West Ed

Yesterday evening, I was discussing with Winston and Lauren, my hosts. Interesting discussion, all about environment and tar sands. But at some point, they gave me a tip. For one day, I should forget about nature, ecology, pictures, etc. As I am in Edmonton for a week, I should have a truly urban experience. A lot of irony and mystery below that. But I trusted them.

This morning, I took bus #1 to West Ed Mall (Ed standing for Edmonton). According to the very serious Eastern Connecticut State University, West Ed Mall was the world's largest from its construction in 1981 until 2004. Since then, it was dethroned by some Asian little brothers. Anyway, it still remains the largest in the entire American continent. From far, before having read this academic study, I understood. Arrived at the end of line 1, I faced a huge cube of concrete, just covered by little orange bricks to make it look more cosy. Nothing to do; I was already freaked out.

As large as Vatican City, and with a plan looking like a church, welcome to the Mecca of consumption! Everywhere, on your left, on your right, on the floor above, only shops. To meet you compulsive disposition of buying stuff, more than 800 shops: from lingerie to suitcases, from video games to electrical domestic appliances, not to mention furniture shops and travel agencies. You can even groom your pet or go to the dentist.

That's not all! If Madame (or Monsieur!) takes too much time, you could spend as much money as him/her in casino or go to the cinema or the pool with huge slides. You can bring the kids to merry-go-round, or mini-golf, or even visit a pirates' boat. And just let your teens enjoy the roller coaster (or loop-the-loops, whatever it's called in English!).

If you think you haven't done or spent enough yet, make a sportive break and go to the ice ring. To keep you on form, there is also a shooting range and a sort of urban tree-climbing with girders and ropes. And if you like nature, you can feed the sea lions twice a day during their performance.

Of course a shopping day really gives you an appetite. So, when it's time to eat, do not waste your time in picking a place. Just go to those dining halls where 200 people can easily fit, surrounded by at least 30 fast foods (burgers, thai, pizza, indian, etc.) at your disposal.

And, oh! sh..., it is already the end of the day and you only did half of what you planned! No worries. Just book a room in the hotel and finish the work tomorrow or the day after. Some do that. As for me, only one hour was enough to be disgusted. Even if I only spent $3 for the bus, I wish I had some of those airsickness bags with me. To try to wake up from this nightmare, let's go to the Art Gallery of Alberta!

Jasper National Park

When you see that, there is not that much to add...

Here are some pictures of Jasper National Park, in the Canadian Rockies, where I just spent two days. It's visually stunning.

In the heart of the Rocky Mountains

Jasper. Two days of train and here I am. I eventually reached the Rocky Mountains. And I will follow them until Salt Lake City, in Utah, USA, before going westward to the Pacific ocean and San Francisco. I am also in a new time zone. After Alaska time and Pacific time, here is Mountain time (GMT-7, meaning 8-hour difference with France). And I returned to a more continental climate, with snow and cold (-10°C or 14°F).

The journey is lovely, as much as it was in Alaska (for those interested, here are some pictures). For train fans, like my grand-father was, it is a real pleasure. First it is slow. Within few flight hours, you can be at the other side of the world. But here, at an average speed of 50-60 km/h (35 miles/hour), you better realise the distances. And eventually, what is a 2-hour delay when the journey was already supposed to last 12 hours?

There is only one track between Prince Rupert and Jasper. And besides Toronto-Vancouver, it is the only one in the whole Canadian West. The only track is much more used by freight trains. Access to the Pacific ocean is rather limited as you can see. That is what explains the “traffic-jam” or even shut-down when derailment, as couple days ago. Once it re-opened, all the trains wanted to go. And believe me, our humble passenger train (one loco and two cars) is nothing compared to hugh freight trains. Some can pull more than 250 cars, meaning longer than 3 km / 2 miles!! Sometimes the track is doubled to allow trains to cross one another.

And you can make the most of the spectacular views of mountains and forest scenery, thanks to the panoramic view on one of the car. Here are some pictures.

And you will also find here pictures of Prince Rupert and its wonderful rain forests.

For info, all pictures can be found on “Photos” page, including the portrait gallery.

Race Info

Arrived a month ago in Alaska, I spent two weeks in Fairbanks. Then, I reached Anchorage by train, where I stayed two weeks. From there, I traveled by ferry in the South-East of Alaska for four days.

On Monday, after four weeks in Alaska, and almost 2,500 km (1,550 miles), I disembarked in Prince Rupert. It is the Northernmost city on the Pacific coast of the British Columbia province of Canada.

On Tuesday, I spent most of my day trying to get out of the city. Everybody kept saying it was very easy to hitch-hike in Canada. BS! Even under heavy rain, no one even stopped to ask where I intended to go.

On Wednesday, I decided to take the train. Impossible! The day before, a train derailed (49 cars involved) which blocked the railroad. Always expect the unexpected! That's my motto now. I had to wait more days in Prince Rupert.

The positive side of it is that I really appreciated my stay at Sunflower's. We discusssed about genealogy, about her future trip to France, we cooked, we hiked with her friend Laura, … And I remained long enough in the city to appreciate two hours of sunshine yesterday and a rain-free morning (before the snow came back).

On Friday, the railroad seems to be clear to let my train go. I will arrive in the evening in Prince George, 750 km eastward (460 miles). I will stay at Darryl's. The next day, I will take the train to Jasper, located in the Rocky Mountains, just after the border with Alberta. Time difference: + 1 hour!

On Monday, after two days at Reece's, I will try to catch either a train or a bus to Edmonton. Arrival foreseen on 27^th February in the evening. That would mean I will arrive 24 hours before what I originally foresaw. My planed itinerary was twice shorter that the one I actually took and was supposed to let me cross the Northern parts of Canada (incl. Yukon territory). But that means I eventually managed quite well transportation hazards.

But I have to remember not to count chickens before they're hatched. Edmonton is 1,500 km (900 miles) away from here!

Prince Rupert

In French, there is a proverb that says: "Grass is always greener elsewhere..." It might not be the case here in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada. Indeed it rains a lot! And when I say a lot, I mean a lot. The city is know as the wettest city in Canada, with 2,590 millimeters of annual average precipitation. To give you a better idea, it is what falls on London in four years time, or on Brussels in three years time! People say it is even on the podium at a world level. I keep wondering how this is possible to have even wetter cities on Earth!


According to the records, it is regarded as the municipality of Canada which receives the least amount of sunshine per year. Only 1,230 hours a year, meaning approximately 100 days (a bit more than three months). Depressing? Honestly, yes. At least at the beginning. Then sometimes, rain stops and you go better. But lack of sun is problematic. It causes lack of vitamin D, which could cause severe illness such as cancer or dementia. And psychological, it's kind of hard that you can't see the sun a lot, always clouds at the horizon and wet cold.


But at least you meet warm people to warm up. My host is Sunflower (quite ironical as a first name for this place). She is very active. As a lot of people around, she works in the fish industry: she controls whether the fishermen respect their quotas. But she is also very much involved in two organisations: a musical one and an anti-poverty charity (after school activities for the kids in need, social work with their parents). And with her friend Laura, they go hiking quite often. I went with them. Gorgeous trails. And I admit that we eventually saw the sun at some point.


I also met her daughter, son-in-law and grand-son. Sunflower will go to Paris with her daughter and grand-son next July. So we discussed a lot about this trip. I tried to give them the best tips possible to discover this wonderful country of mine! OK, it's twice smaller that British Columbia (and 20 times smaller than Canada) but it is also full of richness. I hope they will like it as much as I like this first step in Canada!

The Inside Passage

Yes, I am lucky. Weather conditions (that lead to a 24-hour delay in my ferry departure) increased a lot the avalanche risk on the road between Anchorage and Whittier. So I was happy that Vitor and I could make it the next day. Knowing that it was the last ferry before April, you can understand that, even with 24-hour delay, I was glad to eventually embark!

Thursday, February 16, late afternoon. Weather improved. Only -2°C (30°F) and wind blowing at 100km/h. Much better! After Vitor left, I waited in the Coast-Guards building where I took this picture of the port. It made me think about my friends and cousins who sail, including my brother of course!

The ferry is like Alaska: large but empty. We were 40 when I embarked (only 8 for the last part of the trip) for some 60 crew members. One of them recommended a place where I could sleep. I didn't book any berth, it wasn't worth it. I slept very well on this bench and there are showers available.

Here is my home-made overview of the trip. We left Whittier, heading for Yakutat that we reach the day after. Then we stopped in Juneau on Saturday (Feb. 19), in Ketchikan on Sunday. Eventually I arrived in Prince Rupert early Monday morning. 1.700 km (a bit more 1,000 miles) at an average speed of 15 knots (30 km/h – 20 miles/h).

During the first part, we sailed the Gulf of Alaska. In fact, it is the Pacific ocean. But not very pacific! But at least the weather was better. Ocean all around, we could only see Cape St. Elias. No icebergs, no whales. Probably too early in the season.

When we woke up on the second day, we could see the entrance (or the exit though) of the Inside Passage. Usually you should be happy to see land from sea, but those lands were a bit scary from far. Large, massive, dark lands. But as we approached, they turned to be quite beautiful. Over-cast, very cloudy, but no wind. And sometimes, surprisingly enough, we could see the sun. The photographer enjoyed that a lot, and so did his Canon!

The third day, we continue our ride between the islands of the Inside Passage. No more snow, but rain. Rain, rain, rain. It never stops. Local communities are mostly composed by Tlingits, native people. They live from fishing in the Inside Passage or in the ocean.

On the boat, I met some nice people: two Aussies, two young guys that were going to race back to Alaska (I didn't understand everything), and Jim the sailor who has always amazing stories to tell. In Ketchikan, Maggie, a crew member, offered a ride to visit the city. So we toured a couple of hours to see some totems, the old city centre, the funicular, etc (see the last pictures of the selection). This town is exactly like Dawson City for those who saw White Fang.

Well you will find above a selection of what will be my last pictures from Alaska. Since I arrived in Prince Rupert, I am currently in Canada. You will find the port of Whittier, then Cape St. Elias, some bald eagles in Juneau, and Ketchikan totems and city centre. The rest are pictures of the Inside Passage.

A last comment. Photography is a passion. It is definitely my case. It can also be a job. It is possible to buy a photograph to frame it, to give it as a gift, to share it, to make it alive. And it would also be a nice way to contribute to my project (for further info, contact me – my details are on the page "About me").

“I am an Earth warrior”

On his bike, one can read “Burn fat, not oil”. It is 7.30am. Still pitch dark outside, but he is biking from home to university. This morning he will first work. This afternoon he'll have class. Who is 'he'? Here everyone calls him Victor but his real name is Vitor.

Vitor is Brazilian and he both works and studies at University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA). Arrived in September 2011, he attends a curriculum on environmental protection and sustainable development. But why exactly come from Curitiba, Brazil to Anchorage, Alaska? What is the point of loosing 40°C/70°F during a major part of the year? Why here? Why that?

In Brazil, Vitor was working on financial market. Exhausted by the mentality of his co-workers, he started, in January 2011, a 6-month road trip throughout the United States. His purpose was to meet the people listed as the 50 most influential to change the world. He was looking for inspiration and concrete ways to build a better world. From Los Angeles to Seattle, via Nashville, New York City or Chicago, he met about 20 of them: professors, NGO workers, politicians, photographers, etc.

Then he wanted to acquire academic knowledge. He applied at University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) and got approved. He is studying in the afternoons and evenings. And every morning, he works. As staff member of the Office of Sustainability, he is part of the recycling team that pick up recyclable material throughout the UAA campus. More importantly, it is a way to raise awareness on recycling in the different buildings and departments he picks up this stuff. But he doesn't only on that. The Office is generally making recommendations to UAA to improve its policy on every topics related to sustainability and is in charge of implementing those existing.

At the university Vitor is also very much involved in the student life. As “Senator” in the university board, he is doing his best to encourage UAA become one of the twenty most sustainable universities in the world. There is a lot to do in terms of recycling or energy saving. But at least he has a goal. He strongly believes that UAA can make a difference by giving other universities a good example. In addition, students will sooner or later have responsibilities in this world. So better to start now to take care about planet Earth. There is no planet B!

As he hosted me for almost a week, we discussed a lot about the way he perceives the level of awareness of the Alaskans when it comes to climate change or sustainable development. As I could realise it by myself, Alaskans are not that much concerned about those issues. It is pretty sad since Alaska is, even more than any other regions of the globe, impacted by global warming. It even contributes a lot by drilling more and more oil and gas, not developing carbon-free energy resources, developing spread cities with transportation laying only on cars and trucks, etc.

What makes him still optimistic about changing mentalities? He firmly believes that we all have, at our level, a certain level of responsibilities. We have the right and the ability to volunteer in NGOs, gather in committees, get involved in politics, think about our consumer habits or interaction with nature, etc. So we can all act towards this ideal better world. And Vitor will stay in Alaska until he thinks he has done the best he could.

He is sharing a house with other people. Discussions at home are quite noisy sometimes! Little by little, he tries to make his flatmates think about their impact on environment. But he is also full of energy when it comes to have fun or go out along with friends. Vitor is kind of a funny and humorous person. He is not an annoying environmentalist nerd. And I guess he is not the only one I'll meet. Just the first one.

Alaska and Environment

It has been a long time since I promised you this article. This humble analysis is written after what I experienced in Alaska. And I will do my best not to be too technical, neither simplistic.

Environment. Broad issue. What are we talking about exactly? Let's start with nature. Alaska is a vast land (three times larger than France) with little population: about 720,000 inhabitants (a bit more than Luxembourg). So, as I would say in French, you are in the middle of nowhere once you quit a city. This “nowhere” is actually nature, just nature. Weather and geographical conditions reinforce the feeling of being on the edge of the world, specially when it is very dark because of weather or low sunlight. Alaska has everything you could find on Earth: mountains, volcanos, miles and miles of coast (even more than those of the other 49 US States together), forests, plains, rivers, fjords, tundra. Only beaches with coconut trees are missing.

Facing this immensity, one can only feel very small. Like in Lapland (Northern Scandinavia), you can only be in close interaction with nature and respectful of it. Although, it is not always the case here. It might be because we are in the US. And in the US, economy seems to be the most important. Because the US and Alaska are also lands of freedom: “I can do whatever I want”. And then because you could hear here and there: “After all, Alaska is gigantic, it's not a be deal if some spots are polluted by an oil well or a power plant running with coal. It won't change the face of the world!”. Actually, it does. At least, it contributes.

Very few seem to be aware of the figures revealing that Alaska is one of the most impacted regions of the world, when it comes to climate change and its consequences. It is said that Alaska is warming up 4 times faster than the rest of the world. In 50 years, annual temperature average increased by 2°C (4°F), whereas the rest of the world warmed up by 0,5°C (1°F). The NASA confirmed it in a recent report.

When we speak about global warming, that also means icecap melting. Usually, regardless of the season, the Arctic Ocean is totally or partially frozen. But it is foreseen that, from 2013, the Arctic could be freed from ice in summer. Icecap melting combined with other factors is leading to the elevation of the sea level. This can be dramatic as we know that a vast majority of Alaskans live on the coast.

Furthermore, in some regions, permafrost is melting. Permafrost correspond to frozen ground and underground regardless of the season. Man can find permafrost in Alaska, as well as Siberia or Northern Canada. If it melts, the direct consequence is the collapse of human structures located on it (buildings, roads, buried pipes, etc.). In addition to that, permafrost melting releases a hugh quantity of methane (CH₄) which is, to keep it short, a gas that is 23 times more dangerous than CO₂ in terms of greenhouse effect. Undersea permafrost is also melting. Release of methane acidifies even more the oceans, which make them more toxic for fish, sea mammals, or whatever lives under sea level.

Not very joyful! Indeed. Sorry, but this is reality. From what I could hear from the different people I talked to, what is even sadder is that very few feel concerned by those problems. There are environmentalist organisations (such as WWF or Greenpeace). But most of them work on wildlife protection. Very few work on the problem as a whole. And in front of oil lobby, they do not carry great weight. Unfortunately, I couldn't meet any of them, so I can't say more.

Situation is not desperate though. One can hope coming back to some great old times (like in the 1960's or 1970's) when environmental protection was ensured by important laws. It was also the time when a lot of national parks and preserves, wildlife reserves, etc. were created. Those public lands are managed at either federal or local level (State, county/borough, municipality). Their missions vary from protection of wildlife to management of land. Human activities are usually forbidden, or at least restricted and controlled. That is how some regions cannot be drilled for oil extraction in the North. The question still remains: how long is this going to last in front of oil lobby?

Then Alaska also has at its disposal plenty of renewal resources that could be used once the nothing-but-oil paradigm is abandoned. In the Southern and South-Western volcanic regions, geothermal energy can be used to heat houses or even produce electricity. Along the coasts, and particularly along the Aleutian islands in the South-West, the wind blows strongly year round. Wind mills can be installed to produce electricity. Solar energy is also a never-ending energy, especially in the North in summer when the sun shines a large part of the day. In the South-Eastern humid regions, hydroelectric energy can be used. The ocean itself can provide energy (tide, wave or geothermal energy).

With the forthcoming presidential election on November 6^th, the issue of climate change or importance of the use of renewable energy instead of fossil energy can be raised. Two different visions are at stake: one is in favour of Alaska economic development that comes with mineral or oil extraction; the other is in favour of an evolution of the lifestyles and more interaction between human society and the environment. At present, even in putting forward the argument of the costs of global warming against the argument of financial profits if renewable energies were used, very few are convinced of the importance to change the system and adapt our lifestyles to energies at our disposal. Sadly enough, in the US also the transition towards a green economy is not for now.

I could meet a lot of people interested in environmental issues (personal interest or job), including all my hosts as for now. But I couldn't meet people directly working in environmental protection NGOs. Same goes with native people from the West or South-East, to whom I had very little access. This is unfortunate because I am sure I would have learnt a lot about their interaction with nature.

I am leaving a state full of contradictions, full of inestimable richness but also mercantile motivations. I am not judging. I only had a short extract of the situation up here. But still an extract … and you read it entirely. Congratulations!

Race Info

When traveling, one should expect the unexpected.

I first agreed with Vitor, my host, to forget about hitch-hiking until Whittier. He offered to give me a ride there. Paying for gas and riding there would be much safer and the least expensive way to avoid missing my ferry.

To access Whittier, we had to go to the end of the bay, the Cook Inlet. Then we take a tunnel (the North America's longest railroad-highway tunnel!) and end up in a bay on the other side of the mountain. Whittier is located in Prince William Sound. The whole ride is about 100 km (60 miles).

The more we drove, the more terrible the weather conditions were. More and more wind, snow and rain, ice on road. Arrived in front of the tunnel, we were told that the weather conditions on the other side are even worse. The ferry hasn't even left the previous harbour. But not that much info.

What shall I do? No accommodation cheaper than $100 in Whittier. Not even sure that the ferry will leave tomorrow. OK. Let's go back to Anchorage. Once arrived, I checked my emails. The boat is not cancelled but delayed. Departure foreseen tomorrow evening. Anyway, we had a very fun ride and the road is amazing. It goes along the bay and the surrounding mountains fall in a sheer drop.

Everyday life in Anchorage

As far as I can remember, Anchorage has always been linked in my mind to this country far far away from home. Then, as I developped my Rain-Man side and learnt a lot of capital cities, I now know that it is not the capital of the state.

Anchorage is by far the largest city in Alaska (see article about it). 290,000 inhabitants – 375,000 if we count the urban area, which means that half of the Alaska population lives in Anchorage. This very recent city didn't exist in 1906 when Juneau was chosen as capital city. But still now some people are questioning the move from Juneau to Anchorage.

History

The city developed quite recently. The railroad train builders (see article on the end of the world railroad) arrived in 1914 in what would become Anchorage in 1920. Rapidly the city became a hub for flights over the North Pole. Planes were flying passengers and freight, from Europe to Asia and vice versa, and stopping in Anchorage. Still nowadays, regular flights from Anchorage to Frankfurt, Germany are flight over the Pole during the summer (it is the most direct way).

During the Second World War, the development of the city goes in parallel with the one of the US Army and US Air Force bases. They are ones of the largest in the US. Proximity with Japan and USSR made them of great importance during World War II and then the Cold War. The boom completed when oil was discovered in the 1960's. This fast development had consequences on city planning (or actually lack of planning).

On March 27, 1964, at exactly 5.36pm, Anchorage was hit by the second biggest earthquake ever recorded: 9,2 on Richter scale. Followed by a tsunami, the earthquake is known as Good Friday Earthquake. With 143 casualties, it remains very vivid in collective memory. Located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, Anchorage is hit every week by earth tremors.

City planning

To be honest, the city is quite ugly. Even if it was hit by the 1964 Earthquake, it developed without following any city planning. And it was mainly during times when Alaska was not a US State and city managed by kind of a local mafia.

As a consequence, the city expended on square kilometres of swamp, clay soil, etc. Next time a major earthquake hits Anchorage, numerous parts of the city will disappear, literally swallowed up.

Less attractive than Fairbanks, the city is composed of downtown where HQs of main oil companies are. Residential houses. Huge area of big-box stores. Just too much. But, located in the Cook Inlet that leads to the Pacific, the city is surrounded by mountains. It is stunning and it compensates the lack of charm of the city.

Moving around

The municipality developed a network of trails on which people go cross-country skiing, biking, etc. They are very nice to hike also. It is much better than walking along large avenues. The trails lead to some parks within the city. So it is not rare to meet moose and bold eagles around.

Here again, cars are indispensable when you consider the distances. For example, the zoo is located 10 miles from downtown. And there is very little public transportation. Everyone uses his/her car. And as everyone has a car, there is no point in developing public transportation. Vicious circle.

When it comes to leave the city, there are not many options. Trains runs only between Anchorage and Fairbanks, buses don't run in winter, ferry boats only depart from an harbour located 100 km from Anchorage. See! It's not that easy (see also previous article).

Then remain planes. It is the most effective way to reach many remote places or to cover long distances. The Western half of Alaska is not connected to any roads. And except from the Dalton Highway, it is also the case for the North-East quarter of Alaska.

And for the rest of the picture, click on Play!

Race Info

It's been almost a week since I arrived in Anchorage on Sunday. Article and picture by the end of the week or beginning of next one.

Anchorage is located on the southern coast of Alaska (see map below). How to go southward? There is no public transportation by road. Flying is still a non-option for me. There is no train anymore. Ski, roller-blades or bike are still excluded. And I don't have any car yet.

Why not hitch-hiking? It is a bit risky, considering weather and distances. It would lead me to Whitehorse (Yukon Territory, Canada). Indeed, it is the arrival city of the Yukon Quest. Good memory! But it is some 700 miles (1,200 km) away by road and I am not sure to be able to do it non-stop. And all those regions are so remote. Even arrived in Whitehorse, I am still hundred miles away from Prince George (British Columbia, Canada) or Edmonton (Alberta, Canada).

I forgot to mention that swimming is not an option neither. But I managed to find a ferry! It costs an arm and a leg, but that's fine: I have two of them. Compared to the 12-hour train ride last week-end, this 78-hour sail is quite something! I will leave on Wednesday evening and arrive on Sunday morning in Prince Rupert (British Columbia, Canada). From there, I will continue by road to Prince George and Edmonton.

I will embark in Whittier. I still have to go there, which is not obvious. But then, we will make three stops: Yakutat, Juneau (State capital) and Ketchikan. I will not have time to disembark at those stops but will definitely enjoy what is called the Inside Passage (through the Alexander Archipelago). It's all about fjords and straights. I'm going to love it! Prince Rupert is on the coast (you'd bet that!), on the Canadian side, just after the boarder with Alaska. Just to show again how large Alaska is.

I now leave Casey and Brad's. Thanks a lot for your warm welcome! And moving now to Vitor's for my last days in Anchorage.

The end of the world railroad

Last Sunday. It was quite early when Anna kindly offered to drive me at the train station. I have mixed feelings: excited by the ride by train in the Interior and sad to leave my Alaskan friends from Fairbanks. Andrew and Anna, you rose my level of expectations too high now!

I buy a ticket to Anchorage, located on the Southern coast. Class Adventure! I didn't choose it but it keeps me on the good track. Before leaving, a couple of pictures of the train itself. Two gigantic locomotives to pull only 3 cars: club car, passenger car and freight car. In 2014, the line will celebrate its centenary. Fairbanks-Anchorage (some 420 miles – almost 700 km) is the main section. There are small extensions on each end.

The train leaves the station quite punctually. We quickly leave the city behind us and find ourselves in the middle of wilderness. The conductor welcomes us. Few minutes later we can hear the radio “It seems we are detached”. Nobody knows why the radio is turned on our passenger car announcement system but anyway another guys reply: “Detached?! Oh-oh! This is not good”. And indeed, we can feel the train slowing down and the club car moving away. Fortunately we are still close to Fairbanks and not in the middle of the Alaska Range. The car fastening is fixed; we can leave again.

After this anecdote, the 12-hour ride will be a succession of stunning landscape, enlightened differently by the sun, being at sunrise, sunset, or more or less hidden by clouds. First we cross a rather flat or hilly region, about the same that I saw during my cabin trip the previous week-end. Fir-tree are quite small because of frozen ground due to permafrost, that prevent them from growing. Then we enter a more mountainous region, halfway down the hill. We can see the river in the gorge. It is frozen but the ice blocks let us imagine that it froze instantly when it was still bustling. Afterwards, we passed by a large flat area surrounded by mountains. Gorgeous! The last part is not be eligible for comments as it was pitch dark outside.

The train is not full. About 20 people got on the train in Fairbanks. A family got off a bit later. Two very nice ladies got on in the middle of nowhere in the heart of Denali National Park and Preserve. And two hours or so before arrival, a dozen people got on.

Andrew left a bit earlier than me by car to ice climb. Even if I haven't see him waving at the train, I still pictured another group of ice climbers. You'll find the photo in the selection below.

Even at an average of 35 mile an hour (55 km/h), we couldn't see any bear or wolf. But we saw a bunch of moose and caribous. More than houses anyway. Alaska is pretty desert. A gigantic desert. We could see some extraction industries and the entry of a mine (see picture in the selection). And even the conductor stopped the train in the middle of a bridge just for us to be able to take nice pictures.

Arrived in Anchorage on time, Casey and Brad welcomed me at the station. It is another city, much bigger than Fairbanks, warmer as well (around 25-35°F, or -5° to 0°C).


When speaking about pictures, here is a selection of them. Just click on Play!

Everyday life in Fairbanks

A new section today: “Everyday life in...” With it, I'll try to humbly describe what I see and understand from the living conditions of people in places I was. To do so, I will take main themes such as habitat, social life, etc. Today: Fairbanks. And for my Alaskan friends, please comment if there is anything to complete.

Habitat

What surprised me a lot when arriving in Fairbanks is that habitat is very spread. There is a city centre with residential houses. But it seems that only a third of Fairbanks inhabitants live downtown. The rest is living on hills surrounding the city. So you can easily find people living in the middle of the wood, at the end of a remote road, 8 miles from downtown where they work.

Most people have their own house. They are called cabin. Out of town, there is electricity but no water system. It would be too difficult to bury because of permafrost, and pipes would freeze if they were overhead.

So houses have indoor tanks (to avoid freeze) that are supplied with water thanks to another tank that is filled up at the water station. It works exactly as a gas station. Then water is used for kitchen and shower (quick showers requested!), and toilets. Otherwise, you can find dry toilets. Organic matter is recovered by a blend of potting soil and bark. The advantage of it is that you make your own compost, and it doesn't smell anything.

Other cabins don't have running water. They are called “dry cabins”. People have smaller tanks of water that is used for kitchen. For toilets, you have outhouse. You can take your shower at work or after sport. You go to the laundry to clean clothes. See! It is just a question of adaptation and alternative solutions always exist.

Food

Alaskans give importance to local products. Imported products are anyway a bit more expensive. But this is not the only reason. You can grow vegetable during the warm season and put it in the freezer or in can. Little by little you eat them in winter. Some organic farms may use geothermic energy to grow vegetable in greenhouse. Thus you can find fresh products in grocery stores in winter.

Alaskans like fishing, hunting and trapping. It is part of the culture. You can fish salmon in rivers, there are also a lot of caribou and moose to hunt. Then again, you freeze and you eat it in winter. By the way, I tasted salmon, caribou and moose. It's yummy! Alive, I also saw some of those animals. Some days ago, there were two moose around Andrew and Anna's house.

Moving around

Everything turns around cars. It is the only thing that goes the other way round. Indeed usually you find solution to adapt the environment. Here you have a car, so there is very few public transportation, very few bikers, very few ride-sharing, etc. The car industry has been so important for the US that it is in the heart of American daily life. If anyone is interested in how to use a car in those climatic conditions, please refer to my previous post “Alaskan lifestyle” for technical information.

Here we can find two types of car. You have the inevitable pick-up or “truck”. Its size can differ from one to another. And some people say that it doesn't depend on the use of the truck but more on the owner's need to show off. And you have what I call normal cars, which seem much smaller in this context that they seem in Europe. They can adapt the weather conditions.

There is very little public transportation. There are five bus lines in town. But none of them reach the outskirts of the city. In winter, there is a bus going three times a week from Fairbanks to Anchorage. And once a week, a train doing the same. Otherwise, you can always fly!

Social life

Ending with the most important. What is also remarkable is that very few people that I met are actually originally from Alaska. Most of them are from the Lower 48. The Lower 48 are the 48 contiguous states of the Union. For your information, there are 50 states in the Union: the Lower 48 lower states plus Alaska and Hawaii. Then you have Washington DC and a couple of oversee territories (Guam, Porto Rico, etc.).

In Fairbanks, everyone knows everyone. Circles of friends overlap very often. Most people see their friends in winter: for sport, for a drink, for a week-end, etc. Then when summer comes, you don't have time. Summer is time for family, repairs in house/car, hunting, fishing, etc. Even if days are longer in summer, they seem to be too short still.

I hope this reflects what I could see in Fairbanks. Once again if any additional remarks need to be made, please do not hesitate to use the comments!