ha...yeah but only if you have a good heater in your car.

Yipes. I'm getting frightened! So extra thermals are now officially on my Christmas list.

We're trying to decide whether to stay in ANC the whole time or book an overnight tour in Talkeetna in hopes of seeing some scenery and possibly the northern lights. There's one that offers train, hotel and a pie making class (which sounds warm) for $219, which I thought sounded fairly reasonable. Probably much cheaper to drive, but I grew up in Southern California. I don't know how to drive in a flurry, never mind real snow.

Also, what constitutes a 'good coat'? We were in MN two winters when it reached -11 and locked the keys in the rental while trying to warm it up. My down coat kept me from dying, but I wouldn't say I was warm. What do you guys wear? When we visited the arctic circle in Finland, our hotel had winter gear in a full range of sizes we could rent if ours wasn't sufficient. Would that be likely in AK? And if not, is that a business opportunity someone could take advantage of?

I've lived my entire life within 20-some miles of the California coast.
(1) A decent puffy North Face jacket with neck protection will keep your upper body plenty warm. ANC can be warmer than a good portion of the lower 48 during the winter. Another layer under your pants should be sufficient. Make sure you keep your feet from getting wet.
(2) Driving in light snow won't be a problem. But if it snows, then melts, then freezes, you're in trouble. Also, once you go inland, you could face nasty frozen fog.

And this is the advice from an "outsider." ;)

Wirelessly posted (beckoa's BB: Mozilla/5.0 (BlackBerry; U; BlackBerry 9810; en-US) AppleWebKit/534.11+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/7.1.0.694 Mobile Safari/534.11+)

I like layers to keep warm when the mercury drops- and remember if you're doing much outside "cotton kills".

Wirelessly posted (beckoa's BB: Mozilla/5.0 (BlackBerry; U; BlackBerry 9810; en-US) AppleWebKit/534.11+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/7.1.0.694 Mobile Safari/534.11+)

Or blanket ;)

Talkeentna is a great little town to visit. The road is somewhat difficult in the wintertime for the people not used to driving in snow. Wintertime makes the Parks highway very dangerous in the winter. The train is a beautiful way to visit.

Dress like you were going to MN or Chicago in the wintertime and you will be just fine.

Be sure to use the outdoor hottub if your property has one in TKA ;)

Thanks to all for your insight. Although I'm still trying to work out what "cotton kills" might mean :)

Haven't booked anything yet, still looking at all the options. Someone suggested we might just want to fly to Fairbanks for an overnight if the aurora is our top wish. I've been following the aurora predictions but apparently need to be closer in to see where best to view them.

Still keen to meet up for a coffee or a drink, whichever we eventually decide.

Definitely take the trip to Fairbanks and visit Chena Hot Springs. You can soak outside in a natural hot spring and watch the aurora while soaking. Its a pretty nice hotel and also has an ice museum. I also believe they have a service which will call you in the middle of the night when the lights come out. Makes it easy to sleep and then get up when they are out.

Well, a series of house guests and Christmas got in the way and I made no plans at all, and now we leave tomorrow (one night in NY before continuing on). I've booked the Westmark for the two nights and I guess we will have to play things by ear. Still thinking about doing something organised, as I am still slightly worried about driving, but I suppose if the roads look good I'll consider it. We've got thermals and are prepared for the worst! (I hope).

Hope you're all having a wonderful time at tonight's Do, and that you all feel above average for the day tomorrow! We arrive just after midnight on the 3rd, leave just after midnight on the 5th, so essentially have the 3rd and 4th, if any of you have recovered enough by then to meet up!

Visiting ANC from NJ (though flying out of PHL) at the end of May. Hope to grab lots of beer for back home....and bring FTs any requests they may have. Dunkin..Yeungling..good wine?

Dunkin's overrated, Yuengling is cheap but doesn't compare to Midnight Sun/Silver Gulch/Moose's Tooth/Glacier BrewHouse/Alaskan Brewing/etc., and although NJ is fine, the wine selection in any store in ANC vastly outperforms the wine selection at any PLCB store in PHL. :p

That said, I'm sure the Alaskans who inhabit this thread might come up with something. One in particular might appreciate a cooler full of sausages and other meats. :p

It seems I may have an oversupply of sausages at this point :o

But by May... :D

I've walked into Russian River in California and Hair of the Dog in Portland and had folks buy rounds for a few Yeunglings. It's not always about Quality - it's what people miss/grew up with - and the lack of supply.

I'm pretty open to what people want/miss - as I wouldn't drink Yeungling myself.

I am sure they are gone by now