So you want to move to the last frontier,ALASKA!

       Moving Day! The house was sold,our things packed and shipped to the remote area of King Salmon/Naknek, Alaska.My son in law was already there at his new job.My daughter, me and my granddaughter were finally packed and ready to go.The two cats and the dog were tucked into their carriers and we left for the airport.We were so excited about our great adventure.At least we were until we hit one sanfu after another at Bush Intercontinental airport.
      The hitch were the pets.We weren't told we had to purchase separate tickets for each leg of the flight requiring a plane change for the pets. Two missed flights later I was short an extra two thousand dollars for the new tickets.The second flight we missed, because the power mad man at the ticket desk refused to acknowledge my two year old granddaughter's car seat was not considered a carry on. He was wrong but we still missed our second flight.  We arrived in Seattle only to discover the connecting flights were grounded due to snow and ice.I guarded the luggage while my daughter and two yr old granddaughter slept.
      The floors are rather hard there,but it was better than trying to sleep in the cramped plastic chairs. Six am arrived and found the three of us tired and cranky The actual flight to Anchorage wasn't too bad.
      At last we arrived in Anchorage and had to take a cab to another area and pick up the carriers with the pets and take them back to the airport before our flight left without us The dog had at some point,had a bout of diarrhea. My daughter valiantly hosed down the dog and carrier with ice water and we sped back to the airport in time to make our connecting flight to King Salmon/Naknek.
 The flight was unusual, at least for us.Everything outside the plane was white!Sky,ground ,mountains. Everything! This was the short leg of our flight and we were more than ready to leave air travel far behind us.
    The pilot announced our approach to our final destination,we looked down saw white with patches of green treetops and the white tops of buildings.
    The wheels touched down s and we glided smoothly to the small terminal.My son in law rushed out( as fast as one can on slick ice and greeted his family.We were here. ALASKA.
    It was breathtaking. I had no idea snow glittered like diamonds in the sunlight. Everywhere we looked,snow covered mountains,trees, and buildings were transformed into a white fairyland. the temperature was a mere, minus 28 degrees,if I remember right. Christmas looked like it did in the movies.The snow hid the rusty cars,boats and other unidentifiable stuff until late spring.
     Alaska,King Salmon/Nalnek was everything we thought it would be.Beautiful landscapes, mountains, friendly,generous,welcoming people and snow,( A LOT OF SNOW AND ICE)!Only twelve miles of paved highway and very little traffic If you passed more that twelve cars,it was rush hour. We loved it all.
    Then we went shopping.I paid $42.00 for a ten lb.turkey,canned goods were two, three or four dollars each. Milk was $9.99/gallon. We blew our monthly shopping budget in one trip. Everything had to be flown in until the river thawed in mid spring. Still we were all together and this was a great adventure of a lifetime.
    Most of the heat source was oil. Tanks located underground or beside the house were filled and the cost was billed and the expense was around 500 to a thousand every few tanks.Temps got down a few times to -40.
 Spring came and brought rain, flocks of wild swans, bears and bear watching at the local dump.The ice breakup on the river,watching pods of whales going up river,salmon runs,eagles,ravens,Lynx, fishermen,backpackers, opened lodges with restaurants,the eye doctor,new staff at the local clinic and droves of biting flies.
   It did not bring lower prices until the barges could run. This was the adventure of a lifetime even if it was expensive to live there. if one wants to live in an extraordinary area, with amazing people,then one could not go wrong living in this lovely community. befriend the locals and listen to their advice,don't be careless. IT IS  NOT CHEAP TO LIVE THERE!But I don't regret the amazing experience even if it cost me most of my savings. Just be damned sure you have  a really good paying job in the lower 48 and a hefty bank account cause there just aren't many jobs in the area.
 All in all,it was an adventure of a lifetime for me.Would I do it again? Probably. But I'd do a lot of things differently. Mostly,I'd make sure I had a SH#T load of money.

So have an adventure and see the amazing state of Alaska.It is truly breathtaking. Just be forewarned if you want to live there,IT AIN"T CHEAP.