Southeast Alaska State Fair

The Friday before a nice weather weekend and our computers at work were down so we decided to skip out early and head to the SE AK State Fair in Haines. We are all relatively new to AK and hadn't been there before so what the heck? And talk about last minute planning... we literally came up with the idea and started implementing within 5 minutes. 4 people, 4 bikes, 2 dogs, take the ferry at 3:00. run home get the camping gear, dogs and go! We were expecting some important visitors in the office but decided to blow them off. But as we were walking out the door - i answer the phone and it's a boss from Anchorage and I say "uh... we are not going to be here, decided to go to the fair because our computers are down..", and I get in response: "No, you can't go. The Colonel's visiting with the Division Chief. You have to be there." And I say "o.k.", hang up the phone "Shit! Plan B - into action!". David and Shelly will ferry with the 4 bikes, 2 dogs, and Sadie and I will fly up as soon as the Colonel leaves! OK that'll work. Panic: get Shelly, David and 2 dogs to ferry... Done! Back to office. Smile, act calm, wait 30 minutes..meet the Colonel. Ignore the txts from David (now on Ferry): "I forgot the key to bike lock!" "Where do we meet?" "Did you get plane tickets yet?" Colonel leaves. Panic. Buy plane tickets (35 minute flight). Fuck! how am I going to carry Rosie around for 3 days w bikes?? Shelly's dog Spencer

can easily run along side, Rosie can't run 20 feet. OMG, too late to leave Rosie behind cuz she's on the Ferry!!! Run to bike shop, buy a luggage rack - get a milk crate.. we'll strap her into milk crate on back of bike! Yeah, that'll work! Colonel leaves, I zoom home, Sadie's packed, I pack in 5 minutes, zoom to airport and "YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME - THAT'S THE PLANE! I AIN'T GETTING ON THAT PIECE OF SHIT!" OMG I am thinking, I'm going to kill me and my child just to get to the SE AK Fair, as I watch the pilot, wearing ripped jeans and a t-shirt say "OK, I'm ready, get on". WTF I say .. c'mon Sade let's go.

And I tell ya, the skies were clear blue and the scenery was to die for! It was more awesome than almost anything I've done in my life, I was scared shitless and when we touched down in Haines, I became a born-again! (well not really but almost).

(And by the way - I had called the Haines Chamber of Commerce to see where the airport is in relation to the Ferry Terminal, and how to get public transportation. This was the response: "The airport's on the other side of the mountain. No, there is no public transportation in Haines. Well, you just ask people for rides." OMG again!)

So when we got to airport I study the situation, but there's not many people and not many cars so I realize I need to act fast before the place gets deserted until the next flight comes in. I see a woman talking to a man and she's saying "Can you drop me off at blah blah". So I go up to him and say "Anyway you could fit two more in your car? " He's happy to oblige and turns out he's a State Representative so we talk politics the whole way into Town." He takes us right to the Ferry and there's Shelly, David & the dogs. Perfect! Mission #1: Accomplished.

Turns out the Ferry Terminal was a long way on a dirt road to the Fair, which was in Town. So, again, I ask an electrician with a big van if he could take us to Town, so me, Sade, Rosie and 4 backpacks pile in the van, and David and Shelly ride their bikes to Town.

The Fair was interesting to say the least- smaller than any county fair I've been to in N.Y. and pretty much a relic of the 60's & 70's. It takes less than 45 minutes to cover the whole thing and there was one ride and no livestock. We missed the "most lovable dog" contest but the Jump-roping kids were awesome and the food was great!

The rest of the weekend we rode around town, checking it out and camped on the waterfront behind the Gazebo0 in a Town Park. The milkcrate didn't work and Rosie rode around in my backpack instead. She loved it - catching the wind when I was going fast, and we got a million comments "Look! How cute - a dog in a backpack! So well trained!" Rosie's going to be in many stranger's photo albums!

Haines is actually accessible by vehicle - a 775-mile drive to Anchorage the closest mall via road, and only a few miles to the Yukon in Canada. Most of the tourists we met were from Whitehorse.


Saw some cool stuff there - this old cabin with a totem had hand-milled planks on the walls about 3 feet wide (made from some big trees!).

We saw this dog - 1/2 german shepard, 1/2 black wolf with these scary glacier ice blue eyes. The coolest dog I've ever seen.

This cabin is about the size of a dog house.

Eatin and drinkin Haines Brew on the deck of the Fireweed.

There's an old military fort in Haines - these old white buildings, in varying states of disrepair, look very out-of-place in AK.

One morning I got up early and watched a sea otter playing on the shore very close to where I was sitting - he was very cute! Of course I didn't have the camera.

Then we all rode the dirt rode back to the Ferry terminal and headed back to Juneau. A great weekend!

An indication of what the Ferry's like in the winter. It says"Ice Skate with Caution"