I just spend a great week in Alaska, the second such trip although this one was a "Trains, Planes and Automobiles" journey as opposed to a cruise. Much of the travel was via the Alaska Railroad, with a couple of side trips by plane and car.
One such trip was to Coldfoot and Wiseman, AK. Our plane departed Fairbanks at 7pm for a flight north of the Arctic Circle, landing at Coldfoot. The trip then continued via road to Wiseman, a settlement of 15 people who live a sustainable lifestyle. Along the way you travel along the Alaska Pipeline and the road itself is the one you see on "Ice Road Truckers."
Living in Wiseman is a full time job. Our host's home had both solar (good at least a couple of months a year but it works 24 hours a day in the summer) and electric generators. He traps, grows his own vegetable and hunts for food, usually caribou and moose. Temps range from as high as 80 in the summer to -65 in winter. Living is hard work in this community which traces its roots back to the first settlers that came to Alaska.
There was one connection with the outside world however. Satellite provided Internet. Another example that regardless of lifestyle, communication in this age remains important. Our host enjoys life away from civilization but at the same time doesn't want to lose touch with civilization. Or at least what claims to be civilization these days.
We were also surprised at the cell phone service availability just about every place we went including travel between our base city of Anchorage to Whittier, Fairbanks and Seward. Even Denali. The folks in Alaska remain justifiably proud of their frontier spirit despite the influx of tourists. They also like to be connected. Technology makes it possible. It wasn't that long ago that snail mail moved at a truly a glacier pace, especially "Way up North." Not anymore.
One such trip was to Coldfoot and Wiseman, AK. Our plane departed Fairbanks at 7pm for a flight north of the Arctic Circle, landing at Coldfoot. The trip then continued via road to Wiseman, a settlement of 15 people who live a sustainable lifestyle. Along the way you travel along the Alaska Pipeline and the road itself is the one you see on "Ice Road Truckers."
Living in Wiseman is a full time job. Our host's home had both solar (good at least a couple of months a year but it works 24 hours a day in the summer) and electric generators. He traps, grows his own vegetable and hunts for food, usually caribou and moose. Temps range from as high as 80 in the summer to -65 in winter. Living is hard work in this community which traces its roots back to the first settlers that came to Alaska.
There was one connection with the outside world however. Satellite provided Internet. Another example that regardless of lifestyle, communication in this age remains important. Our host enjoys life away from civilization but at the same time doesn't want to lose touch with civilization. Or at least what claims to be civilization these days.
We were also surprised at the cell phone service availability just about every place we went including travel between our base city of Anchorage to Whittier, Fairbanks and Seward. Even Denali. The folks in Alaska remain justifiably proud of their frontier spirit despite the influx of tourists. They also like to be connected. Technology makes it possible. It wasn't that long ago that snail mail moved at a truly a glacier pace, especially "Way up North." Not anymore.
Brian Olson
"We start the conversation about you"
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