Mar 17th, 2010 at 11:30AM: The very excellent USA Today Cruise Log reports on some stormy waters around Alaska.
In recent years, the state has been making the lives of cruise lines quite miserable. New taxes, fees and regulatory requirements are slowly turning ships away, and some lines have already resorted to moving their Alaska ships to new routes.
Obviously, when a state starts taking too much advantage of tourism ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
alaska posts
Holland America cruise line director to Alaska: stop driving us away
Mar 17th, 2010 at 11:30AM: The very excellent USA Today Cruise Log reports on some stormy waters around Alaska.
In recent years, the state has been making the lives of cruise lines quite miserable. New taxes, fees and regulatory requirements are slowly turning ships away, and some lines have already resorted to moving their Alaska ships to new routes.
Obviously, when a state starts taking too much advantage of tourism ...Hiker begins 4700 mile journey around Alaska
Mar 14th, 2010 at 12:00PM: Long distance hiking legend Andrew Skurka is off on another adventure, this time taking on a trek through the Alaskan wilderness that will take seven months to complete, and will cover more than 4700 miles. Dubbed the Alaska-Yukon Expedition, the journey will take Skurka through eight national parks, six in the U.S. and two in Canada, while crossing four mountain ranges, and some of the most ...10 great zip lines from around the world (videos)
Alaskan village building $76 million airport - for 100 people
Mar 7th, 2010 at 12:00PM: The Alaskan village of Akutan is home to 100 permanent residents and 900 seasonal workers. Like many Alaskan communities, Akutan makes its money off seafood production. At the moment, the village is only reachable by a 70 year old sea plane - and they are quickly running out of parts for it.
The solution is a new airport. The facility will transport people on the 20 minute flight to the town of ...2010 Iditarod begins today
Mar 7th, 2010 at 9:00AM: Following the ceremonial start in Anchorage yesterday, the 2010 Iditarod officially begins today with 71 mushers, and their dog sled teams, setting out from Willow, Alaska on a two week long odyssey through some of the most remote and rugged wilderness that North America has to offer. Over the course of the next two weeks, they'll face challenging weather conditions, endless miles of snow covered ...Play the roadside attraction game - Road trip tip
Feb 15th, 2010 at 1:54AM: We live in Alaska, but half our family lives in Montana, so visiting means one long road trip. To keep ourselves entertained, we play a road-side attraction game. Here's how it works:
plan each day's drive to allow for at least one long break;
assign each member of the family a day during which they get to pick the roadside attraction we stop at during the break;
at the end of the trip the ...National Geographic Student Expeditions expand for 2010
Jan 12th, 2010 at 3:30PM: The popular and successful National Geographic Student Expeditions program is gearing up for another outstanding year, adding new options for high school students looking for an adventurous and educational escape this summer. The lucky travelers have their journeys enhanced further by the inclusion of National Geographic experts and trip leaders designed to deliver travel experiences unlike any ...Who pays for rescue efforts when people are lost? Who should?
Dec 17th, 2009 at 7:30PM: A few days ago, Kraig wrote about the three hikers lost on Mt. Hood. At the time of his post, one of the hikers had been found dead. The other two were still missing. Almost a week after they set out on their climb, they are still missing and most probably are dead. Because of this tragic situation, the question of who foots the bill for rescue efforts has come up once more.
Back in 2005, then ...Sarah Palin and Hawaii don't mix? About comfort zones vs going rogue
Dec 8th, 2009 at 6:00PM: Here's a tidbit about Sarah Palin that caught my attention. According to her dad, Palin left college in Hawaii because being around too many Asians made her feel uncomfortable. Interesting. Sarah Palin attributes her leaving the Aloha State after just one semester to too much sunshine for an 18 year-old---as in beaches and academics are not a great mix for an Alaskan gal. Read Palin's book Going ...Get out and go: Events around the world (December 2-5)
Dec 2nd, 2009 at 10:30AM: It's time to look at the festivals and events happening around the world, and this week has a particularly international selection of happenings. If you're close and have time, then you have no excuse to get out and go!
Alaska - The Talkeetna Winterfest will take place in Talkeetna, Alaska throughout the month of December. The month long celebration features various activities, including Taste ...Adventure travel Alaska style: Glacier flying
Nov 30th, 2009 at 5:00PM: If you've ever wanted to see Alaska's beauty, but had no interest in hunting or fishing or if you think a cruise just isn't thrilling enough, maybe you should consider a little glacier flying.
Having grown up in Alaska, I've always told my visiting friends that the airplane was the only way to unlock the most spectacular sights in the state. Sure, you can drive less than fifty miles from ...Plan a luxury safari in the US with American Safari Cruises
Nov 9th, 2009 at 1:30PM: When most people think of a "safari" they think of hiking through the bush of South Africa or trekking through the jungles of Costa Rica in search of exotic animals native to the region.
But here in the US we have plenty of our own wild animals to see and going "on safari" here doesn't have to mean doing one of those drive-though "wild animal" parks where non-native animals like zebras and ...The Alaskan roadhouse experience
Oct 26th, 2009 at 8:00AM: Last month, Up Here Magazine ran a feature on the end of the roadhouse. Even if you've never stopped at a roadhouse while driving long distances, you're likely familiar with the sight of them: generally a larger main building with a few gas pumps and a small restaurant, and several cabins fanning out on either side. These days, many of them are sagging in the weeds and boarded up. Up Here cites ...ABC News and Hotels.com list best US cities for hotel deals
Oct 22nd, 2009 at 10:00AM:
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On most trips, your two biggest expenses will be your transportation and your accommodation. You don't have much control over the price of your flight, but you can balance out that cost by picking a destination where you are more likely to score a deal ...Twilight fans get their own cruise
Oct 20th, 2009 at 9:30AM: Holy "New Moon," I was joking when I referenced a cruise for "Twilight" fans in my article Heterosexual couple booked on a gay cruise sues cruise line, but thanks to the wonderful and well-informed commenters on Digg, I have learned that it's actually a real thing (thanks, darkmagic311). Billed as a "Convention at Sea for Twilight Fans," the Alaska Twilight Cruise will take place on August 8-15, ...Disney Cruise Line heading to Alaska in 2011
Sep 13th, 2009 at 12:00PM: Starting May 3rd 2011, Disney Cruise Line will be offering an Alaska itinerary. The 7 night Alaska cruise starts in Vancouver and after day at sea will take guests to Tracy Arm, Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan, followed by another sea day before arriving back in Vancouver. The cruise will be offered on board the Disney Wonder, their 964 foot long, 2400 passenger vessel. The Disney Wonder offers guests ...Bowermaster's Adventures -- Kamchatka v. Kodiak, What a Difference 225 Years Makes
Sep 1st, 2009 at 9:00AM: We sailed into Kodiak on a somewhat rarified day for this part of the world, one filled with sunshine rather than rain. The weekend just past had been its annual Crab Fest, an event dampened by typical summer weather: horizontal rain and temperatures just above freezing. But on a big, blue, sun-shiny day you'd be hard-pressed to imagine a more beautiful place, the entirety of Kodiak Island and ...Chicago backpacker gets lost (again) in Alaska
Aug 28th, 2009 at 12:00PM: When Into the Wild, the story of Christopher McCandless' epic adventure in the Alaskan wilderness, was published, the idea of setting off into the wild with nothing but a few pounds of rice and your wits to survive seemed terribly romantic....well, except that McCandless died because he was unprepared for the harsh conditions. Despite (or I guess, because of) that minor point, hundreds of people ...Bowermaster's Adventures -- Dutch Harbor
Aug 28th, 2009 at 9:00AM: Birthplace of the Winds, 10 Years After During the past decade I've been to Dutch Harbor on the island of Unalaska – one of America's last frontiers, potentially the planet's next Singapore, home base for the loved-and-hated "Deadliest Catch" - seven times. Much has changed during the years, for me and for the place. I first came this far west with close friends (Barry Tessman, Sean ...Gadlinks for Monday 8.17.09
Aug 17th, 2009 at 6:00PM: Another week of summer has come and gone, and we're just hanging on to those last few certain days of warmth before fall kicks in! Last week we had some great travel reads, and this week will likely be no different. But you'll have to wait until tomorrow to catch our normal Gadlinks, for today's links are in keeping with the "scenic" theme we have going here on Gadling today. Check these out for ...
