Dutch Harbor/Unalaska Struggles With ... Tourism?

Smaller cruise ships have begun stopping at Dutch Harbor, 800 miles southwest of Anchorage in the Aleutian Islands.

Really?

Okay, then. The town struggles with how to accommodate tourists where they've never had any before.

Crowded

The State Division of Economic Development says Alaska received 1.96 million visitors for the 12-month period ending April 30th.

The Division went on to say it's due to new cruise ships coming here, along with new air routes, and a program designed to lure winter-time visitors.

That's a new record, in this state of roughly 800,000 residents.


That reminds me of the old bumper stickers we used to see here:

Heh.

To soften the blow, here are a few others:

Only in the winter. I promise. :)

Gird Your Loins, Alaskans

Tourist season is almost upon us.

Tundra Comics can be found here.

It's that "back-of-the-RV view" that Alaskans know so well...

Skagway's Floating Ferry Dock Sinks

The Associated Press reports:

SKAGWAY, Alaska — Ferry service has been suspended to the Southeast Alaska community of Skagway after the dock sank overnight.

This photo released by The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF) shows the Alaska DOT&PF Alaska Marine Highway System floating dock submerged in Skagway, Alaska, on Thursday, April 24, 2014.

[snip]
People on their way to work saw the partially submerged floating dock about 6 a.m. Thursday, and the dock was completely under water within 90 minutes.

The 160-foot by 120-foot dock is comprised of 24 individual, airtight concrete chambers, each 12 feet deep.

Woodrow said every individual chamber has been inspected by the state in the last two years.

There was "no visible sign of wear or indication that would lead to this submersion," he said.

The 24 chambers are supposed to provide a redundancy backup, he said, meaning if one fails, the other airtight boxes keep the dock afloat. "To have the dock submerged like this, there has to be multiple failures or some other issue," he said.

Read the whole story at the link.

A Couple of Things We've Discussed Here

Moose in the Roadway Dept: 

A woman driving alone on the Richardson Highway Wednesday evening was killed when her vehicle crashed into a moose, Alaska State Troopers said.

The entire top of her vehicle, a blue 2006 Acura, was ripped off, the trooper report said.

Sad, but not uncommon in car/moose collisions.


Love, Exciting and New Old and Busted Dept:  The Associated Press reports...

JUNEAU, Alaska — A Celebrity Cruises spokeswoman says the ship that returned to port in Ketchikan last weekend after experiencing mechanical problems is scheduled to depart on Thursday.

Cynthia Martinez says the Millennium will head to a shipyard in the Bahamas for repairs. She says it will sail using its other propulsion motor.

Needless to say, there won't be any passengers aboard.

Passengers on Troubled Cruise Ship Near Rioting

according to some who called the Ketchikan police.

Ketchikan police responded Tuesday night to several emergency calls from passengers on board the stranded Celebrity ship Millennium. Apparently, the callers thought there was going to be a riot.

Here’s police chief Alan Bengaard: “We, the police department, received three 911 calls from passengers on the MV Millennium who stated that people were getting unruly on board the ship, and they believed  a riot was about to begin. Officers responded to the ship, met with ship security and advised them of the 911 calls. Ship security and officers contacted approximately 500 guests on the third floor of the vessel, and subsequently peace was restored and officers left.”

from www.krbd.org

Bengaard says those 500 people were upset about Celebrity Cruise’s plans for where they would go when flown out of Ketchikan.

“The officers … were given the information that some of the passengers were unhappy with the miscommunication between them and the cruise line, and ultimately where their final destination was going to be,” he said. “Initially, evidentially, they were told they were going to be flown to Anchorage, and plans had changed and some were upset with that.”

Bengaard says he believes the passengers will instead be flown to Vancouver.

So ... passengers had to learn in a round-about way that they're flying to Canada instead of staying in Alaska. Any wonder why they're upset?

Mid-Week Ramble

It occurs to me that I've been linking to or re-posting lots of newsy articles, but haven't spent much time saying anything of my own.

Sorry 'bout that. Just haven't been feelin' it, lately. But all y'all made me promise to keep going, and so I have.

One commenter even said he'd be happy if all I posted was the Unalaska Police Blotter and our local weather forecast. That bar's not too high to clear, even for me.

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You remember I recently linked to a story about a Celebrity Cruise ship that was stranded in Seward because of electrical/propulsion problems?

That same ship is has become stranded again, in Ketchikan, where the Coast Guard has ordered it to remain in port until the issues are fixed permanently, and not just with duct tape like last time (apparently).

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I've also mentioned that we've had mostly rainy weather since the 1st of the month. Several area streams and rivers are now at or near flood stage, and there's a small stream advisory in the area.

Bicyclists Notice Water Level Changes at Eklutna Lakeside Trail (KTUU-TV / August 20, 2013)

Chester Creek in Anchorage is out of its banks in low-lying areas in several city parks, as hiking/biking trails are submerged thereby. And parts of the Eklutna (e-KLOOT-nuh) Lakeside Trail (some 26 miles north of Anchorage) have washed out, to name but one other example.


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Oh - you'll also remember I recently wrote about the ferry boat which is owned by the Mat-Su Borough, for which there are no dock facilities.

Seems the Borough has decided to dry-dock the ferry, indefinitely.

* * * * *

It seems we're going to attend the Alaska State Fair in Palmer this weekend. Younger Daughter & her BFF announced their intention to go ... and since neither of them drives, we're elected to provide transport.

It'll be fun, hopefully somewhat drier than of late, and should provide blog fodder.

Weekend Randomosity

Yesterday was mostly sunny, although it didn't get terribly warm (65), and we took full advantage of it. Outdoors is a great place to be in Alaska, anyway.

We drove, shopped, and generally enjoyed the atmosphere. The summer solstice season is the most heavily attended by tourists, so locals know to avoid certain parts of town. Yesterday's Summer Solstice Festival downtown was packed curb to curb with so many people that those in the back couldn't even see what was happening on the street in front of them. Live music, local celebrities, special events, etc., along 4th Avenue from C to L Streets, and most of the cross-streets along that route.

We don't go near the place.

Don't misunderstand; my wife & I both worked downtown for years, in tourism - and we've been there/done that. Now we stay away, because 98% of what goes on is for the tourists. Let them have the space, and see the shows; we already know that "here" is a wonderful place. :)

* * * * *

The high cost of gas has certainly done one thing to tourist season, though: up until a few years ago, the highway was clogged with motorhomes, RVs, and buses. Not so much, anymore. That's kind of sad.

Not that I enjoyed being sandwiched on the roads by slab-sided conveyances, nor having the view blocked. It's just the loss of freedom that the lack thereof represents.

It hasn't stopped them altogether, of course; on Friday, I followed a 34' Winnie with a Smart ForTwo on a screened-in flatbed trailer behind it. Made me smile.

* * * * *

Today, my wife's company has its annual picnic lunch buffet at the Anchorage Zoo. Go ahead and make your own jokes; we've gone through all we could think of, already.

Have a great day, friends.

Tuesday Morning

Good morning. It's 40 degrees, and AccuHunch guesses we'll get up to 58 today, with partly cloudy skies. I suppose I'm getting into a winter-time frame of mind: any day with any sunshine is a good one. But that's a negative mindset, considering that most of the leaves have yet to fall, and in fact haven't all turned yellow, yet. I don't see much brown, either, so we're still another week - or one good windstorm - away from falling leaves.

* * * * *

In Your Face Dept.: It's worth noting that Sarah Palin's oh-so-controversial predator control program is proving itself to work. With absolutely no apology to the remaining Elite Liberal Media (or at least the ones that haven't gone bankrupt yet), it seems there has been a 50 percent increase in the moose and caribou herds since she decided to allow wolf hunting. You can read the rest, here.

You may recall that one of the animal rights outfits ran anti-Palin ads during last year's presidential campaign, decrying her inhumane attitude toward those poor, misunderstood wolves. They'd want me to mention who they are.

* * * * *

A recent editorial in the Daily Worker News opined that the Municipality should dip into funds set aside for marketing Anchorage as a tourist destination, due to budget shortfalls. This seems unusually short-sighted, even for the Noise.

The money spent on trolling for tourists results in tens of millions of dollars pouring into the local economy, including that which trickles into the city's coffers via the hotel bed tax, and inventory taxes on the tourism-based businesses.

Advertise less = fewer tourists.
Fewer tourists = fewer dollars.

Apparently Journalism 101 didn't include basic economics. Tsk, tsk, children; didn't your mothers tell you to think before you put words on that computer screen?

* * * * *

Ain't Technology Wonderful Dept.: It's wonderful to see all the familiar "followers'" faces & icons when I visit my home page. Except when it's not working, like for most of Monday.

I also notice that the dashboard tells me, about one visit out of five, that I'm not following any blogs. Except, you know, for all the ones I do. But that's nit-picking, eh?

* * * * *

Money Grows on Trees Dept.: I see that the Anchorage School Board - you know, the one that's always just moments away from insolvency - has voted to add 30 teachers and 23 staffers for a larger-than-expected enrollment. I wonder if anyone will question where they found the money. I know that some of it will be offset by additional funds paid to the district by the State and/or Federales.

I fully expect the Superintendent to appear on local TV before the year is out, expressing her bewilderment at how short of funds they are, and threatening all sorts of dire program closures if people don't pony up more dough.

The first time I saw her do such a thing, it was the same day that then-Governor Murkowski announced he was sending her district an additional $40 Million. The. Same. Day.

Pathetic crisis-of-the-week mentality. And all the while, test scores keep dropping, and rarely is there an improvement in the graduation rate.

* * * * *

That's enough local news for one morning. I need to go wash my brain out with some quiet music.

Have a great day, folks! Thanks for stopping by.