| Author | Message | ||
     Jeremy_02_x1 |
I am looking into traveling to Alaska sometime within the next year. Any suggestions on cheapest times to go? Airlines? Alternative travel options? Traveling from Upstate New York. Any suggestions or wisdom shared would be hugely appreciated. | ||
| Fullpower |
well I recommend no caliber smaller than dot45. 12 Gauge is better. I am told the bears prefer chicken, but most times of year people are more available prey. | ||
| Mikej |
Sort of also depends on what part of Alaska you want to go to, what you plan to do there, if you're riding there or back, and so forth. A little more info and I'm sure some of the Alaska residents on the site here can give you good advice, FullPower above would be one of them.  To supplement his fullpower firepower suggestion though, if you do go armed then nothing smaller than a 3" 12ga magnum properly loaded or nothing smaller than a 30.06 rifle (.338 or 7mm Mag would be better as a minimum), but know the rules and reasons for carry if you do. Leave the .454 Casull type handguns to the more regular visitors up there.  Many folks go up there to visit every year unarmed and do just fine. | ||
| Dave |
I lived in Anchorage for 9 years and never carried anything other than my .22 cal Ruger pistol for Bear Protection. if you're traveling through Canada (eh!) they may have a slight objection to a firearm. Personally...the whole bear threat is over rated. A tourist once decided my XR1000 was not in a good place right beside my tent and decided he wanted to put his cage there.... Not a nice time June - late July is the peak tourist season. Lots of good weather/fishing into August and September. It really depends on your transportation. I've always wanted to ride to Seattle and take a ferry up for part of the trip...or back out. DAve | ||
| Fullpower |
Alternate travel would be to ride the X1 if you have enough time. If you are on a budget you can camp on my spread, may even have some room in the guest shack..... pm for details. | ||
| Jeremy_02_x1 |
Let me clarify. I have a friend who has just started an internship with the BLM in Fairbanks. I am trying to get flights there for as cheap as possible. Unfortunately I don't have the resources or time off from work to do a trip Buell style. Maybe that will come later in life. My ideal is to experience the Alaska that I have imagined: frozen, cold as hell and full of critters that can eat me. (Whitetails in NYS don't scare me, just ask my latest victim.) So, I am basically thinking of the March-April time frame maybe later, Spring would be pretty cool to be around for to. It's kind of a low budget, fly-in, fly-out type of vaca spending some time with a friend. I don't have a pistol permit yet (must stop putting that off) so a .45 is outta the question for this trip. I have seen one hunting show featuring a yahoo who thought it was a terrific idea to shoot at a grizzly from the ground with a recurve bow and cedar arrows. Not only did he miss completely with arrow #1 but arrow #2 only pi$$ed the bear off completely and arrow #3 stopped his charge at a whopping range of two yards. The camera man decided not to stick around and left his camera on the ground where he tossed it, that was the point that the guide decided to step in and empty his rifle into the bear. If I were to encounter one of those suckers I would want nothing less than a belt fed, crew served machine gun.  That's my input, fire away boys and girls. | ||
| Jeremy_02_x1 |
Oh and thanks for the PM Fullpower. No harm done, I enjoy a good joke on myself as much as I like handing them out to others. All in good fun. If you know of really alternate flights, airlines, methods of transport to get there I am all ears. I am a no frills kinda guy so I don't need champagne with my flight. Prop-jobs, 4-seaters, anything. I can get to Seattle or Vancouver for a reasonable price but Alaska Air seems to think they can charge whatever they want.  | ||
| Fullpower |
perhaps you could apply as a non-pharmaceutical courier? i'm sure some one would be glad to pickup your fare. another possibility is to marry some one in the industry, and take advantage of the flight benefits. seriously, last i checked the seattle-anchorage leg was pretty cheap. call uhaul, and other rental agencies, sometimes they need a rig moved up the road. also give dave smith motors in idaho a call, they sell a LARGE NUMBER of vehicles in Alaska, and one of their many customers may wish to get a free delivery out of you. I know a few people who hitchhiked up here. now THAT is an ADVENTURE there. | ||
| Dave |
Unless ya want the frozen north experience, I'd wait till after Mid-May. DAve |
