Category: Alaska

You Can’t Find Any Little Debbie Products In Juneau Alaska

Little Debbie

It’s True! I have lived here for nearly four years now. I have been inside every store in Juneau at least once looking for Swiss Cake Rolls, Cosmic Brownies, or Chocolate Chip Snack Cakes with no luck. It’s quite sad. My Fiancé takes this a little harder then I do. Chocolate of course, is one of the things she loves.

Luckily for us, we have caring families who from time to time send us a care packages from the lower 48 states with (among other things) Little Debbie products. We very carefully ration them out to last as long as possible.

It’s very puzzling to us why no stores in Juneau carry any Little Debbie products at all. It’s been a topic of quit a few conversations between us, and friends, and family.

[UPDATE: 12.10.2012]

Since the fall of Hostess and the loss of the beloved Twinkies a couple of weeks ago, stores in Juneau have started caring Little Debbie Products. I noticed this last Saturday in our local Fred Meyer. I was able to pick up some cosmic Brownies and Swiss Rolls for my cheat day. It was so tasty!

Icy Roads and Sunny Skies

Hannah has been back from Anchorage now for just under two weeks. I was worried about her because of the Mt. Redoubt Volcano. It is still making a fuss in Anchorage, but has yet to blow it’s top.

The last two weeks in Juneau have been pretty nice for the most part. A mix of cloud filled snowy skies and bright sunny days. Today is one of those more sunny days. The main roads through out Juneau are clear of snow and ice. But some of the lesser traveled roads are still covered. The turn off to my house for example, is still all ice. At least an inch thick I would guess. I am glad I picked up a pair of Yaktrax for my shoes. Walking our dog everyday without them would be a slip and sliding adventure for sure. The snow on the ground where I live is higher then my car in most people’s yards.

The sun is out now when I wake up in the morning and go to work. Better yet, it’s still out when I get home from work. The first day I came home from work last week and the sun was out I was pretty exited about it. I am so looking forward to the summer when the sun is out all the time.

For anyone who wants to see what Juneau looks like on a daily bases you can check out some local webcams here.

I Found My Footing In Juneau With Yaktrax

YaktraxThis whole winter I have been slipping on ice. Ice on my drive way, Ice on the steps up to my office, Ice on side walks, and everywhere else it hides. I don’t know what makes this winter so much more special then all the other past winters, but this year it seems whenever I am walking outside I am sure to slip. I have fallen more times then I want to admit since December.

I knew that their are products you could put on your shows to help keep one from slipping and falling outside. I just had not tried to figure out what these products where.

While Hannah’s folks where staying with me, I noticed that they where waring things on their shoes. It kept them from slipping and falling during our visit to the Mendenhall Glacier. What they where wearing was called “Yaktrax“. I was so impressed with how well they where working that the next day we went out and I  picked up a pair of Yaktrax to strap on to my own shoes. These things are pretty awesome. Whenever I am about to go out side I strap them on.  I have not slipped for fallen since.

The idea here is pretty simple and makes sense. A rubber mesh wraps around the bottom and sides of your shoes or boots, and is secured with a velcro strap that fixes it’s self across the top of your feet. The messh on the bottom is wrapped with stainless steel coils that give you traction on ice. They are life savers.

Juneau Is Off Generator Power

For everyone who has been wondering about our power shortage here in juneau, The Juneau Empire is reporting:

Alaska Electric Light & Power Co. reported power restored at about 5:05 p.m., and the diesel generators keeping the city lit during the past three weeks were shut down shortly after.Engineers bypassed tower No. 3-5 – the lone casualty during the Jan. 12 slide – to another tower less vulnerable to avalanches, AEL&P Vice President Scott Willis said.

“Engineers … determined that the standing towers on either side … could handle the (power) load,” he said.

The Juneau Empire goes on to say:

The most recent energy crisis lasted just half the time of last year’s, and will cost a fraction of the $6 million in damage caused by last spring’s avalanche. Willis estimated repairs this time around would be in the neighborhood of $1 million.

Though final numbers won’t be available until later today, Willis said roughly 1.6 million gallons of diesel – or $3.6 million worth of fuel – were burned during the city’s three weeks without hydro power.

For residential users, that will mean just one month of paying for a 15-cent Emergency Cost of Power Adjustment, which Willis said AEL&P will ask the state’s Regulatory Commission for later this week. Energy costs during the current billing cycle will be about 25 cents per kilowatt hour.

Willis warned residents to continue conserving energy because the more expensive billing cycle is still in effect. The end of the billing cycle varies from person to person. Details about residential billing can be found at www.aelp.com.