After 25 years living here this time, we left Alaska on 28jUN22, maybe for good. Arrived in Idaho yesterday. Plan on settling in and making our final stand in Idaho due to La Familia. Figure time was right to get out while the getting was good.

Wife and I are retired and have payed our dues. I know better than to say never say never and having moved back up to Alaska more than once we plan on making it stick this time and plant permanent roots.

As an Alaska State Trooper, I was fortunate to serve all over the state So far, sure do like Idaho and being surrounded by like minded individuals with similar beliefs and values. Alaska has been good for us, after 40 years accumulated in the Great Land it was time to
get back to the road system and closer to civilization.

I try to never look back, but Alaska definitely gets into your blood and will always be missed. Ever grateful for our time in the Last Frontier. I think I know what is coming and pray for you SourDoughs who will stick it out. TS

Interesting, I spent 33 years in Alaska, then moved to Idaho for 9 years. Headed back to Alaska this fall. Just bought a house up there. Bottom line is FAMILY.

Welcome to Idaho and thanks for your service.

I think you'll like Idaho. Ive worked some over the years with Al ST. Top notch group

Good luck

Condolences and good luck.

46 years and counting. My sig line says it all for me.

What sig line? Just to let you know “Quote” and “Reply” isn’t a sig line.

Thank you for your service to the Great State of Alaska! AST are a different breed, so far all my interactions with them has been very good. Wish you the best in Idaho! If you are in eastern Idaho (Idaho falls area) shoot me a pm.

Family is a powerful draw. Spent 25 years in the GREAT State of Wyoming before retiring and moving back to my native Upper Peninsula of Michigan. As much as I miss the elk bugles I wouldn't trade them for the time I now spend with grand children, PRICELESS.

After 30 years and 3 kids in Alaska I retired and my wife and I moved to New Mexico. It took about a year and a half before I came to my senses and started to wonder why the hell we left Alaska. It took another year, but now we're back and there's no way we'll ever leave again. I know several people that left and it all worked out for them....also know a few that left and ended up back in 2 to 3 years.

Ok, I gotta ask, based on your post. What is "coming" that AK residents have to watch out for? BTW, the only AK state trooper I've met was Joe, who flew his plane in to check my camp and license while I hunted moose in the Bristol Bay area. He was really nice and a credit to the force. Best wishes.

Do you have them turned off in your settings?


It shows on my device and settings. Anyway, for the luddites,

American by birth; Alaskan by choice.
--ironbender

Huh.
I see “ Non Gratus Anus Rodentum.”

NM, I see you were referencing your own sig line now.

Can I ever relate to this comment..

Now, not a day goes by that I don't ask myself why.
The most probable thing in my life that's subject to change.

It's hard to stay away.

Best of luck TS.

I feel for you. In 2013, we moved to this shidt hole state because of family. 18 years in AK.

Wife said she wants to bring the daughter up to see where she was born and all. Told her if I go, I'll only need a 1 way ticket.

Miss AK as much now as I did the day we flew out

.and Alaska misses you and all others that share your sentiments. For The Great Land...
Still shooting your 480 or do I have you mixed up with another?

It must be just on my phone, on my computer I see mine and yours.

I fell on the sword and did a 1-year tour in Korea to comeback to Alaska. 2008 pcs'ed up here with my family to Ft Richardson, 2013 got my marching orders out of here left Dec 2013 it was a sad day. PCS'ed to Fort Carson, Colorado, everyone oh you will love it is almost like Alaska. We get there and I'm like just like Alaska?? Where's all the trees at? My wife and daughter made it a whopping 10 months before they rang the bell and said we are going back to Alaska. So loaded them up with a U-haul trailer in tow October 2014 drove back up to Alaska. I'm still at Carson, 2016 I call my branch manager asking about Alaska he goes I have nothing for Alaska, but I do have Korea. I go, if I go to Korea can I get back to Alaska, he said he do whatever he had to do get me back to Alaska. I PCS to Korea Dec 21st 2016 (yes I flew to Korea on December 21st) Well, branch manager gets selected for sgm academy , the new branch manager is a good friend of mine. I call him, he goes I got you covered brother you will be put on assignment next week back to Alaska. I got back here Dec 2017, 4 days later I signed into Ft Richardson/JBER Dec 2020 I retired. I don't have plans to leave anytime soon.

Only worked in various locations in Alaska and didn't actually "see" it or experiance it as it was 100% work. Grew up in Idaho and live here now. Unfortunately it's very crowded and basically annexed by Washington and California. I freaking hate it. I hate the ATV and RV people who come here and hate the hoardes of non res hunters and hate the crime and drug abuse. Question is now where do I go? Maybe Siberia?

Sir if you find a decent place to go, PM me and let
me know. After my family being here since the
Republic days, I'm getting close to being ready to
evacuate my own self. I was kinda hoping with the string
of 100° + days we've had, I had hoped many would
get frustrated and start discussing going
"back home"
( lord I have to hear that sh*t all the time " we did this
back home, or that back home. It snows all the time
back home. It's not this hot back home, etc. etc.")

I went outside 15 years ago. Unless it was to Cody, Tulsa, or Vegas, I probably won’t go. I had 4 years on the East coast and that was enough.

You guys (and me) aren't hard-core yet. A guy I grew up with in ND, came up about the same time I did - finally ran into him 30 years later in Fbks at the Sourdough Cafe.

That was 15 years or so ago. I haven't seen him since. He has a lodge up in the Brooks somewhere.

He told me "I try not to go south of the Alaska Range, unless it's Antarctica". He's been there 3 times, including flying his light plane over the South Pole. (Also did the North Pole).

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!

My office in 1975 and 76:

Congrats on your retirement.

I've never been to Alaska and only met 4 people that have, that I know of. Two of them went for vacations and loved it. One lived and worked there for several years. The 4th person hated it, but he didn't go for a vacation. Mr. Rollins was sent there in '41 and stayed until '45. RIP Mr. Rollins.

Having lived previously in Idaho for 3 years I think you will like it there, if I hadn't decided to move back to Ak I would have probably stayed there. I've got 3 kids that live Idaho, 2 in Mtn Home and 1 in Twin Falls so I do get to spend a little time there every now and then. I'm about 4-5 years out from retiring myself and I'm not sure what our plans are for the future but if we move, Idaho is near the top of the list, along with Wyoming and Montana. Good luck and have fun in your retirement.

I get to pull the pin next summer. I'm moving further north where the sub-zero winters keep out all but the hardiest of riff-raff and have no desire to ever go back to the L-48 to live. Although my current boss has kinda twisted my arm into taking him and his wife on a tour of deepest-darkest Appalachia in the next couple years. I figure a fall trip with a ride on the Cass Railroad would be a good trip ending.

Tsavo, what detachment were you last with?

What is your definition of civilization?

No reply, no suprise, most people get civilized confused with malls, theaters, paved roads & the like. Been here awhile and on the rare occasion I travel and would like to do more... people always ask "what is it about Alaska?" Difficult question to answer as its one of those, "if you don't know you won't get it".

Finally came up with answer, "its the most civilized place on the planet".

Usally ends the conversation with some quizzical looks.
Bottom line is, civilized is how people treat each other, more so, how strangers treat each other.

That was reinforced today at Freds, when the clerk engaged me in conversation, asked if I found what I was looking for? And very sincerely let me know that if I can't find something in the store to ask a clerk, he then said, sure we're supposed to say that, but I mean it, and I believe he did.

There are good people wherever you go, but Alaska is different, seen plenty leave and return, they may miss the outdoors stuff, but inevitably they say, "its the people". It would be easy to say they miss their friends, nope that's not it. Its Alaskans they miss, capable. Helpful friendly people operating on a face value basis.

I ain't leaving any time soon.

That's what I tell people also.