State Fair

Alaska 2005 Trip

State Fair

After Denali National Park, I headed south to Palmer, mainly to go to the state fair. I wanted to see the giant veggies - the long summer days in Alaska help to grow very big vegetables that are on display at the state fair. They also had competitions for best baked goods, quilts, jams and other handcrafts. The fair had lots of booths selling stuff - everything from nice jewelry and metalwork to the junky stuff you'd see in an infomercial.

I stayed at the Hatcher Pass B&B one night and Colony Inn the second night. Hatcher Pass B&B has cabins that have a kitchenette where you can make your own breakfast (the mini fridge is stocked with breakfast items). The electric hot plate was Munsey brand, so that was very appropriate. The B&B is just off a pretty busy road but it was quiet. And it is across the street from a convenience store/laundromat if you want to do laundry. The owners of the B&B have a very friendly black lab who likes to hang out by the street, so keep an eye out for her. The B&B is close to Hatcher Pass and Musk Ox Farm.

The B&B wasn't available the second night so I stayed at the Colony Inn, a nice hotel in Palmer. A jazz duo was playing in the lobby/restaurant the night I was there. I heard a lot of Alaskans put down Palmer as just being a big strip mall, and there are lots of stores on the highway, but I actually kind of liked the downtown area of Palmer. Granted, I got there kind of late and not much was open, but it is in a beautiful setting. I walked around a little and ended up at Vagabond Blues, a nice coffee house downtown (642 S. Alaska Street, they don't take credit cards).

Pictures from Palmer.

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