Wasilla Real Estate News, Valley Market Real Estate

Sourdough Wanted May 19th, 2007

Categories: Alaskana

I talked to a friend tonight.  He has given thought to selling his homestead in the Yenlo Hills but really doesn’t want to part with it yet.  He spent a lot of time proving up on it.  Then he spent money on a cabin and airstrip.  Now he is offering a free place to stay if he can find the right sourdough.

If the you or someone you know would like an opportunity to live in the real Alaska wilderness upon approval he would allow them to stay in his cabin.  This would have to be someone who is pretty independent because there would be no neighbors…at all.  It is about a three mile hike to the Yentna River.  I don’t think there are any trails

The only access is by air.  I believe that he might drop you off, but you could not count on regular flights.  You would need to be prepared to stay for a long time. There isn’t a quick mart on the corner.

If you happened to really like it he might work out a rent to own arrangement, but if you don’t like it or just want to do it for a year or so, it’s free rent. 

Want to know where it is?  Just click on the google map above, it’s dead center in the map, zoom out to get your bearings.  It’s amazing how close you can be to civilization and still be in the middle of nowhere.  This is only about 60 miles from Anchorage, but if you yell for help, no one will hear you.

Oh… if you don’t know what a sourdough is, that means you are probably a cheechako and you might want to steer clear of this until you have a few Alaskan winters under your belt. 

Drop me an email, I’ll put you in touch.

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Mountain Man Rendezvous 2007 March 21st, 2007

Categories: Alaskana

We spent last weekend at the Mountain Man Rendezvous.  This is an annual spring fling for men and their sons in the foothills of the Talkeetna Mountains. 

We had a good time just hanging out, talking and feeding the fire.  The temperature got down to -15F  while we were there and it was apparently colder earlier in the week.  The event lasts a week with people coming and going the whole time. We were only there overnight but some of the diehards were there all week. 

This is a not a tightly scheduled event.  Everyone did their own thing at their own time. The only organized thing that I saw was a game of capture the flag in the dark after the younger kids begged to play it.  Most of us old men sat it out.

The teenage boys and young men spent most of their time testing each other on their snowmachines.  What they can do with these modern machines is amazing to me.  I have spent many hours on snowmachines in years past riding the trapline trail, but I didn’t attempt anything close to what these guys were doing.  There was a very steep hill right next to the camp that was covered with spruce trees.  Somehow they were able to ride straight up the hill winding between the spruces

I was most interested in an old cabin that is now hidden in a thick spruce woods.  Apparently it used to be a post office for the surrounding area in the old days when mail was carried by mule trains and dog teams.  It was probably built around 1910 or so. The roof is completely caved in.  In fact, some good sized trees are now growing inside of it.

The kids gave it a passing glance, history is not that interesting when you are 8 years old. They liked climbing on top of it the most.

Here is a picture of Mark’s tent with our machines parked outside.  Mark had a pretty nice camp with a wood floor.  It made it very comfortable in that winter weather. 

The only problem was that he had to feed the small wood stove almost constantly at night to keep the temperature to his liking.  A larger stove would help.

This little stove needed to stay cherry red in order to keep the heat up with the -15 degree weather.

There was no shortage of fire outside ,however.  Even in the cold, it was comfortable around this big fire.  I’m not sure if the fire went out at all during the whole week.  It sure burned well while I was there.  The only problem was that your marshmallow sticks needed to be at least 10 feet long.

It looked like there were about 10 camps there, most of them had heat.  A few diehards were camping out in that temperature without any heat.

I tried it, I made a trench in the snow into which I put my tarp wrapped sleeping bag.  Then I buried all but the head and shoulders in snow.  It was warm, but so uncomfortable that I moved into the tent after a couple hours.

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Iditarod Race…2007 March 4th, 2007

Categories: Alaskana

My two brothers and their families as well as my son Gerrit and I spent the afternoon on Vera Lake in Willow watching the start of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon with the temperatures around 15 degrees.

Festive crowds were spread out along the trail as it wound down the lake. The mushers took about 20 minutes to get to our location from the starting line on their way to Nome more than 1000 miles away. The dogs were running strong and eager. All of them looking like they wanted to be the first to the finish line.

We relaxed in the sun, roasted hot dogs and marshmallows and cheered each musher as they went by. It was a nice relaxing afternoon for us, but the beginning of 9?15 days of hard racing for the mushers and their teams.

Growing up on the Innoko River in the village of Holikachuk gives me a special affinity to this race since it is named for a town fairly close to ours. I remember the adults talking about going upriver as far as the Iditarod. They were talking about the river, not the gold rush town. I always wanted to explore that river, and still do.

My Dad, Gale Van Diest, had a dog team since it was the only way to get around in the winter. He hauled all our firewood with it and travelled to Shageluk and Anvik. I was allowed to drive them occasionally but usually spent my time inside the sled.

But our dogs were completely different than these racers. They were a lot bigger and slower. I think our dogs probably ran about 6 miles an hour or so on a longer trip, while these Iditarod race teams often average close to 15 miles an hour between checkpoints. Thats like running a 4 minute mile for hours on end.

Our teams were smaller, usually just 5?7 dogs. These teams are 16 dogs strong. I can?t imagine handling 16 dogs at full speed on some of the trails they are running. These teams are very well trained and in great condition.

Their sleds are nicer too. I don?t think they could haul much wood in them, but they look mighty comfortable. What with the new sit-down sleds and modern materials they are a far cry from the ones we used. Some of them almost look like they had lazy boy recliners on them.

There?s Rick Swenson, on his way to Nome.

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Hiding From The Wind In Palmer Alaska February 22nd, 2007

Categories: Alaskana, For Buyers, Wasilla Real Estate News

It’s -1 degree this morning in Palmer.  Wasilla is reading -15.  Forecasts today are for winds to 20 mph with gusts to 40.  That Matanuska Wind really magnifies the cold.  Hey, it’s clear and beautiful outside! There is always a bright side.

I don’t mind the wind or the cold until it gets really cold, like -20 or more.  There are some advantages to being built like a walrus.  The cold and wind remind me that we haven’t tamed everything, and that’s a good thing.

Since people often say they like Palmer but don’t like the wind, I thought I would tell you how to live in Palmer and stay out of the wind.  But first let me say that the wind blows in Wasilla too.  If it’s gusting to 60 mph in Palmer, the gusts are probably hitting 40 in Wasilla.  So just because you don’t buy a house in Palmer doesn’t mean you are avoiding the wind.

And, the wind doesn’t blow as much as people imagine.  It’s just that you remember it so well when the roof blows off.  We have serious wind storms only a few times a year.  I’m going to guess 5–8 wind storms that last 3 days or so.  I’m no geophysicist so don’t hold me to that.  I’m just giving my best guess after living here for 35 years. 

OK, where can you get away from the wind.

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Wasilla to Nome to Fairbanks, The Iron Dog Is On. February 12th, 2007

Categories: Alaskana

I don?t know what this has to do with real estate, but it has a lot to do with Alaska.? It?s part of what makes the state and the people different.? The land, the people, and the events are taken to the extreme.? But you have to love it.

The Iron Dog Race started yesterday, take a look at the short video of the starting line?describing the GPS system allowing us to monitor every team.? How many states have a ?first dude? that? has won a race like this.? Governor Sarah?Palin started the racers, including her husband.?

I just checked Todd Palins place on the official website and his gps says they are doing their layover in Galena, on the Yukon River.?

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