Edclicking Keyword Cloud
By Dr. Harry Tennant
Sunday, August 19, 2012 Education Ride 365: Looking Back On Alaska! I made it out of Alaska on a rainy note! My ferry ride there, plus the first week and a half were dry. The final week, plus my ferry ride home was wet. Sleeping in a tent on a ship deck is definitely compromised by consistently rainy weather! Even when you can keep rain out of the tent, humidity leaves everything feeling damp. Now that I am back in the lower 48, here are some observations about travel in Alaska (as well as the Yukon & B.C.): 1) Weather is a huge factor determining what sort of experience you have. Wonderful scenes of mountains, glaciers, wildflowers, and all the other natural beauty tend to hide in the low clouds of extended rain events so common in this area. When this happens, you might as well be in the lower 48. I went through the majestic Denali National Park. It wasn't much different than a ride earlier this year through driving rain in Nebraska! Though Valdez is widely touted as one of the more beautiful parts of Alaska, I skipped it due to 100% forecasted rain. My takeaway---> enjoy every sunny minute you ever get in Alaska. If you want to see it all, plan to go back a second or third time to see things you missed before due to rain and dense low-lying clouds.  2) Don't fear the roads in Alaska as much as you often hear. They are actually quite good. Improvements have been made over the years, so many reports warning of the poor roads may be from folks who traveled a decade or more ago. Of course, there are places where repairs are being made and there is loose gravel. Nonetheless, your motorcycle or car will not be ruined by traveling the main roads in Alaska. Having said that, there are some really poor stretches in the Yukon. The first 100 miles into the Yukon (coming from Tok) after crossing the border from Alaska into Canada is very rough and (from what the locals told me) always under repair. According to them, the road was built over permafrost absent consultation with the locals. Whatever the cause, there are long stretches of wash-boarded gravel and mud road that about shook my teeth out in places. From Destruction Bay all the way to Haines, though, the road is just fine. I took the ferry both ways, into and out of Alaska. Knowing what I know now, I would have taken the ferry only one way and crossed Canada the other. People discouraged me from doing this before my trip, warning that the Cycle of Education would get torn up on that highway. I have since learned from many tellings that the passage must be improved over what the folks who gave me those early reports experienced. Next time!  3) Free marketers would find support in Alaska and the Yukon for their arguments regarding the positive role competition plays in improving service and lowering costs. While there were exceptions, customer service there was not up to par. One very notable exception is the Alaska Marine Highway (ferry) that is staffed by employees of the State of Alaska. I heard other passengers comment on this too. These employees were remarkably kind, patient, helpful, and attentive. By Alaskan law, they are forbidden from taking tips. This would likely undercut a free marketer argument! Admittedly, the long 'off-seasons' and added transportation costs in Alaska (and the Yukon) likely play as big a role in the high cost of goods and services as the relative scarcity of competition does. Expect to pay big bucks for relatively substandard hotels and motels in this part of the world. As I mentioned in my last post, I strongly urge you to get online and explore the Bed & Breakfast options, as well as hostels, when planning Alaskan (Yukon) travel. Incidentally, AAA was of no help whatsoever in my initial research on Alaskan lodging between Haines and Anchorage. I would have thought they'd do better. Food prices are 30-50% higher for the equivalent meal, in my estimation. Gas prices were higher, but not nearly as much as I had feared. How much higher very much depends on the location, but count on 15-30% higher.  4) People ride bicycles across the Yukon and Alaska. They are hardy souls! I mention it more, though, to emphasize the point that while there are plenty of moose, bear, and other wildlife in this part of the world, you should count yourself more lucky to see them than fearful you'll run into them. Talking to some people outside of this region of the world, you'd think bear stake out highways and are just waiting to ambush the lonely traveler daring to pass by! Not so! Now, should you be lucky enough to see one and then choose to make her mad...that is on you!  5) Alaska is not as lonely and desolate as you might imagine. If you are on one of the main roads, someone will drive by within five minutes almost without fail. While this may not be the case in the dead of winter, I don't recommend exploring the roads of Alaska in the dead of winter!  6) Sunlight for 19 hours a day messes with your body, particularly when you are not accustomed to it. During my stay it finally got dark around 11:30 pm. It got light again around 4:00 am. My sleep patterns were so thrown off that this was the most difficult aspect of my stay. Surprisingly, not one place I slept in Alaska (nor the Yukon) had light-resistant curtains. I don't get that. To me, it seems like this would be one of the more important features for lodging designed to accommodate tourists in this part of the world.  --->Conclusion: I am back in the lower 48. I am happy to be back. From Washington I hit Montana, Idaho, and am currently exploring Utah. Previously explored states of Arizona and New Mexico will soon get me home to Texas for a few days to visit family. Then a quick turnaround back to the east coast where I'll arrive by the end of this month! Education Ride 365 continues onward! Day 216---204 miles traveled, 3 hours and 11 minutes of moving time, 64.1 miles per hour average moving time, 42 minutes stopped time, and 52.4 miles per hour overall average. Day 217---287.7 miles traveled, 5 hours and 45 minutes of moving time, 50 miles per hour average moving time, 4 hour and 6 minutes stopped time, 29.2 miles per hour overall average, and a max speed of 80.5. Day 218---191.9 miles traveled, 3 hours and 52 minutes of moving time, 49.6 miles per hour average moving time, 1 hour and 22 minutes stopped time, 36.6 miles per hour overall average, and a max speed of 83.6. Day 219-221---On the ferry. Posted at 12:00 PM Keywords: Education Ride 365 , EdClick , Cycle Of Education 2 Comments |
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Brian from Wise said... I can tell you precisely why you experienced better service from the State workers! Those jobs pay more and offer more benefits (via the tax payers)than any of the other jobs available out there! Monday, August 20, 2012 9:21 AM |
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Brian from Wise said... The private businesses up there are very seasonally affected financially (as you pointed out) don't have the benefit of a well funded tax base to pay above market and constant rates. Monday, August 20, 2012 10:55 AM |