Glenallen and Paxson Alaska

At the foot of the Mount Drum are two towns: Glenallen and Copperville. We stopped and ate at the Caribou Restaurant in Glenallen. Of course we tried their pizza and found it to be good. Here was a vehicle I thought about buying for the boys to ride around in Keepville. Kenton wondered why I didn't just buy it and drive it home.

By the time we stopped to get gas in Paxson I had not seen any cars on the highway for about 20 miles. In Alaska the miles seem to take twice as long. When I filled up the guy on the other side of the pump was from the Meadville Pennsylvania area. The conversation went like this:

He: Where are you from?

Me: Pennsylvania

He: No way! Where in Pennsylvania?

Me: Western Pennsylvania.

He: No way! Where in Western Pennsylvania?

Me: Northwestern Pennsylvania.

He: No Way! Where in northwestern Pennsylvania?

Me: Up near Erie.

He: No I mean what town!

Me: Near Meadville.

He: No way! What town?

Me: Oh one you never heard of.

He: No... what town?

Me: Keepville near Albion.

He: (Chuckles) I am from a little town near Meadville as well.

Me: No way! Which one?

He: Oh one you never heard of.

Me: OK what one?

He: Blooming Valley - Townville.

Me: No way! My mom's side of the family are from Bloomingvalley - Townville.

We live 30 minutes from each other and had never seen each other until we met in Paxson Alaska. If you blink, you miss the gas station....and Paxson. Here he is.

Paxson lies along Paxson Lake at Mile 185 of the Richardson Highway, at its intersection with the Denali Highway. Paxson has about 40 residents. The primary residents of Paxson are state highway maintenance personnel and their families. The others run a gas station and a couple of lodges. January temperatures average from minus 22 to minus 42; July temperatures average only from 50 to 72. Annual precipitation is 11.3 inches. This area has been a testing site for snow machine(snowmobile) companies for the past several years. This small town in the middle of nowhere is home to the Arctic Man snow machine festival, where insane guys jump snowmobiles hundreds of feet and do crazy things on them. ( I would love to try it.)

A typical scene every 50 miles - Souped up outhouse - otherwise known as rest areas. They are concrete and there is no TP provided. I did see a few catalogs on the floor. I passed and waited for another 80 miles till we landed in Delta Junction.

Summit Lake just below where the Arctic Man Snow-machine festival is held.

.....and the spot where they hold the competition.