Everywhere, Alaska

Things are different here folks …

We Easterners have these ideas of how things are.  But here in Alaska, they aren’t.  Over the past month I’ve been re-educated and I thought I’d share with you some of the things I’ve learned.

For instance, this is a road!  Actually the A10 so it’s not all that unusual.

In a little bit this is what the A10 looks like.  Now most many Alaskans know the rule – only one car moves!   The car closest to the bank finds the widest spot and stops, waits.  The driver closest to the dropoff then inches by.  If I’m the driver, I don’t look down!

Many Alaskans don’t obey the rule.  That’s why no 5-year old pickup truck in Alaska still has it’s outside rearview mirrors …

They’re not very useful anyway.

This is a bridge.  Wooden decks seem to last as long as concrete or asphalt anyway so what’s the problem.  One lane – remember the rule. Again, don’t look down –

It’s a long way down!

This next picture illustrates a little more difficult concept.

This is an airport – see the tiny orange single engine, wing-over plane in the middle of the picture.

Here’s another airport – slightly more upscale.  In either case you don’t go on kayak.com and check for the lowest price.  You do not, repeat do not, want the lowest priced pilot flying your plane in and out of these airports!  You don’t want some pilot who expects the computer to fly the plane while he chats-up the stewardess.  No – just pay for the best damn pilot around!  A lot less stressful.

(By the way, this sounds humorous – but I’ll want to find a good pilot to fly me out of Juneau into the interior next week.  Send cash asap!)

Here’s one that shouldn’t be too hard.  This is a restroom – a very common restroom in Alaska.  I know, some of you are saying, “Barry, that’s an outhouse.”  No, it’s a restroom.  In an outhouse, you use pages torn from the Sears catalog …

See, this has proper toilet paper.  And a proper toilet seat with a real lid men can leave up …

Next, the Arctic Circle …