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Become An Alaskan Fisherman, At Least For A Few Hours

July 2, 2009 at 8:47 AM | 0 Comments

If your summer vacation plans include a cruise to Alaska with your grandparents, then you might want to seriously start considering some alternate shore excursions. Sure you can wander through some shops and check out the Totem Poles in Ketchikan like everyone else, or you can pretend that you're a true deep sea fisherman fisherperson.

Imagine being on the Deadliest Catch TV show, except not having to lift a finger. On the Bering Sea Crab Fishermen’s Tour, you’ll sit in a heated amphitheater right on the deck where you’ll be free to watch all the action while remaining totally safe. The crew will share some information about the ship, and before long you’ll be watching them haul in rockfish, cod, octopus, and king crab. Too bad they don’t bring drawn butter along.

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Alaska Turns 50, Can't Quite See Russia Anymore

January 5, 2009 at 12:35 PM | 3 Comments

Fifty years ago this week, President Dwight D. Eisenhower made Alaska and Hawaii the 49th and 50th states. And they barely look a day over 25! Alaska has already taken the bull by the horns and started planning for its milestone year.

The state nicknamed the Last Frontier, scrutinized in 2008 for its colorful governor, already partied in Anchorage and Valdez on Jan. 3 to celebrate the official date on the state proclamation. But the Anchorage Museum's expansion opens in June, the same month Seward's Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge opens its doors to offer visitors the chance to stay within a protected wildlife sanctuary. Fairbanks got its own visitor center last year, but its airport is getting a makeover, and Juneau will reenact its first raising of the state flag on July 4 along with a parade and community picnic.

Sadly, we can't find any information on Hawaii's official tourism website about a birthday celebration, aside from an acknowledgment that the state came into being in 1959. However, our sis site, HotelChatter, has discovered a "Nifty to be Fifty" deal for Aqua Hotels. Room rates for the first night of stay are $50 and guests over 50 receive a free amenity. Not sure what that free amenity is but we're guessing it's something to do with the AARP.

Related Stories:
· Alaska celebrates 50 years of statehood [Travels with Terry]
· Alaska Travel [Jaunted]
· Hawaii Travel [Jaunted]
· History of Hawaii [GoHawaii.com]

[Photo: Fish Taxi]

Potential Presidents Travel: Sarah, Michael Palin Have More in Common than a Surname

September 14, 2008 at 1:00 PM | 2 Comments

Much has been made of Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin's remark that she has special foreign policy insight into Russia because "you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska," but it was one of the few demonstrably true statements in her bumbling recent interview with ABC newsman Charlie Gibson. No, not the foreign policy insight part, that's silly, but there is a small island off the coast of Alaska where only four kilometers, the Bering Strait, and the International Date Line separate it from a similarly remote Russian island (pictured).

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Active Travel: Alaska by Foot

August 4, 2008 at 11:31 AM | 0 Comments

You know you've thought of taking an Alaskan cruise before, but let's face facts: It may not be the ideal vacation for the under-50 crowd. That's where Backroads comes in. On a six day hike along the Inside Passage, you'll cover the same turf the cruise ships do--but you'll miss out on the shuffleboard tourney.

The tour starts in Juneau, where you'll hike through spruce forests and take in the Gold Creek. The next two days take you to Skagway where you'll watch your back for moose and grizzlies and rest your feet on the White Pass and Yukon Railway, one of the steepest in the world.

The hike ends in Glacier Bay with a short cruise through the heart of the park--guess you can't completely avoid the water. The tour runs about $2,500 per person and includes all meals except one and your lodging every evening.

Related Stories:
· Backroads Tours [Official Site]
· Alaska Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: vonlohmann]

Adventures of Link: Ted Stevens' Alaska Faves

July 29, 2008 at 6:09 PM | 0 Comments

He may be the country's longest-serving Republican senator, but Ted Stevens was indicted today on seven felony counts of making false statements in a corruption case. Prosecutors say the 84-year-old took gifts of more than $250,000 in exchange for political favors.

Stevens says he's innocent of all charges, and he's the first senator to face a federal indictment since 1993.

Despite his statements, the senior senator is dogged by corruption allegations. So in honor of these latest charges, we've mapped some of the more, uh, controversial places that he's been involved with. Unfortunately we couldn't find an address for his notorious "series of tubes."

Our Ted Stevens' Alaska Faves Map

Related Stories:
· Ted Stevens Indicted, GOP Senator [AP, via Google]
· AK Senator Ted Stevens Indicted [LAT]
· Ted Stevens Anchorage International Has Free WiFi [Jaunted]

[Original photo: Steinbring]

Alaskan Volcano Blows, Delays Regional Flights with Ash Cloud

July 14, 2008 at 4:15 PM | 1 Comment

Umnak Island, in the Aleutians of Southwest Alaska, experienced a rocking volcano explosion Saturday morning. Because of Mount Okmok's location in the isolated island chain, the only people immediately affected were on a cattle ranch located just six miles from the base of the 3,500-foot volcano.

Ranch owner and Arizona native Lonnie Kennedy fired up his helicopter when he heard the thunderous boom and began moving his family and ranch hands off the property towards the "Deadliest Catch" territory of Dutch Harbor.

The explosion tossed smoke and ash 45,000 feet in the air, leading PenAir to cancel two regional flights. Regular service returned by Sunday morning.

The last time this volcano exploded was 1997; that time it remained active for eight months. We're more amazed by how a cattle rancher goes from Arizona to Alaska. A-state pride, baby!

Related Stories:
· 10 Rescued after Eruption [AP, via ADN]
· Volcanoes coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of Mt. Okmok in quieter times: Wikimedia]

Chilkoot Charlie's: Equal Parts Famous and Infamous

July 9, 2008 at 3:00 PM | 0 Comments

What started in 1970 as a one room, Alaska themed wood cabin bar, Chilkoot Charlie's (known as Koot's to locals) has turned into Alaska's most famous drinking and live entertainment pantheon. When the original owner, Mike Gordon, bought the former piano bar, he promised to triple gross sales at his new establishment with the oil boom taking place on the north slope.

In the 38 years since, not only has Koot's tripled sales exponentially, but it's slowly consumed every business around, expanding into themed sections that include a Russian room, a swing bar (the dancing kind!), an outdoor patio and two areas for live music every night.

Previous performers have included everyone from Metallica to Eddie Money; Alaskan acts also take the stage. The long list of accomplishments has earned Koot's quite the reputation: In 2000, Playboy named it the best bar in America.

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Live Music Travel: Get Your Tooth On

July 7, 2008 at 11:30 AM | 0 Comments

The concept of getting a beer while you go see a movie is big in Europe, but here in the states, theater-pubs are few and far between. Leave it to the state whose motto is "The Last Frontier" to push the boundaries.

The Bear Tooth Theatre Pub is the spot in Anchorage to see a great movie on the cheap and have beers brought to your table/booth combo by young outdoorsy cuties. Located in the Spenard neighborhood of Anchorage--a place that was once known for its hookers and low-grade meth--the pub's part of a gentrification wave that also features espresso on just about every corner.

The Bear Tooth also happens to be one of the best places to see live music acts in Alaska. Case in point: On July 26th, Wilco will perform in the parking lot of sister location, The Moose's Tooth, just down the street. This might not sound that remarkable, but for Anchorage, it's like MC Hammer performing at your 8th grade dance in '91. Tickets are $35, but to see Wilco under the midnight sun with about 1,500 other people, that's a steal.

Related Stories:
· Bear Tooth Theatre Pub [Official Site]
· Moose's Tooth [Official Site]
· Alaska Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Sir Mildred Pierce]

Honky Tonk Surf Towns: Yakutat, Alaska

July 1, 2008 at 3:00 PM | 0 Comments

It's a balmy 50 degrees today in this southeastern Alaska town, and the waves are waiting: From an Inuit word meaning "the place where canoes rest," Yakutat catches great Pacific tides which keep the water warmer than the air year-round.

Don't by spooked by its proximity to the North Pole; boarders might find that with a wetsuit the ride is downright toasty. And how bad-ass is it to surf alongside a glacier? Photographer and Alaska native Scott Dickerson puts it this way:

There must be something about Alaskan surfers and the challenges that they must overcome to surf "the last frontier" that drives them to another level of addiction.

The town of 600 people, sandwiched between Mount Saint Elias and Mount Fairweather, even has its own gear outpost--the Icy Waves Surf Shop (635 Haida St.). Plus: No bears!

Related Stories:
· Surfing Yakutat, Alaska [Scott Dickerson]
· Honky Tonk Surf Towns coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Bold Searcher]

Scary Alaska Travel: Bear Mauls Teenage Girl

July 1, 2008 at 11:00 AM | 0 Comments

Although Anchorage is a somewhat bustling city of 300,000 people, skyscrapers, great nightlife and one of the best bars in America (Chilkoot Charlie's), it still remains on the edge of some truly wild territory filled with animals much larger, tootheir and hungrier than humans.

This fact was sadly reiterated on Saturday night when a teenage girl riding in an all-night bike race was mauled by a bear who was foraging near the course in Far North Bicentennial Park. The young girl was outfitted with bear bells and two lights so as not to scare any wildlife, but a state biologist says that gusty winds on the night of the race and the rush of the creek might have made it difficult for the bear to hear her approach. That, he said, might've spooked the animal and caused the attack.

Two weekends prior, a bear charged at a pair of runners in the same area--though that's not stopping Alaskans from getting out to enjoy nature. Says one local:

It's not going to stop me from going out of the house and enjoying the short summer. But I'm thinking we should buy some bear spray.

Related Stories:
· Terror on the Trail: Bear Attacks Teen [Anchorage DN]
· Bears coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: kradlum]

Secret National Parks: Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve

June 11, 2008 at 1:00 PM | 0 Comments

Nothing screams summer fun like a national park, but who wants to visit Yellowstone again? This week, we're bringing you some secret spots to enjoy.

It's a shame that this park would be mentioned as a secret. With about 60,000 visitors last year, Alaska's Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve really needs some marketing behind it--maybe a mascot?

Wrangell is the country's largest national park, and it's about the size of six Yellowstones. That makes it about as big as Costa Rica.

To get there, fly into Anchorage and take either Highway 1 or Highway 4 to the park. Like the other spots we've covered, a chartered aircraft is also a good way to get there, if a little pricey.

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Secret National Parks: Kobuk Valley

June 9, 2008 at 12:45 PM | 0 Comments

Nothing screams summer fun like a national park, but who wants to visit Yellowstone again? This week, we're bringing you some secret spots to enjoy.

To describe it, you'd say Kobuk Valley National Park is "outside" Fairbanks, Alaska, but it'd be more precise to say it's in the absolute middle of nowhere.

The park is only accessible by foot, chartered air, snowmobile or, of course, dog sled. There are no actual trails or roads in the park--or even leading to it--so you better whip out that compass or GPS and hope that you successfully stumble upon it.

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