I finally took the time to research Internet and phone service in Alaska! As expected, there is not much service, except in the larger cities. Verizon told me yesterday that they have been in Alaska for only two years and provide service in Anchorage, Juneau and 2 other smaller cities (not Fairbanks). Further research on the Internet taught me that, since the big companies (Verizon, AT&T, etc) did not make a push to provide service in the early days, small, local providers hold the market. I like that small regionals get the job done, at least from a “small is beautiful” perspective. However, as a traveler, that means I will have very little Internet or cell service (Juneau is the only one of the 4 places Verizon services that I will travel to). I should find free Wi-Fi here and there, most likely at cafes but will not have my own service. So, I won’t be making too many phone calls from Alaska. I can continue writing blog posts and, when I do have Internet, I can do a big upload and then schedule the whole bunch to post on different days. So, I won’t seem to be as isolated as I will be…at least to blog readers.

 Note: Alaska does not actually have a phone network;  calls are routed on the data network!!!

So isolated, and in the U.S!!  I thought my small town in Wyoming was isolated; in reality, it was only a few hours from Denver. Alaska is truly isolated, and I plan to enjoy lack of access to downloading, streaming, surfing, and parlaying on social media. Peace and quiet. Away from civilization. Downtime. Writing time. Nature time. I get more excited as the time for my departure arrives.

I am not so excited about lack of electrical hookups in campgrounds. Even though I won’t have Internet, I need a charged Kindle for reading and charged computer(s) for writing/reading/musing. I can charge my phone and Kindle directly off the 12 Volt outlet in the car but there is not enough juice at that outlet for a computer. One part of my computer charging strategy is to obtain at least one more laptop battery and charge them all up when I have 110 V access. Also, a friend of mine is a solar expert and is helping me set up to use my car battery as a 110 V electrical source. I already have a solar panel, charge controller, and inverter, so I have great expectations about using solar power in Alaska. Unless it rains, as it does often.

The ultimate computer substitution? Writing Implements. Pens, pencils, notebooks. I know, it sounds barbaric, but when I was isolated in the Montana and Idaho mountains for several weeks at a time last summer, I enjoyed resorting to notebooks and writing the old-fashioned way. I had some colored pencils and did a bit of drawing as well.

Interesting Alaska News Stories

Iditarod Protests

Radioactive Particle Over Alaska