One of the things I find the most rewarding about living and traveling in the West is the people that I meet and the friendships I develop West of the 100th parallel. I have to give credit to the folks who made my stay in Alaska so pleasant. The people I met there were practical, polite, and outgoing. (Typical of the Western people I have met in the Lower 48.) I found I had many things in common with nearly every Alaskan I met. It just made me want to come back again.
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Mike Stark, met me at the airport and shepherded me through the night life of Anchorage after the race. I enjoyed the hospitality of Rumrunners, Chilkoot Charlies, and Humpy’s under his watchful eye. If you enjoy quality beers any of these places is sure to satisfy you. He even introduced me to the folks at Barney’s Sport Chalet, retailers of quality outdoor gear, and manufacturers of high quality External Frame packs. Check them out if an Alaskan adventure is in your future.
Doug Moore, is a Alaska State archery champion from Talkeetna, Alaska. He showed me the wild part of Alaska with a fishing trip to Seward, and I got to experience the summer rain of the Kenai Penninsula with an afternoon and evening shower.
The next morning was another first for me; an ocean charter aboard the Servant, one of the four boats operated by the Fish House of Seward Alaska. Under the guidance of Captain Eric, and his handy deckhand “Eric the Orange” ( a Montanan) I caught my first ocean fish, a tasty, though not large Alaskan halibut.
Doug was kind enough to put me up at his home and show me the country around Denali National Park. On the last evening we toasted the trip to a pitcher of Glacier Brewhouse Oatmeal Stout at the Fairview Inn.
Off on a tangent, I really enjoyed Getting to be in a small town after spending a few days in Anchorage. The Fairview Inn, and Talkeetna has served as the gathering place for adventurers destined for the summit of Mt. McKinley. As we relaxed, the Alaska Mountaineering School mountain guides recounted tales from the past few days while enjoying the warm midnight. Pictures of past famous mountaineers, and mountain aviators adorned the walls. I was surprised to learn about the colorful history of the town. One of the legends that involves the Fairview in the mysterious death of president Harding in 1923:
Quoted from:
Keep the fox tails flying
Talkeetna exhibits its charms
by SCOTT CHRISTIANSEN
Talkeetna predates television, of course. Legend has it that President Warren G. Harding was poisoned at the Fairview Inn when he visited on the Alaska Railroad’s inaugural run in 1923. Local myth holds that a Talkeetna man offered Harding a dip of chewing tobacco, and Harding, being an avid chewer, accepted. Yet this says less about Talkeetna than Harding. He died later in a San Francisco hotel room — that much is fact — where another legend would have him poisoned by the room service staff. There’s also a story of him being poisoned in Seattle when his steamship stopped there during the return trip. The truth is that Harding was a weakened man before the trip even started. He’d suffered a heart attack, and was warned not to travel before he left D.C. Many people disliked this scandal plagued-president and apparently they all wanted a little credit for his death.
But all along the drive between Anchorage, and Seward, and Denali, and Talkeetna, I had the opportunity to hear stories from Doug about snowmobile trips in the high peaks we were driving by, and moose hunts in the Spruce bogs, and Wildfires that had transformed the landscape. Having someone who could tell me the significance of a ridge or creek or trail just made the experience that much more meaningful. I would encourage all of my readers to develop relatiponships with like minded individuals across the country to give yo u the true experience of a place you might just be passing through.
These two folks, Mike and Doug really made my Alaska experience worthwhile and special as I got to get out amongst the locals. I doubt this will be the last of my Alaskan visits. After this trip, I plan to wander the last frontier again soon.
