 degrees, while Kodiak will be in the 60's... A better summer, but they have those mosquitoes and black flies while we don't.

There is more than one Alaska. Most people only see the one on the Anchorage/Fairbanks road system. There is another Alaska down in the southeast, another in Kodiak/Afognak. another out in the Aleutians, another in Western Alaska, etc, etc. Different climates, different game animals, different scenery, different moods. You should check it out before making any decisions about where you will spend the rest of your life.

Keith
 
Here's the Alaska I've seen... I drove from Seattle up the alcan to Fairbanks. Then I kept going north till I got to prudhoe bay. Course this was summer. Then I went south to Anchorage (And later all the way to Homer, so I've missed the Aleutians experience)... east thru Glen Allen to Valdez. Then on the Ferry to Juneau where I spent a week.

I know SE Alaska is milder, but the real estate is much more expensive. We were initially considering living in the Bush-- but I think going from Urban Seattle to the bush of alaska would be asking for trouble. So, we're limiting ourselves to land near a road... or maybe some land adjacent to the railroad (Though I'd prefer road.)

Kenai seems like a good compromise. Adak seems interesting as well (Did I mention the unexploded ordinance warnings turning off my better half? But anywhere with lots of wind gets my vote.) Kodiak, or any place south of Homer that does have Marine Highway access would probably work for us.

We're looking for mild (by alaska standards) winters, an large tracts of land near roads with a moderate price (say 40-80 acres at $500-$1000/ac). The tracts of land near Kodiak all seem small, and we haven't looked at the aleutians that much, though tere are some that are boat accessable that would fit. Still leaning towards road access.

I know most of Alaska is without roads. I just don't want to bite off more than we can chew all at once. I'm ready for snow (i'm looking forward to snow) I'm ready for cold winters and cold summers. I'm ready for dark. I need to let her see this stuff though, so we know for sure she's ready for it.

I'll check with architects. I think I can build the house I want and avoid the frost issue by having a gap where air circulates under the house. It just seems the cinderblocks are the material that we can work with building ourselves, without the fire danger of wood. (Not that wood is unwise to build with, just paranoid, or something.)

So, whats the mosquito season like in Homer or Anchor point? Is it a month of bad mosquitos or is it longer?

When I was in Alaska, I saw almost no mosquitos. I've been left with the impression that it really isnt' that bad there. (Have camped in the swamps of Louisiana and been covered with bites at a density of about 6 per square inch of skin! Not that that was very enjoyable!) But I'm afraid I just missed the season for them.

I think we can handle 4-6 weeks of really bad mosquitos... but is it the whole summer in some areas?

Thanks for all the feedback. I was previously planning to sail around on my boat... so other than weather, alaska is actually less remote and less of a compromised lifestyle. If you can got to fred meyer with 6 hours of driving, thats effing convenience! :cool:
 
BTW- Balog, sorry if I hijacked your thread! I just hope some of the questions I'm asking are useful to you also.

So, all the places that ship ammo say "No shipping to Alaska". I'd have expected them to just charge more for it. Now that I think about it, I remember someone telling me that the truckers couldn't carry it thru Canada... and that it doesn't go by plane.

So, is ammo availible there, say in the walmart? Are prices that much higher than the lower 48? Should I start an ammo importation business? :)
 
You should look into the Mat-Su as well as the Kenai. Both have large, fairly inexpensive tracts. Though not that many are on the main road system. SE, in addition to being too wet, is way too liberal. It's barely even part of Alaska in any real sense.

Read "The Thousand Mile War" re. the Aleutians. I've never been out to them personally, but then again I've never heard anyone say anything very good about them. Treeless, cold, windy and WET. Pretty much 24/7/365 of bad weather.

Ammo is around, but you're right it's tougher to get it shipped up. It's typically bought in bulk and brought up on the barges. You can find most all kinds of ammo, at least in Anchorage. Ammo King has a bunch of stuff. Standard cartridges are usually easy to find in more outlying areas.
 
The bad mosquito areas are north of the coastal ranges in the interior. Some places are extremely bad, and others not so bad depending on whether you're in a hilly area or down in the flats where you have lots of swampy land. The worst I've ever seen is around Glenallen in August. It was bad - no, it was very, very bad! I don't know how long that lasts - if it's all summer or just sporadic invasions.

One area that you might want to look at is around Cordova - Valdez - McCarthy. You have the road link to Anchorage/ Fairbanks, but you're still well off the beaten track.

I would not recommend the Kenai! There's a LOT of tourism down there. The fishing streams are elbow to elbow, the hunting is pathetic - it's the most crowded place in Alaska. I hate to even drive through there because if you don't time it right, you get in traffic jams from all the daytrippers coming down or returning to Anchorage.

Keith
 
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