We did it, AKontheGO’ers. We made it through the first three days of the 2013-2014 school year with a minimum of angst. Now, it’s time to celebrate. The Alaska State Fair opened on Thursday, and runs unchecked through Monday, September 2, with games, rides, livestock, and those enormous Alaska vegetables on display. This weekend, in […]
I’ll be the first to admit that in between s’mores and sipping wine before a family campfire, work-related tasks took a backseat during our critical vacation to Oregon. But a travel writer has to take a breather, now and then, especially in August, and especially in Alaska, where sudden fall-like appearances mean a switcheroo of […]
While I’m away this week, floating around southeast Alaska on a boat, something very important is missing: I can’t run. I can kayak, I can hike, and I can use the fitness machines, but I can’t partake in our family’s favorite fitness activity. Bummer. So in lieu of actually doing the running, I’ll write about […]
One can hardly visit Alaska and miss her. Denali, the High One, rising 20, 320 feet above sea level and dwarfing everything in her shadow. A symbol of our state’s grandeur and mystery, Denali (or Mount McKinley, as the peak is formally known) is Alaska to many people, and whether you soar above icy surfaces, […]
To Alaskans, sunlight is about as valuable as gold, and sometimes, just as hard to find. If you’re currently in the state, you’ve undoubtedly noticed an abundance of sunny skies and the resulting activities they encourage. Alaska residents go crazy for the sun, worship it even, bathing pale bodies in a wash of golden light, […]
(This is a sponsored post on behalf of Valdez Fish Derbies.) Give a kid a fish, and he might eat it, if you’re lucky. “Uh-uh, no way, I’m NOT trying that.” Teach a kid to fish, and the picture changes. The fish changes. Everything changes. Alaska is about fish. Watching fish, catching fish, smoking and […]
Note: This is the first in our two-part series about Kodiak Island and the town of Kodiak, located approximately 252 air miles from Anchorage. It’s Memorial weekend, and the annual Crab Festival is in full swing at the same time summer seems to have arrived, an ideal recipe for a family vacation. Kodiak is often […]
I can almost taste summer. While the grass may still be brown, and the leaves remain hidden, Alaska’s farmers are hard at work in their sheltered greenhouses, planting and planning another fantastic season of growing the 49th state. This weekend is considered by many to be the official kick-off of Summer Growing 2013, with markets […]
AK Fam just returned from the wonderful Dock at the Block event to celebrate the arrival of the USS Anchorage to our fair city. She sailed into port this morning, and it’s been non-stop work and play since then, as you can see by our photo gallery, above… As promised, here are the details for […]
After more than a year of planning, the ship that will officially become USS Anchorage sails into town next week. Set to arrive on Wednesday, May 1 around 8 a.m., the Anchorage will be our Navy’s newest warship, and the first time a U.S. Navy ship has ever been commissioned in the great state of […]
It’s a sunny Friday afternoon, and I’ve just finished updating the AKontheGO calendar. Fresh and fully stocked, that calendar has tons of Alaska family fun from now until summer’s end. Here are some highlights: The Alaska Marine Highway continues its 50th anniversary celebrations in May with special open houses at a number of southeast Alaska […]