Archive for the 'Alaska' Category
What's Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's hometown like?
August 29, 2008 11:23am
Were you surprised at the choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as John McCain’s presumptive running mate on the GOP ticket? Some in Wasilla, her hometown where she served as mayor, had an inkling.
“Rumors were floating around that she was getting vetted, and she’s a very attractive candidate,” said Casey Reynolds, the former economic development planner for the town of about 6,800 people who was helping handle the flood of phone calls coming into City Hall.
Read the rest of this entry »
Alaska: So many last-minute deals with Denali Park Resorts
August 25, 2008 12:16pm
If you’re hankering for an end-of-summer getaway, but can’t decide where to go, consider seeing Alaska’s interior at Denali National Park. Denali Park Resorts has a bunch of deals going on right now through mid-September before the summer season closes shop for winter. You might even get to see the Northern Lights!
Deals: Book two nights and get a $100 Visa card plus two Denali Natural History Tours for the price of one. Choose from lodging at the McKinley Chalet, McKinley Village, Denali Bluffs or Grande Denali. Valid through Sept. 17, 2008. Ask for the “Holiday Special.”
Second night free and more at Denali National Park resorts
August 10, 2008 12:09pm
The Mt. McKinley-topped Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska is open year-round, but if you want the best chance at cooperative weather, you’d better plan to head up there before mid-September. Game? Then consider taking advantage of park concessionaire Aramark’s current noteworthy special.
Deals: The “Holiday Special” includes a free second night’s stay at one of four lodges near the park’s entrance and a $100 Visa gift card. In addition, the package includes a two-for-one admission to the Denali Natural History Tour, a guided interpretive tour that lasts three to four hours.
Alaska’s wake up call for anglers — and the bears
July 5, 2008 10:00am
A cool spring and early summer are frustrating Alaskans, who have yet to enjoy a day with temps much higher than 70 degrees (unlike the triple-digit heat in Los Angeles that would instantly melt any baked Alaska).
But the bears, both brown and black, seem to be enjoying the long chill. They have been active in Anchorage and on the Russian and Kenai rivers 100 miles to the south, which opened to anglers June 11.
But don’t blame da bears, particularly in their ever-bold behavior along the rivers. State wildlife officials are blaming anglers for leaving salmon carcasses behind, in effect chumming the waters for grizzlies. The sequence usually goes like this:
Alaska Airlines goes cashless, charges ahead
July 3, 2008 6:15pm
Take off your shoes. Take off your belt. Unpack your laptop. Get cash to buy onboard drinks and food.
Alaska Airlines has removed at least one frustrating task that confronts all air travelers before boarding: Hunting for cash to buy drinks, food and other extras on a flight.
Starting Aug. 5, Alaska Airlines flight attendants will accept only major credit cards for onboard goodies. The flight attendants, who will be packing hand-held charging devices from Toronto-based GuestLogix Inc., will accept no cash.
What can you buy on board? For $5 you can get a “Picnic Pack” that includes crackers, cheese and salami or a “premium beverage,” such as beer, wine or vodka. Such drinks are complimentary for first-class passengers.
Several other airlines, including Virgin America, Hawaiian Airlines and JetBlue, have already switched to plastic for online purchases.
– Hugo Martín, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
[Photo: Alaska Airlines]
Celebrity Cruises is having a last-minute 2-day sale (June 24-25)
June 24, 2008 1:15pm
Start shopping for new cruise wear. Celebrity is having its two-day sale starting today. Book a cruise Oct. 1, 2008, through Nov. 30, 2009, and get up to $200 onboard credit per stateroom. That’s nice, but those deals are easy to find. What’s great about this sale is that your deposit is reduced by 50% if you book by tomorrow (June 25).
Since I’m not a regular cruiser, I got a little overwhelmed looking at the destinations on the sale page: Alaska, Australia/New Zealand, Bahamas, Canada/New England, Caribbean, Europe, Hawaii/Pacific Northwest, Panama Canal, South America, transatlantic.
What I wanted to know was, which cruises departed from Los Angeles. So, I called the reservation number and had a nice agent help me without any sales pressure. It turns out, there are only three cruises departing from Los Angeles during the sale period.
Fuel issues in Alaska
June 24, 2008 10:05am
Alaska, America’s last frontier, sits on a puddle of oil so big, you’d suspect it was doing well despite a worldwide oil crunch. Not so. Soaring fuel costs are affecting bush pilots, fishing charter captains, tour companies and homeowners, who struggle to heat their homes in long winters where temperatures reach 40 below zero.
The bush pilots’ plight is especially dire and threatens to change the very character of the state. The ubiquitous fliers are a key option for travelers seeking access to remote parks and fishing villages. More important, they are the only lifeline to residents of those towns and villages. If they cannot afford to fly, the towns are cut off from supplies and medical care.
Stewed about reindeer in Alaska
June 23, 2008 10:15am
Dear Santa,
I know it’s been a while – 45 years maybe – since I’ve written. I also know it’s your off-season. How are the Hamptons? Those New Yorkers driven you nuts yet?
Listen, there’s a serious reason I’m writing. I’m here in Alaska for a few days and discovered a disturbing trend. Dude, they’re eating your herd! At breakfast, there’s reindeer sausage. At lunch, reindeer hotdogs. Dinner is reindeer soup or stew. I never knew they even served that stuff. Did you? Did Rudolph? Have you talked to Rudolph lately? I know all about downsizing. But reindeer meat? Is nothing sacred?
To be honest, I’m from L.A. and I thought reindeer were some Hans Christian Andersen creation, or at the very least Disney or Pixar. Read the rest of this entry »
America's pastime, baseball in Alaska
June 21, 2008 1:44pm
I’m seriously smitten by the Alaska Baseball League – hardball in a time warp, a heaping dish of Americana.
Most serious fans are aware of the Alaska league, which features players from some of the top college programs in the nation. The wood bat developmental program begins in mid-June and runs to the end of July. The six teams are based in cities around Alaska, but also play teams brought up from the lower 48.
For instance, on Wednesday night, one of the two Anchorage teams, the Glacier Pilots, was playing the SoCal Running Birds, a team of mostly junior college players based in Orange County.
Picture the Durham Bulls in an even more homey and low-key setting.
In Alaska, summer solstice is a stunner
June 19, 2008 7:00pm
Think of Anchorage, pictured above, as Long Beach, ringed by mountains. OK, a slightly more rustic, but still water-based distant cousin of Long Beach. You know immediately that it’s a little different up here the moment you leave the airport and pass a fleet of bush planes on the edge of a lagoon.
Talk about your endless summers. Daylight lasts 19 hours here now, and Anchorage is poised to celebrate Saturday’s summer solstice with a massive street fest and marathon that has filled nearly every hotel room in town. The Summer Solstice Festival begins Friday with 10 musical groups and a dozen more on Saturday. A marathon and half-marathon are also scheduled Saturday, under almost ideal conditions. Highs Friday and Saturday are expected to be in the upper 60s, under patchy clouds, with only a slight chance of a moose attack.
