Today’s Matchbook Monday comes from best pal Anita who, while visiting extended family members in Anchorage, Alaska, picked up a few matchbooks for me.
This one is from The Birdhouse Bar located at Chilkoot Charlie’s.
The Birdhouse has a rather colorful history, some of which should probably be taken with a large grain of salt.
Originally located on the Seward Highway, it had an esteemed reputation with the “working women” of the area.  The girls would autograph their undergarments, and tack them up on the wall.  Those walls could tell some tales!
The Birdhouse was destroyed in a fire, but rose from the …read more

Well, not just ice any more. . . .  It’s more like Stonehenge, and sled dog teams, and other animals and scenic depictions. 
That’s what happens when you turn professional ice-sculptors loose on a huge block of ice. 
You can see the process, as well as the results, at the World Ice Art Championships in Fairbanks Alaska, February 27th ““ March 25th.   
The process all starts the same way, with large square blocks of solid ice.  The results are as varied as they are spectacular, and represent the efforts of over 100 sculptors from around the world.  By March 10th, all competition will …read more

(As part of my quest to visit every state, I will be spending some time throughout the year highlighting each of our 50 states.)
 
Today is Admission Day for Alaska.  On January 3rd, 1959, Alaska (purchased from Russia in 1867) became the 49th state.
Although Alaska is the largest state in geographical area, it is one of the least populated, ranking 47th of 50.  Due in large part to its connection with the oil industry, it is one of the wealthiest states. 
Alaska is a rugged state, with lots of outdoor adventure opportunities:  fishing, hunting, hiking, snowshoeing, dog sledding, etc.  During the summer, …read more

 
Details:  Santa Claus House in North Pole, Alaska.  Although it has turned Santa into a cottage industry, about 1,800 people live here year round.  I first visited North Pole one summer as a child.  It was then, and still is a great place to take kids to see how Santa lives in the “off season.”
Photo credit:  flickr

If you’ll be traveling in Alaska here is one site that you need to bookmark and come back to often, the University of Alaska at Fairbank’s Geophysical Institute.
There’s a bunch of stuff there that I don’t understand, but the really important information for travelers is that the site tries to forecast the aurora borealis. 
The Northern Lights are unpredictable, at best, and I’ve only seen them a handful of times, but now the UAF tries to map out a 28-day forecast.  Just like you check the weather forecast, now you can check the aurora borealis forecast.
The downside to the forecasting, however, …read more