MilepostMilepost(R) was not very useful for bicyclists. Ok, it did tell that the distance between some mile markers was .7 or 1.2 miles rather than one mile, but it was not informative about the elevation changes. For instance, on Parks Highway, the worst climbs were way before the Broad Pass (2409', 701m), supposed to be the second highest in Alaska. |
EspressoDrive-through espresso bars are something we saw a lot last summer in Idaho and Oregon, and I've truly learned to love them. The concept has migrated all the way to Alaska, but not to Midwest. Why is that? There is not more traffic on McCarthy Road than there is on IN 446, but there are two espresso bars on McCarthy Road and none on IN 446. |
Traffic signsMost of the mile markers on the Denali Highway were so full of bullet holes that we could not tell what they said. And this was pretty much the case with all other traffic signs as well. |
BearsBears are all over Alaska, and still they are not. We met both the people that had lived all their lives in Alaska and never seen a bear, and people that fight a (black) bear on their back yard every night.We only saw two live bears on our trip; the first one blocked our trail when hiking to Shoup Bay from Valdez, and the second one (PIC) was grazing with her cubs by the railroad when we took a train from Seward to Anchorage. The bear "threat", or rather presence, is well acknowledged and appreciated in this country with a huge respect to these animals. Campers and hikers are educated to be careful and prepared to potential encounters. The first thing is to be able to differentiate between black and brown (grizzly) bears. Second thing is to know what to do and what NOT to do when facing these animals. A big part of preparation is also what to do when the animals are not (yet) around: how to store food and personal hygiene items, how to dispose garbage, and how to make noise when hiking, especially if one is coming from underneath the wind. |
BeersAlaskan Amber is like Fat Tire from New Belgium Brewing Company, Fort Collins, CO. And when I say "like" I do not mean that the beers are exactly alike, but their similarity relies on the fact that in places serving otherwise crappy beer (read: domestics) one can always find one decent one, and that is Alaskan Amber in Alaska and Fat Tire in Colorado and Wyoming. However, in Alaska many bars proudly do not serve but Alaskan beers. Which is great!In the text:
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Visitor (mis)information centersThe visitor information centers of cities and national parks were awesome. The only time we were lead astray was in Soldotna, where we were told that the campground in town, the Centennial Park, is full and the motels are terribly expensive. We are instructed to ride to the next park that accepts tents, which is some 6 miles away (just 6 miles!). We are naughty and check the Centennial park to find out that they do have tent sites available for $12.60 a night. |
TaxesThere are no sales taxes (or income taxes or property taxes) in Alaska with the exceptions of Anchorage and a couple of other boroughs. |
