CTDinMT

I will be residing in Anchorage starting this September! I finally got orders to Elmendorf AFB! I have been trying to get there my entire 12yr military career. Got a few questions though. What is the going rate for diesel in Anchorage? I hear Anchorage has some pretty tough emmisions laws, do they apply to diesels?
I am in Montana now, and so I have pretty much mastered care of the Cummins in the cold (-26 ambient here so far). I keep hearing that winter is actually pretty mild in Anchorage and that my rig should be fine there w/o battery blankets, Espar, etc... Is this true, or can I expect much colder temps? I will be shipping my entire gun collection and my bow, so I can't wait to get out and hunt. How far will I have to go from Anchorage to hunt caribou? I have heard the nearest place is north near Denali? I probably won't be able to live on base due to lack of housing, so any recomendations as far as the local area for living would also be appreciated. I have heard its pretty expensive to live up there but I still can't wait! Sorry this is so long, so many questions... Thanks guys!-Steve

DPG

Congratulations on achieving your goal! I think that is way cool! I'm sorry I can't help, but I'm stuck here in northwest Lower Michigan. Just wanted to say way to go, and I'm somewhat jealous.

DeWain

Patrick Campbell

I don't have the guts to move there but I took a job delivering a trailer there. I am headed up to next week... would like to know how much I'm going to get killed for diesel too. Apparently they dont have flying J in Alaska

CTDinMT

Man, what happened? There used to be a ton of Alaskan running around this place! Anyway, thanks for the feedback. Can't wait to go! -Steve

scottrod

Hey Steve- When you leave town, would you take the stinkin wind with you?
You could drop it off in Canada if you like, maybe that way all that arctic air will stay up North...

PistolWhipt

Bring your fishing poles !!! The salmon and the crabs are friggin huge.

Good people up there from what I remember ... was up there in 91 or 92.

Congrats on your orders,
PISTOL

Scrappy

I'm on Elmendorf right now, it is all right so far but I PCS this summer. Fuel on base is $1.59/gal. off base is about 1.69/gal. there are emissions inspections here for the gassers but our diesels are exempt from it for the time being. There are ALOT of diesels here. the weather isn't too bad on average.

CTDinMT

Thanks guys! What is the wait for base housing, Scrappy? They gave me the standard 6-12 months but I've heard that every base I've been stationed at. I pretty much assume I'll have to live off base at the start, but hopefully I can get on base at some point cause by the looks of things, I'll be spending alot of money on rent if I'm off base.-Steve

AK RAM

Ditto on Scrappy...you will love it here. Been here since '98 and plan on a couple more years then I'm head'n South to warmer climates. Elmendorf is OK depending on what you do. Housing is OK as well depending on whether you get the new stuff or old stuff. I know people who have been offered a house within two weeks and others that were picky and took a while. Base housing is privatized, so they pay you BAH, then you turn right around and write the contractors a check...not much better than renting. You will get COLA, which is nice. Anchorage is slowly but surely running out of useable land, so the housing market is a great investment opportunity if you can afford to buy a house when you get here. I purchased when I got here and I'll clear $80K in profit when I leave. Not bad for an 8 year investment.

Moose10

Well like AK RAM said, housing in Anchorage sucks imho. I bought a house in the valley (Palmer) 38 highway miles from Elemendorf when I got here in April 01 and love it out there. I HATE driving in Anchor. We have a Toyota 4runner to rack up the commuting miles and the Ram is the fun ride. Fuel (gas&diesel) has been cheapest in Eagle River for the past couple months at Fred Meyer. I think last I filled 'er up it was 1.59 with the free 3 cent/gallon discount card.
Diesels are everywhere here, hunting (Caribou) is good near Eureka....about 120mi. east of Anchor. Can't hunt in Deanli NP boundries.
AK is the Last Frontier and an awesome place to live.
btw, the winters aren't too bad. I put a cold front on mine this year to speed warm up's, and we do get the occasional negative double digits, but it never lasts very long....just plug in.

AK RAM

Priorities man!!! First thing you need to do is figure out a new Member Name!! That one ain't gonna work any more.

welder27

It actually is kinda expensive to live here...a gallon of milk is like $3.50-4.50. Sometimes it's hard to find the truck parts you want too 'cause there aren't very many big suppliers.

I was stationed at Elmendorf from '98-'02. Spent my whole AF career there.

Most people go north to the interior of AK for any kind of hunting. Also, because of the lack of roads, most hunters/fishermen charter a private pilot to fly you to a remote location. Lake Hood (by Anchorage Int'l Airport) has been deemed the busiest float plane base in the U.S. because of all demand for remote travel.

Your best place to look for a house would be Eagle River (15 mi north of Anchorage, 10 mi north of Elmendorf). That town is a suburb of Anch. and they still have lots of usable land and trees.

Here are some good info links for ya:

www.adn.com
www.ktuu.com
www.ilovealaska.com

CTDinMT

-Yeah your right, name will probably have to be changed! I am going to leave here Aug 20th, since thats my earliest departure date, plus I don't want to drive the ALCAN after it snows. Hey, do theye allow pets in EAFB's privatized housing? Cause I have a 100lb baby that I dont want to leave.
Can't wait to get up there and do some hunting and fishing. Any of you guys bowhunt? I rifle hunt also, but I have recently gotten into bowhunting and I want to get a caribou and moose w/ the bow. Hows the bear population around Anchorage? I understand to hunt brown bear I'll need to be a resident so I plan on changing residency to AK when I get there. Plus, that way I can get in on the oil money! -Steve

welder27

I'm not sure if they changed the rules since I've been there...but you could have pets if you wanted in privatized housing.

The ALCAN won't have snow on it in August. Snow doesn't fall around there till October...late September at the earliest. And you're only 4 day's drive from Anchorage at an easy 8 hr/day pace from where you are.

There are a few brown bears near Anchorage, but more black bears than anything. If you go 2-3 hrs south of Anch on the Kenai Peninsula you can find some bears. Wherever there are salmon swimming to spawn, there will be brown bears...which is just about everywhere in AK! And if you're truly daring and want the adventure of your life, you need to get a guided bear hunt to Kodiak or Afognak (near Kodiak) Islands. Most brown bears up here are shot from less than 50 yds away w/ a rifle, and a few within 30 ft. Better bring your extra underwear for when you drop a load in your pants!

There is also sheep hunting. Go climbing through the mountains to sniper you a goat or sheep.

Has anybody told you about how the sunlight goes in the summer and winter?

AK RAM

Yeah, pets are allowed in base housing. Maximum of two pets in each category. Two dogs, plus two cats, plus two birds, plus two wives…urrrr….fish….urrr…that didn't sound good either. You get the idea.

Temps are not to bad. We are right on the coast, so the pacific currents keep us a little warmer than the interior folks. Eielson AFB in Fairbanks can get months and months of -40*. If we EVER get that cold, it is usually only for a few days at a time. Average winter temps are probably teens at night, twenties during the day. It will get much colder on occasion though.

Here, this should provide some light reading for you: http://www.adfg.state.ak.us/regs/dept_regs.php Check out the Hunting and Trapping regs for an idea of how the state is split up into Game Management Units. Also, most of the really good areas close to Anchorage are done by draw. Limited number of animals can be harvested in those area so you put your name in a hat, along with 3,000 other people, and they pick about 100 of you each year.

Hunting can be a pain. Not much open hunting (non draw) close to Anchorage, and what little there is will be loaded with hunters looking to get lucky. That's why a lot of people opt for the fly-out drop hunts. Costs a little (OK, a lot), but success rates are probably 300 times better than trekking around on foot close to home. Having a 4-wheeler will get you into some decent areas up north. The only problem with that is wherever you can go on a 4-wheeler, so can everyone else. You will likely run into plenty of other hunters. There are still sweet spots to be had though.

Bow hunting will get you into a lot of good areas with low pressure. To hunt with a bow in any bow only area, you have to attend a bow hunting course sanctioned by IBEC(?). These classes are offered in town, but having to attend will keep everyone but the hard core bow hunters out of the pot. To hunt bear with a bow, you will have to hunt over bait. To hunt over bait, you have to have the bear baiting course as well. You can not hunt brownies over bait, so that limits you to black bear. Two courses just to hunt black bear with a bow before you can even step into the woods. Sounds like a hassle, but being a hassle is what keeps most folks from doing it, so this is a good way to get some alone time in the woods. Most folks don't bother with these areas/tactics.

After having the IBEC course, there are some good areas WAY up north where you can take caribou fairly close to the road. Place called the Dalton Highway. Caribou migrate past this area in the fall and from the road, 5 miles back is bow only. Good success rates up there with little pressure, but a good two day drive just to get into position.

Save your money. Hunting up here has definitely become a rich man's sport. ATV, fly out drop hunts, or a boat is almost a must anymore. You could spend each hunting season for 4 years straight trekking around on foot and you are bound to get lucky sooner or later.

Fishing is the same way. Almost every place you can drive to is loaded with so many tourists it is almost not worth it. Heard the term combat fishing yet? It's funny…when the salmon are running, the hot spot river banks are lined with people 2 deep throwing over each other's shoulder….ambulance standing by. 3 more people are standing up the hill waiting for you to get a fish on and move from your spot, then they slide in for the hostile takeover. You get tired of that after a while. The wife and I spend most of our summers camping and chasing trout in the endless number of trout lakes with our canoe. That is about the only place we can be alone anymore. Salmon fishing is cool, but one or two trips a year is about all we can stand with so many tourists. Same deal as hunting…fly out, ATV, or boat to get any good quality time in.

It's still a blast though!

What do you do? With 12 years in I'm assuming E5...E-6, 03...04? Married obviously....kids?