One Man's Alaska

I've been focused on my work on the devdaily website recently, so I don't have much to report on regarding Wasilla, or Alaska in general. However, it's always fun to take a look at the weather here in Alaska, so here are some iPhone screenshots that show the weather in five different cities in Alaska, ranging from Fairbanks in the north to Sitka in the south:

I'm sorry the pictures below aren't the best, but I just wanted to note that there was a Tax Day "Tea Party" here in Wasilla, Alaska yesterday (April 15, 2010). I was a little busy at the time trying to get things done, but I ran across this gathering of maybe 100-200 people on Crusey Street in Wasilla. This was probably around 5:30 p.m. local time.

This first photo is of the group from my car as I sat at the Crusey Street traffic light:

To the person who wrote and asked if Sarah Palin always wears red outfits, all I can say is I don't know. I've noticed that too, and I think it's pretty funny.

Here are a few pictures from the Sarah Palin red wardrobe collection:

Sarah Palin in red outfit #1:

They told me the winter/spring weather might be crazy here in Alaska, lol ... here's the recent actual weather from Wasilla, Alaska, for the last 24 hours or so:

One of the really great things about most towns/cities in Alaska is the presence of paved paths along the sides of the roads. These paths are excellent places to walk, ride a bike, skateboard, whatever.

I took the picture below while walking on a path today here in Wasilla. I was standing on the bike/walking path (the paved area on the right), while the larger paved area on the left is a normal two-way street. Every other town I've been in also has these paths by the sides of the roads. Even Anchorage has them in some areas.

I was sad yesterday to read this report of two eagles in Alaska's Prince William Sound area that got so caught up in their mating ritual that they forgot they were plunging to Earth as fast as gravity would take them.

The short story is that the male died, and the female somehow miraculously lived, and is currently trying to recover, though one of her wings may be permanently damaged.

I'm not sure why yet, but Cooper tires seem to be the preferred brand here in Alaska. For instance, as I've been traveling along, I've seen ads for several tire businesses that claim to have the "lowest prices on Cooper tires" in town.

In Alaska, you get used to dogs being everywhere. They're in cars, walking down streets (usually with their owners), and from time to time you'll find a dog in a local pub, store, or coffee shop, like this dog in the coffee shop in Seward, Alaska.

So Alaskans are used to seeing dogs in many public places, and I think most people like it. All of these dogs are especially well-behaved, like the dog in the coffee shop linked to above, or another dog I met at the general store in Hyder, Alaska a few weeks ago.

Woo-hoo, a small party on Monday (April 11, 2010) as those of us here in Wasilla, Alaska officially move up to 16 hours of sunlight per day!

By contrast, Louisville, Kentucky, where I just moved from, is currently at 13 hours and two minutes of sunlight per day. (Other locations where I have relatives: Chicago is 13 hours, 11 minutes; Mesa, Arizona is 13 hours, 43 minutes.)

It looks like TLC will be airing a television show named Sarah Palin's Alaska.

The only information available at this time is that it will be an eight-part Discovery/TLC documentary series about Alaska, and "Emmy-award winner Mark Burnett of Survivor and Apprentice fame" will be the executive producer. No dates have been announced yet.

I personally don't like it when people mix politics with other things like this, but Alaska is definitely a tremendously interesting topic -- I can't argue with them about that.