We didn’t plan on being in Anchorage, Alaska in October, but that is where the winds of democracy have carried us. We arrived last week to work on the senate campaign of Dr. Al Gross (Independent), known locally as “The Bear Doctor”.
Our original plan was to be in Maine right now working on Sara Gideon’s close race against Senator Susan Collins. We looked forward to exploring the Northeast during the “leaf-peeping” season in conjunction with our political efforts. But after learning there would be no campaign headquarters for volunteers, the exorbitant prices for Airbnbs, and a long flight from Seattle, we scratched that plan.
Our contact at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in Washington D.C, who has been guiding us on where we could do the most good, suggested we go to Alaska! They did have campaign offices open for volunteers and would be running a more traditional campaign - plus they told her they could use our help in person.
We weren’t very keen on the idea at first. And since we’d decided not to spend the money, or take the risk of flying from Seattle to faraway states like Maine and North Carolina, we committed to house-sit (or rather, house-borrow) for dear friends in Seattle who were traveling. And then, (courtesy of those very same friends) move into their Sun Valley, Idaho home for the month of September.
A far cry from our usual Airbnb. This is the living room of our friend’s home in Sun Valley where we spent the month of September.
We said we’d think about it. Meanwhile, we did our best to make a difference while we were in Seattle and Sun Valley. We continued to write hand-written notes to voters in North Carolina encouraging them to vote and support our candidates. Then we joined Vote Forward’s non-partisan letter-writing campaign to encourage folks who have been identified as unlikely to vote. We did our best to coax voters in Florida and Texas to the polls in this crucial election year.
Personalized Vote Forward letters to unlikely voters in Texas and Florida. Sign up to write a few yourself! They are completely non-partisan.
We became well-known at the little Sun Valley post office where every few days we’d bring in a batch of colorful note cards for stamps. Then we’d packaged them up to send off to North Carolina to be mailed from there. Altogether we wrote to 400 registered NC Democrats.
One of several packages full of hand-written notes to voters in North Carolina. We adopted NC as the state we’d volunteer to write for because our own state of Washington does not have a senate race in 2020. . Plus our lovely daughter-in-law Jenny is a North Carolinian. And of course, the senate race there is tight!
Our Vote Forward letters will be posted along with millions of others in all 50 states on October 17th. If you are interested in working on that effort it’s easy to sign up at voteforward.org and get your own list of names to write to!
There was plenty to do, indoors and out. We got through three large jigsaw puzzles and enjoyed a Sunday church service outdoors (bring your own chairs). And walked for miles.
In between bursts of letter writing, we enjoyed exploring Sun Valley, America’s oldest, and most famous ski resort. Sun Valley is the home of the first chairlift, the birthplace of the family ski vacation, and the last home and resting place of Ernest Hemingway. Ketchum is the main town with the more practical, but equally pleasant city of Hailey just ten miles down the road. Hailey also boasts an Airport serviced by Alaska Airlines and a few others. We chose to fly into Boise, Idaho, where we rented a car. The three hour drive over the Sawtooth Mountain pass is beautiful - especially this time of year
A shot from the car window on a day trip to Stanley - there was no end to the beautiful scenery flashing by.
In and around Sun Valley there are dozens of trails for hiking and biking, some along the Big Wood River, where fly-fishing was in full swing. From almost anywhere you can see vast ski-runs carved in the mountains that loom over the town. There are also plenty of golf courses, and plenty of massive lodge-sized homes to go along with them. If there is one thing deeper here than snow in January, it’s money. The average cost of living in this rarefied air is 72% higher than the national average and the median home price is $798,000.
This is the view from our road as we drive into Ketchum. Every single vantage point - from the car, the trail or the big windows in the house was captivating.
We were fortunate to “live-the-life” for an entire month without housing costs. A nice change from our usual Senior Nomad budget-conscious existence. We decided to avoid the virus by not dining out, and since I had everything I needed in our fully stocked gourmet kitchen, we didn’t scrimp on ingredients or wine upgrades. I had a grand time trying new dishes and baking things I could leave behind in the freezer for our friends.
There was food for the soul, too. We walked for hours during crisp, sunny autumn afternoons while listening to podcasts, got through three jigsaw puzzles, played games, read to our heart's content, and marveled at the Elk that showed up most evenings off our back deck to nibble on the nightly special served up by the meadow.
Elk just off the deck and in the meadow just beyond the yard. They were so calm and majestic.
Towards the end of August, we were able to speak to the campaign director for Dr. Al Gross in Alaska. After learning more about the exciting situation up there and how we could help, we agreed to head to the “Last Frontier”, and stay until the first of November. Mostly because we wanted to keep ourselves distracted right up to the election, - and also because the race between Dr. Al Gross and the incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan was heating up. We learned we needed COVID tests before we arrived in Alaska so that was the next step.
Considering all the advice and admonitions to get tested the minute you think you’ve been exposed to COVID, or may have symptoms, or like us, need proof for travel - finding a testing site is not as easy as finding a McDonald’s drive-through. And it’s not cheap. When we tried to get tested in Billings, Montana we were turned away (even though we had a doctor’s order) because we didn’t have symptoms. If we had been tested the cost was $100 each. Luckily, we didn’t need the test at that time so we didn’t follow through.
In Sun Valley we finally found an urgent care clinic in Hailey that could provide the test for $140 each. Since no free tests were available (at least that we could find) we really didn’t have a choice. It just made me wonder how seniors and the unemployed and uninsured citizens are supposed to find easy affordable access? Fortunately, Michael's test was covered by Medicare. Mine had a co-pay of $60 - way better than the $280 we’d anticipated.
Now that we had appointments, we were more than a little anxious about having our brains tickled with a chopstick. Thankfully the test we were given was far less uncomfortable than those initial, more invasive tests. Our gentle technician just twirled a Q-tip sized swab in each nostril for a few seconds.
The test was a bit uncomfortable, but at least it wasn’t the really long stick that everyone said feels like your brain is being scraped!
The state of Alaska allows entry as long as you’ve registered on their official travelers site and have proof you’ve had a COVID test within 72 hours of arrival. If you don’t have the results, they trust you to post them on the website the minute you have them. They also strongly request that you quarantine until then, and have a second test within seven days of arrival. Our first tests were negative. We had our second tests a couple of days ago at a drive-through facility - challenging since we don’t have a car, but they had us stand to the side and gave us the same “twirl” test we’d had a few days before. The good news is it was free, and we can have as many as we feel we need while we are here. Once we get our test results, assuming they are negative, we can begin work at the campaign office.
There are beautiful views and stunning fall colors here in Anchorage, too! And a network of really nice trails starts just across the road from our Airbnb. They are more things to watch for on the trails here, however! Mind the moose!
The race here is an interesting one! Dr. Al Gross is an Orthopedic Surgeon, a former commercial fisherman, a dyed-in-the-wool outdoors-loving Alaskan - and as I mentioned before, he’s taken down a Grizzly in self-defense. He’s running against an incumbent Republican who is a bit of a snore in comparison. This off-beat, refreshingly non-negative television commercial will give you some insight as to why we support this Independent candidate:
We are looking forward to working with the team here - and they may enlist Michael as a Ballot Chaser. I don’t think it involves dogsleds, but I do think it involves going to some remote places by SUV to collect ballots before election day.
One of our blessings is that we can make any place home as long as we continue to be curious travelers, have our health, and are still in love! ALERT: 42nd Anniversary coming up Oct. 14th
We found a cozy little Airbnb that has brought us back to down to earth. It’s warm and comfortable and we are just as happy here as anywhere - that’s the beauty of our lifestyle. We’ll look forward to exploring this part of the world and we’ll keep you posted during our stay.
As always, thanks for following along, and please VOTE as if your life depended on it,
Debbie and Michael Campbell
The Senior Nomads
P.S. If you are considering an Airbnb stay for a change of scenery, click here and receive $35. off your first stay. And you are interested in how we became Senior Nomads, you can purchase our book Your Keys, Our Home here.