If you define "summer" as over 70 and anything more than an hour of sun, then I did not experience any summer during our last 10 days in Alaska. On the evening of the 21st, we saw little snow in the mountains around Healy and we woke up and saw that the snow line had dropped considerably overnight. We had rain every single day, but this was more understandable on the cruise portion of the visit to the southeast.

Still the rain beats the heat and hurricane that we missed in South Texas. Alaska is unique and even whitewater rafting on the Nenana River a rainy 48 degree day was a great experience. I just decided that it was pointless to obscess about the cool, wet weather and get out there and have fun. We had plenty of it. I give the Alaskans in the hospitality business quite a bit of credit. They made sure we could still have fun outdoors notwithstanding the rain. Wet outdoor fun beats dry aboard a tourist bus.

Alrighty then. You are now an honorary Alaskan!!! :D Still a Cheechako, though. ;) That's the only attitude you can have I live here on a full time basis.

And I offer my thanks on behalf of family members who work in the tourist industry in Alaska. When the weather is bad they hear mostly complaints and their tips are substantially reduced.

This seems as good a thread as ask to ask following question:

I may be able to take a week's vacation around Labor Day.

I was considering going to Nome, and seeing it and nearby locations, Kotzebue, maybe an island or two.
(By way of context, I have previously been to ANC, FAI, BRW, DUT, JNU, SIT, KTN, ADQ).

Would you all suggest that:
- I still go, as it will be warm enough to see things and not too rainy/snowy, etc.
- I go someplace else in Alaska (e.g. Wrangell, Peterburg, Glacier Bay, etc.)
- I wait until next year.

Thanks

I have been in ANC 27+ years and this is the worst summer (and I use the term loosely) I recall. Even worse than the one summer I spent in Ketchikan!

It's okay, though, I guess, being more a night person by nature than anything else, I look forward to termination dust and impending darkness.

When I first moved here I was told termination dust was the signal to look for an Alaskan's favorite site - a Texan heading south with an Okie tucked under each arm (because the seasonal work was over).

Kudos to the "get outside even if it's raining" post - I rousted the kids and took them for an hour hike up the Eagle River Nature Center trails Sunday and man, did they grumble about the rain.

Having been born and raised in the south and having an appreciation for such things that they lack, I told them it is good for their complexions.

We just noticed that regardless of the weather, some people are just cheap, like no tips at all. On several excursions we saw signs to the effect that tips were not required, but were appreciated.

My informal survey is that guides get between 11 and 14 dollars an hour, which is not much for the skill levels they must have to keep guests safe and the costs they must bear to live in Alaska. At least one guide told us that tour excursion companies backload a "bonus" that is payable only if the guide finishes the season into September. We tipped excursion guides about $20 for two of us, more if 4 of us were on the excursion, these were two to four hour excursions. Maybe we were fortunate, but our guides did their best to show us a good time even when the weather was really crummy, like ziplining during rain with slick ziplines making breaking yourself an adventure. We learned a lesson which will increase our tips for future guides on cruises we take. The commissions that the cruise lines take exceed 20%, and about half our excursions were through the line. Next time, we will book all of our excursions directly and plow part of the difference into the tips.

Bottom line, cool rainy weather is a risk of any Alaska visit, just like hot, humid weather is part of a summer visit to Texas or Florida. People who stick the guides with responsibility for the weather are people who just may not be willing to accept responsibility for their own choices. We saw a few of them the past 10 days as well.

What things exactly are you looking to see in Nome?

MIA-SAT, you are a very wise person. One of our family members was tipped $1, yes $1 on a rainy day and most of the people didn't tip at all.

Sadly the tax people assume that the workers get a lot more tips than they've gotten this summer.

Termination Dust sounds like a snowstorm here in Houston, :D and it would close all of the schools, stop the mail, and cause 100 auto accidents due to the strange white stuff! :cool:

It's so hot that my cell phone partially melted in my car this afternoon. 98 and 90% humidity...... :(