Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Good Bye to Alaska

Don’t blame you for hating it, but a lot of that is probably more about the times we live in rather than the place. Drugs are a scourge everywhere, and selfish people make life miserable for everyone they encounter. No doubt your state courts those outside dollars too, at the expense of residents.

You need not worry about me coming there and pooping in your punchbowl. I could stay right here in WV for the rest of my life and be perfectly content. Plenty to do and see, and room to breathe.

We came to AK on military orders in Dec. 2011. I retired in 2018 after getting a High School Sr. Deferment for my oldest. The wife got her grad degree from UAA in 2014 and we moved to Wasilla 2 weeks later. I can’t retire again until Dec. 31. 2037, so we are here until then. The wife would love to move closer to her sister in FL, but I say not until we retire are we moving again. I love Alaska, but after back surgery in 2017, my body hates the cold weather now. I’m still going to suck it up until I retire for good though. Too many hunts and fishing trips from now until then to make.

Lived in Alaska for well over 30 years and we left in 2012. Do we miss it? Of course. But IMO it is a state for younger people in good physical health. The cold hard facts are it is expensive, health care can be challenging, and it’s a goat rope to fly out of.
We talk about moving back but doubt it will happen. Getting accustomed to being able to drive anywhere we want on a moment’s notice. A few months ago wife and I were discussing the move and we both agreed if our current property ever sold for a certain price we would do it. Now we find ourself in a position where our property is worth far more than what the trigger point was.
If we could swing a nice house on the Kenai and the ability to fly out for 2 weeks every month during the winter and access a RV in the lower 48 it would sway us to move.
Otherwise we have gotten spoiled/soft. We walk to the deer stand when we want, shoot off the back porch, and can fish year around. Earlier this year a one days drive got us to a charter in the gulf for Tuna.
Our son and his wife were born in Alaska and they talk about moving back. We encourage it because we would visit all summer long:)

WE WILL ALL NEED PRAYERS FOR WHAT IS COMING.


Ok, I gotta ask, based on your post. What is "coming" that AK residents have to watch out for?[/quote]

Bear spray : gives one just enough time to figure out the wind direction.

A 450 Alaskan-on a pre-war M-71 gives the bear just enough time to realize
he should have gone the other way and not pushed it.

Interior: 78 miles N of Denali, 44 miles SW of Nenana- miles S of Wien Lake.
Moose, bear, wolves and lots of bushveld-with some permafrost, blueberries , spruce hen and SS hare.

Lots of what the 1890s inter-mountain lone wolves in the West called the high lonesome.

I was at Ft. Sam Houston in San Antone when I got orders for Alaska. My report in date was December 16th. By the 20th I was at Site Summit for 18 months and moved back to Iowa in June 1976. I will be going to Anchorage on the 17th July for my first visit back since I left in '76. Meeting some old Site Summit friends for a mini reunion.
kwg

I recall when you made the move, and asked myself "Why?" at the time.......I lived in Muskegon for many years and my Father was born at Kelly's corners a very long time ago when my Grandfather was the Fire Chief and Judge there......

I think AK was a better place to live!

Wish I could go back 10 years when we decided to move, I'd kick myself in the a$$ so hard I'd still be feeling.

Tsavo, Idaho is a great state the only problem I see are all the people from calif moving and taking their ideas with them

Hydehunter, I wholeheartedly agree that Idaho has a whole lot going for it. Pray that us good souls can hold the line and turn the tide. Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.

Tsavo: Congratulations on the move making you happy/comfy!
If you like Idaho come on up/over to Montana sometime and I will buy you lunch/dinner and we can swap cop stories and I'll show you around SW Montana.
I did 29 years with a large west coast first class city's department.
Again enjoy your new surroundings.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

VarmintGuy, thank you for your service. Once I get settled here in Idaho and receive my household goods from Alaska, I’m going to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to meet up with some old friends for fall bird hunting and trout fishing.

I have no firm plans after that, everyday being a weekend and all. The wife and I plan on traveling in our RV just going wherever we feel. I’m going to visit some dog breeders in my search for a new bird dog and visit friends in Wyoming and Washington.

Thanks for the invite, I’ll definitely contact you if I happen to be in your neck of the woods.

Got rid of the M-71 450 and have regretted it. I need another

UP not too shabby of an area to be in. About as good as it gets that I've seen east of the Mississippi.

Congratulations on moving closer to family. A guy could do a lot worse than retiring to Idaho. I hope that your retirement is relaxing and the great times spent with your family are endless. I think that moving from Alaska to Idaho would be a lot less culturally shocking than moving from Alaska to most any other state, except maybe Wyoming or Montana. We thought real hard about moving to Idaho several years back but it’s not far enough away from liberal politics of California, Oregon and Washington. The disease of liberalism is at pandemic levels on the west coast and there’s no (legal) vaccine available. Idaho is a great state with great people which, for now, is about the only hedge against the insanity of the liberal agenda. Strong, like minded conservatives that coalesce to form an unwelcoming and impenetrable barrier to liberals and their diseased attitudes.

All my life I’ve been trying to find a way to drop out of society down here and start over with a simple and quiet existence up north. The same thing pulling you to Idaho is the same thing keeping me stuck down here…..family. Taking care of aging parents, raising great kids and my wife’s career…doing what she’s always wanted to do for the company she’s always wanted to do it for are my excuses. If it wasn’t for my dad who is living with my brother not far from us and her mom who is living with us we’d be cashing out our equity here and living comfortably in Alaska. I’ll keep dreaming and I’ll keep planning for the day I can break ties with Washington for good. Until that day comes I’ll continue to work on earning my place so that one day I’ll have the privilege of retiring to The Last Frontier.

I wish you many happy years of retirement filled with the love of family and the great memories that come from doing it right.

Welcome to Idaho! It’s not what it used to be but neither is Alaska. I left Alaska ~25 years ago and it almost broke me. I came to Idaho for school and found a second home.

I’ve heard the old saying something about…a kid born in Alaska spends the first 18 years of their life trying to get out of Alaska and they finally do, then they spend the rest of their life trying to figure out how to get back to Alaska and they never do.

Very true. The grass is always greener until it ain’t.

Amen.

Thank you for your service in the great state of Alaska.
Welcome Idaho, great place to hang your hat. My wife has family there. It's always a great visit.

I have a friend who also retired from the Troopers. Only he moved to Florida. He's flipping houses in his spare time.

Well, that's what he says.

Take care.

Welcome to Idaho!