Hostels of Talkeetna

 Talkeetna Trip #1

House of Seven Trees Hostel

North Main Street

Talkeetna, AK

(907) 733-7733

Trip #1 to Talkeetna involved the first time I didn't make reservations at a hotel or hostel.  Going outside my comfort zone. Scary. I always worry I'll show up and not be able to find a place to stay.  Then what do you do? I lucked out and did find a place to stay.  The Hostel is located on the main drag of Talkeetna next to Mountain High Pizza. The main house (blue house) has the private rooms, bathrooms, common areas, and fully stocked kitchen.  The dorm room is in the back called Ye Olde Bunque Haus.  In between the two buildings is a bbq and outdoor sitting area.  The main building is really clean and well maintained. The two bathrooms have fluffy white towels for guests use.  I stayed in the Bunque Haus.  Cost $25 per night, cash only.

Walking around the main building to find the Bunque Haus was eye opening.  I had never stayed in a co-ed dorm-style room before.  It was nothing like what I expected.  I guess I should have expected it though.  It was the middle of mountaineering Alaska.  No locks on the door. Rustic looking. No bathroom. No heat. At least the beds were comfortable.  When the door was shut, the room was warm enough.  After my second stay in Talkeetna, I realized locks are not a necessity in this small town.

Best Features: location, clean main house, available amenities
Improvements: locking door or secured storage area
Would I stay here again: Yes as long as it is warm enough

Talkeetna Trip #2

Talkeetna Hostel International 

www.TalkeetnaHostel.com

 22159 S I St

Talkeetna, AK

(907) 733-4678

This hostel is by far the most interesting hostel I have stayed in.  Don't be fooled by the photo on their website.  The photo above is from September 2014.  This is what the property really looks like.  Even though the walk to the hostel and the outside of the property is scary and odd looking, the inside is cozy and relatively clean considering the majority of the long term guests are men.  The inside is like any other typical ranch house.  There are several bedrooms.  I only saw the one I stayed in.  I'm not sure if it was co-ed or not because I was the only guest in that room.  The common area had a tv with cable and a woodburning fireplace.  I didn't use the kitchen but it was large and appeared to have useful supplies.  Outside the house are several different types of camping available.  Vans, campers, outbuildings, and tent sites to rent.

The hostel is located on the far side of town.  A little bit of a walk but not too far from the main section of Talkeetna with the restaurants and bars. Follow the signs. Keep going. You will eventually reach it. Walking down I Street, I thought for sure I missed it and was walking into something I would regret.  I didn't.  My imagination was running away with me.  The place wasn't that bad.  Be cautious if you need to shower and leave by a certain time.  There is only one bathroom for all guests use.  Luckily the hot water supply lasted for everyone in line and towels were free. This hostel didn't have locks on anything either.  Common trend perhaps in rural Alaska?  $25 per night, cash only.

Best Features: warm fireplace, wifi
Improvements: another bathroom, clean up the outside area, lockable private storage
Would I stay here again: Yes if other options are not available

Brrrr...Visiting the Top of the World

One of my main reasons for wanting to visit Alaska was to go to Barrow.  Barrow is considered the top of the world or at least the top of United States.  It is the farthest most point you can travel in the US unless you are Native Alaskan or are allowed access to tribal lands to travel to Barrow Point.  Barrow is in the no-roads area which means you have to fly in or reach the town via the Arctic Ocean.

Who wouldn't want to visit a place like this?

Beginning of main street along Arctic Ocean

I did not get to spend much time there.  In fact, I only gave myself a day.  I flew in town in the morning and flew back out in the evening.  Two reasons: one, the cost of a night's stay in one of the few hotels costs more than a plane ticket and two, there is not much to do in Barrow unless you have a tour scheduled or family/friends to visit.  Since I did not go during prime visiting time (summer) or travel with someone, scheduling a tour was not possible.  If you do happen to find yourself in Barrow, call Will at Top of the World hotel.  He is one of the local Native Alaskan guides.  In fact, I waited on guests in Denali who recommended him.   When I talked to Will, two people were required to schedule a tour at a cost of $125 per person.  He takes you in a special vehicle out to the point where you are practically guaranteed to see polar bears.  My guests told me he is an excellent guide with thorough knowledge of the area.  I was disappointed to miss this opportunity.

I went to Barrow at the beginning of November when the sun was coming up at 10:30am, the day after the US had daylight saving time change.  Otherwise the sun would have come up at 11:30am.  So odd.  The sun was setting at 3:30pm.  The area was rapidly loosing daylight.

So what did I do while in Barrow?  I walked around and took turns freezing and thawing.  I was deliriously happy to finally be in Barrow that I really didn't care what I did other than see the town and hopefully see a polar bear.  I started by eating at Arctic Pizza.  Surprisingly, the pizza was not as expensive as I thought it would be.  $19.00 for a small cheese pizza, only $5 more than I paid in Denali.  It was really good too.  Super cheesy.  I would recommend the restaurant.  Although it overlooks the Arctic Ocean, don't expect anything fancy.  It is a regular Joe place with slow paced, super friendly service.

This is where I saw a polar bear.  He was way out on the ice.  My phone camera would never be able to pick up the view, unfortunately.  At first, I wasn't sure what I was seeing.  It was walking back and forth.  It must have been on a piece of ice.  My number one Alaskan goal accomplished.  I did overhear at the airport later that the bear had swum up on shore with it's kill.  Luckily, I had stopped walking around about 10 minutes beforehand.

Looking out at the frozen ocean from the front of Arctic Pizza

 After walking around some more, I thawed in a sundry store.  It had a little bit of everything.  Stuff was jam packed.  Tourist stuff, tons of craft items like cloth and yarn, clothes, food, Western Union, similar to a really really small locally owned Walmart.   More walking.  Time to warm up with some hot tea.  I stopped at Sam & Lee's Restaurant.  Check out the prices.  Whoa! Talk about expensive.

Look at this building.  Notice the electrical hookups.  I had to take a picture because this building reminded me of an oldtime Western horse rail only for modern day cars.  Electrical hookups were everywhere.  People tended to leave their cars running while popping into restaurants or stores.  I mean where would a car jacker take the car anyways.  There are only so many roads in town.

The main thing I noticed about the town, besides the cold (-16F, still early in winter), was the blandness of the buildings.  Everything was pretty much void of color.  Very weathered.  It is a grey looking place. Considering the harshness of the weather, it is a wonder the buildings are even standing. 

Check out the airport.  That little building holds security, ticketing, waiting, cargo, you name it.  I found it interesting that people come early, check in their luggage then leave until boarding time.  Imagine being a teenager and having to take a plane to go to your wrestling meet or football game.  That's what these kids here do.  When I landed, there was a large group of teens headed somewhere.  They travel with pillows. When I was leaving, the incoming plane had the large wrestling team and cheerleaders coming back from a tournament in Anchorage.  Pretty cool!

And that was my visit to the Top of the World.

Why I Want to Return to Alaska

I've only been away from Alaska for a month; however, I can't wait to return.  I miss it already.  Why you ask?

Healy, Alaska (October)

Alaska gets in your blood.  I've been hooked since I started researching rural Alaska years ago.  Now that I've been to part of the interior, I really want to go back.  It is hard to describe the state to people who haven't visited.  Pictures don't do it justice.  Alaska is vast.  That is the best word to describe it.  It is freaking large and everything in it is large or appears so.

I did get to see the main reason why I wanted to go in the first place so if I don't get to go back, I'll be satisfied.  However, I want to go back.  There is much more to see.  My main reason to go was to visit Barrow, Alaska and see polar bears in the wild.  Mission accomplished.

Arctic Ocean, Barrow, Alaska (November)

Now I want to see the southern part of the state.  I want to visit the Kenai Peninsula and see Seward, Homer, whales, and the fjords.  Maybe head over to Haines and Skagway and Juneau.  Or maybe the Aleutian Islands.  Or head over to Nome.  Too many places.

Anchorage and a Hostel

View of some gorgeous mountains as I flew towards Anchorage.  I don't think I will ever get sick of seeing beautiful snow covered mountains.

First picture is a view from the Anchorage airport.  Second one is walking down the street by my hostel.  I'm sure I looked like a weirdo to the locals.  I would walk, stop, stare, repeat.

Saturday, I walked around downtown Anchorage.  Its a beautiful clean area.  I lucked out with a bright sunny warm day. The photo below is the side of the mall.  I love the whale mural.  I decided to head to a grocery store to check out the availability and cost.  I was surprised by the cost.  Grocery prices are very similar to Chicago prices only without the sales tax.  I expected much higher prices.

This area of Anchorage had several touristy shops, probably not what you would consider local town stuff.  Skateboarders are very prevalent on the streets and parks.  A gang of them skated down the middle of Main Street.  While sitting on a park bench enjoying the view and reading, a Native Alaskan drunk guy decided he needed to talk to me.  Eventually he wandered off to bother others.  One thing I noticed is bike riders bike on the sidewalks, not on the road.  I don't understand why because the roads are wide, pothole free and almost car free.

I want a shelf full of Alaskan mugs.  Check out the fancy way to drink wine outside bugfree.  I want one.

Alaskan Backpackers Inn

Anchorage, AK

After cabbing my way from the airport, I arrived at the hostel.  This is my first stay in a hostel.  I was excited and nervous.  I've read enough online about hostels but wasn't completely sure what to expect.  It was unique, that's for sure.  Honestly, the Inn was exactly what I expected.  Funky.  I loved the hallways and stairwells with the random murals and sayings from former guests.
The front desk staff was helpful.  The kitchen appeared to be stocked with useful appliances and kitchenware.  Rooms were clean.  My only complaint: different sheets on the lower bunk in my room.  The upper bunk had great sheets but the bottom bed had rough prickly sheets.  I wish I could have taken the blackout curtains to my room in Denali.  The hostel was in walking distance to a grocery store and downtown.


Upstairs lounge with library

My room.  A private single but this one was outfitted for a family.

Upstairs hallway
View from my room

Tomorrow's Dream

Tomorrow I embark on my biggest solo adventure to date.  Tomorrow at 1:47pm I fly off to Alaska.  Alaska has been my dream state for about 10 years. Originally, I thought I would go there as a teacher for the school season and come home for the summers but that didn't work out.  Then I hit upon resorts.  Working in a resort is another one of my Bucket List items.  This idea I could get behind.  I knew eventually I would make it there but wasn't sure when that would happen.

May 2, 2014

That is when its happening.  Woohoo!

Anchorage will be my first place to explore.  I fly into there at about 7pm.  I'll spend 2 days wandering around before heading north to Delani on a bus.  I'll also get to experience my first stay in a hostel.  Wish me luck.  I'm a little nervous.  Hopefully, my excitedness will overshadow my nervousness.

Time to repack my suitcase and see if I can make it less bulky.  Till tomorrow.

And Its Official

Right after I posted about the possibility of going to Alaska, I got the official word that I'm hired.  I'm super excited and can not wait to head north.  Between now and May, I feel like I have tons to do. 

• Do some new work stuff.
• Buy plane ticket.
• Make reservations. 
• Sublease apartment.
• Pack.
• Move.
• Visit both kids.
• Also want to make sure I have passport in hand before I leave just in case opportunity for foreign travel pops up

So many things.

Have any suggestions of what to take with me for a spring/summer/fall in Alaska?

Heading to Alaska

Fingers crossed.  If all goes well, I will be heading to Alaska in May.  I'm currently in the running for a job at a resort in Delani.  My excitement can hardly be contained.  Hopefully, I will find out this week.  More news on this adventure to come.