Day 9 – Travel Day and Exit Glacier

Alaska in Sunshine!

Today we travel from Fairbanks in the center of Alaska down to Seward, which is our southern most point in Alaska.  It is an hour flight from to Anchorage on Alaskan Air and then a 2 ½ hour drive to Seward.


As there isn’t much touring today, I thought I should talk about my impressions of life in Alaska.  To some extent, it is like going back in time. There doesn’t seem to be much crime and people don’t lock their doors when they go out.  In the small towns like Homer everyone seems to know everyone else, so there is a level of trust and mutual dependence that we don’t seem to have any more.  Other throwback examples: You can check bags for free on Alaska Air, there is no income tax, no checking of paperwork on rental cars and no security or screening on the train.  Airports do have full screening, however, but they are quick and promise your bags within 20 minutes of gate arrival.


To live in Alaska you definitely have to enjoy the outdoors.  Fishing, hunting, cross country skiing, snow machining and dog mushing are popular sports.  We haven’t really gone to any remote areas but I suspect that the call of the outdoors is even stronger out there.  Some of it is necessary just to survive, as many people need the fish they catch or the game they kill just to make it through the winter.

Exit Glacier near Seward, AK

Prices for the tourist are high in the summer.  Rental cars start at $90 for a compact and go much higher.  A mid-class hotel is around $200.  Fortunately I used hotel points and shopped around and found decent rental car prices. Gas is also anywhere from 50 to 90 cents per gallon higher than at home, depending where you are.  That is so strange since much of Alaska’s gas is pumped from here, but it has to be shipped south for refinement and then returned as they only have one refinery.  Food prices at restaurants are a bit higher, particularly beef, but food in grocery stores seems about the same or slightly higher from what we have.  Obviously many of the products sold in Alaska have to be imported so there is some extra cost.


We left Fairbanks in rain, but the clouds opened up to give us a good view of Denali.  We landed in Los Anchorage (derogatory term used by interior Alaskans) in full sun and the temperature hit 80 degrees on our drive down to Seward.  It was the first time we have seen that much sun and also the first day when we didn’t need fleece. After so many cloudy days, it was glorious.  We took a 2 mile hike up to Exit Glacier when we arrived at Seward.  The National Park Service does a great job in showing how rapidly the glaciers are receding.  It is really alarming.  Exit Glacier has receded maybe 300 yards in the last 12 years and nearly a mile in the last 150 years.  Soon there will be nothing left of this glacier.  The good news is that this is part of the Harding Icefield which is 700 sq. miles so that will be around for a while!