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wasilla alaska

Iditarod 40: Parking in Willow

March 1, 2012 by robertforto 3 Comments

At yesterday’s media briefing for the Iditarod they urged us to get the word out about the potential parking problem at the Iditarod re-start in Willow.

Living in Willow I know what to expect. Not only do we have tons of snow here but in this small village of just 2,500 people, parking is at a premium.

The re-start takes place on Willow Lake at the Community Center at about Mile Marker 70 on the Parks Highway. It is approximately an hour and a half drive from Anchorage without too much traffic.

The community center has very little parking and there will be a parking lot across the highway. This is a paid lot so be prepared with cash. It is several hundred yards to the lake from this parking lot so wear warm clothing and be prepared to walk.

Get there as early as possible. The race starts at 2 pm with the first musher going out and continues on every two minutes. The last dog team will leave Willow sometime after 4 pm. I would suggest arriving well before noon as the parking lots will likely be full by 12:30 at the latest.

The Alaska State Troopers have said that they will not allow anyone to park along the highway under any circumstances.

There are very few choices for food in the Willow area. We have a convenience store, Townsite Food Market, the Willow Trading Post and I am sure there will be vendors at the community center that sell fast food items like hot dogs and coffee. The closest sit down restaurant besides the Willow Trading Post (which is rather small) is the Houston Lodge about 12 miles to the south.

If you do drive to Willow, be prepared to spend a long time heading to and from the race start. In some years traffic has been backed up all the way to Houston and you could potentially miss the race if you don’t plan accordingly.

After the race start is over it is the same. Last year traffic was diverted for over four miles in order to increase flow. It took me two hours to drive from the Community Center to my house which is just about five miles away.

There will be shuttle service to Willow and I highly recommend that.

Here is the schedule:

2012 WILLOW RESTART SHUTTLE BUS SCHEDULE

This year with a close to record snowfall amount, we strongly encourage Willow Restart press, media, volunteers, and spectators to take one of the Willow Restart shuttle buses (see schedule below).   In Willow snow depths are reaching 10’+ and the narrow roads are even narrower, and the parking less than before.  So, we are encouraging Restart attendees to take a shuttle or at least car pool to help ease the parking issue as well as help to ease the congestion of traffic on the road and getting into and out of parking lots.

We hope everyone can help us spread this very important message. 

Anchorage Millennium Hotel:  Volunteer tickets $10 roundtrip, Spectator tickets $20 roundtrip, both can be purchased at Volunteer Registration Desk in the Millennium Hotel

Buses Depart Millennium Hotel:  8:00 AM – volunteer bus, 9:30 AM – volunteers and spectators, 11:00 AM – spectators

Buses Depart Willow for Millennium Hotel:  4:00 PM, 5:00 PM and 6:00 PM

Wasilla:   Adults $2.00 roundtrip and children under 12 free.

Buses Depart Wasilla High School: 11:00 AM, 11:30 AM, 12:00 PM, 12:15 PM, 12:30 PM, 12:45 PM, and 1:00 PM

Buses Depart Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center:  11:00 AM, 11:30 AM, and 12:00 P

Volunteers can catch a bus leaving the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center at 9:00 AM

Houston:  Adults $2.00 roundtrip and children under 12 free.

 Buses Depart Houston High School: 11:00 AM, 11:30 AM, 12:00 PM and 12:30 PM

Buses Depart from Willow to Houston – Curtis D. Menard Sports Center – Wasilla High School:

4:00 PM, 5:00 PM, and 6:00 PM

ALL return shuttles will make stops at Houston – Curtis D. Menard Sports Center – Wasilla High School

Talkeetna:  Adults $2.00 roundtrip and children under 12 free.

Buses Depart Talkeetna Sunshine Restaurant: 11:00 AM and 12:00 PM

Buses Depart from Willow for Talkeetna Sunshine Restaurant: 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM

I will be covering the Iditarod everyday on my website and on the radio. Please listen in. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and check in with me on Foursquare.

 

Related articles
  • Hobo Jim at Willow Trading Post (robertforto.com)
  • Iditarod Prep (dogworksradio.com)
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Filed Under: Alaska, Daily Post, Iditarod 40 Tagged With: Alaska State Troopers, Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center, houston, Iditarod, Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, wasilla alaska, Willow, willow community center, willow lake

McDonalds as the Microcosm of America

May 8, 2011 by robertforto Leave a Comment

Its 5:53 pm on Mothers Day. While most of America is sitting down to dinner to celebrate the mother, or possibly mother in-law in their life over a fine feast that the “men” prepared most likely involving an open flame…

I’m sitting here in Wasilly, Alaska at McDonalds. Yep, here in the town that Sarah built they DO have a McDonalds and to show our craze for the sport of dog sledding there is a full size Iditarod sled displayed promenantly in the middle if the restaurant.

On the walls there are dog sledding murals, etched glass and even a feed/drop bag or two from the race.

But the decor of this corporate behemoth is not the subject of this blog.

It’s the people that are here. That’s the real story of small town America.

As you may know, I don’t eat alone at restaurants. I think it’s creepy and weird for a middle aged man to sit and enjoy a three course meal alone talking to himself.

At this Mickey D’s they have some of those high boy tables and thats where I’m positioned enjoying a large fry and a Barq’s Root Beer.

Since Mcdonalds started competing head to head with Starbucks a couple years ago serving lattes, gourmet oatmeal, bastardized coffee shakes, and WiFi, the the kid friendly arches are a distant memory.

As I look around I see no mention of clowns, hamburglers or Grimaces. Special birthday party rooms with balloons and orange drink served in large coolers and an included cake are long gone. It goes against the new image of the chain, so I am told. Morgan Spurlock’s Super-size Me almost brought this chain down to its knees and maybe it was for the better. I don’t know…

I see a well lit place where people come to work in silence on their laptops and smartphones on the free WiFi that broadcasts Al Gore’s Internet to the far reaches of the parking lot and the marquee on the sign that is advertising strawberry lemonade.

While I’m pecking away on my iPad in the corner, across the way from me I see a couple sitting across from each other with their laptops head to head. It reminds me of that old Battleship game.

The lady is wearing a Jelly Belly’s hat with enough pins on it to require a neck workout and the man is dressed in Carhart’s and Crocs. This is the “uniform” of many of Alaskans as we survived break-up and now heading into summer.

On their computer screens is a game of Farmville and what looks like Yahoo Messenger. I assume they are playing together but not a word is said.

At the other end of the restaurant sits what looks like a homeless man. He has a large back pack and is quite dirty. As he stood to visit the restroom I counted no less than four knives of various sizes strapped to his belt. One of them a Rambo-style survival knife. You don’t see that Outside.

There is a steady stream of walk in traffic, most of them ordering chocolate dipped cones that Dairy Queen is famous for. I have never seen a McDonalds sell these anywhere else. Maybe with a DQ right next door that has something to do with it.

The walk in traffic is wearing everything. From parkas and gloves (must not be from around here) to a middle aged woman in skinny jeans and flip-flops. Most, if not all, the men have some form of facial hair and the kids all are wearing ball caps. Every one seems to have a smile on their face even with the higher prices in Alaska.

Here a Big Mac extra value meal is $6.39.

But what peaks my interest is the crew of the restaurant. There are at least 20 people buzzing around in red, purple, black, and even blue colored shirts and at least two guys in neck ties. I hear questions asked to the “management” by the lesser rank and file and hear mickey-speak like the cashier yelling back to the cook: chicken up minus tom extra mayo.

What I also find fascinating is how often these guys look up at the monitors of the orders that are in progress as they put fries and cups and apple pies on the trays. One can not help but wonder why do these guys need to reference this monitor so often? It’s only three items guys and they are all within hands-reach of each other.

But what is perplexing is in the dinning area there is me and the other patrons that I mentioned above and no one else. How does this place support the payroll of 20 workers?

Last summer I saw an ad in the local paper advertising jobs at this McDonalds paying $14.00 dollars an hour to start! That’s a payroll of $280.00 dollars an hour for this crew if everyone was just making the minimum.

So, as a finish my fries and take my last swig of root beer I ask myself; as we travel through life how often do we take our surroundings for granted and fail to look around.

At least I try to every chance I can because you never know when the roses will be gone…

Filed Under: Alaska, Daily Post Tagged With: alaska, americana, McDonalds, postaday2011, robert forto, wasilla alaska

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