Christmas at The Saloon

Wow, where has the autumn gone? Seems like I've "fallen" behind. That was a pun intended! Fall went through here like Aunt Mary's stew goes through...well, never mind about that. Just don't order Aunt Mary's stew anytime you're here. She doesn't visit all that often but when she does, she likes to cook and, well, she ain't all that great a cook. Laura tries to keep her out of the kitchen, but sometimes it's just impossible. Not that Aunt Mary can't cook, mind you. Just that her recipes are somewhat, well, spicy or something. Just leave it at that.


Snow is falling leaving that beautiful white blanket on the landscape. The first few snows bring the beauty of Alaska to all and we relish the absolute quiet and tranquility of the Saloon and Inn. Nothing to break the peacefulness except the call of a moose or a bird or the occasional screech owl. The winter guests haven't arrived yet, and nothing like laying in front of the stone fireplace with my sweetheart and the cat, all kind of cuddling and enjoying a warm evening of relaxation. A cup of Irish coffee is nice on an evening like this too. Makes it all that much more special.


Guests will be arriving soon and the Sno-Cat needs some minor work. I didn't mention but we got one heck of a deal on a used Sno-Cat this summer. A fellow down in Fairbanks had one that he needed to part with; needed some cash more than the vehicle, so we bought it relatively cheap. Gas engine and fully tracked, it should be a big help in getting the groceries and guests in this winter. It was originally used to groom roads or trails somewhere, but the grooming equipment had been removed, and it has a large platform on back for supplies and a cab big enough for 4 people. Or one person and Aunt Mary. Hmm..did I mention about not eating Aunt Mary's stew?

We've decorated the outside of the Saloon with the latest in lighting. The new LED lights that use little electricity. That made great sense as electricity is tough to come by out here. Our generator system is big enough to light up a small city, but we use it sparingly as it's for stand-by use only, as we now have big-city power. Well, big-city is a misnomer as Mukluk Power and Light is not big-city at all, and sometimes we think it's two hamsters running on wheels in a small concrete building near Fairbanks Highway. That aside, it is relatively reliable and keeps the lights on most of the time.

Our Christmas tree is beautiful. Laura picked it out and it is just huge! About 11 feet tall and rivals the National Christmas Tree in beauty. We shook the snow off and dragged it all the way home behind the Sno-Cat on a sled. Put it up in the main lodge area and decorated it with tons of lights and ornaments and a giant star on top. Montgomery, our cat, keeps swatting the ornaments off as he delights in watching them fly across the room. We give him an ornament to play with and he ignores it, and just goes after another one more to his liking. Just like a cat I suppose.

Speaking of which, he is starting to look like the bears, packing on some weight and prepared to hibernate for the winter. He has taken to sleeping on top of our legs at night, and trying to move with a huge cat on you as you wake is sometimes difficult. It's something new for him, maybe has something to do with the cold weather coming in. The moose have no intention of hibernating, however, as we see them daily, walking across the road and near the back porch. Hard to keep them away from the back door; I suppose they smell the food. Maybe if we let them have some of Aunt Mary's stew? I think the Alaska Wildlife Troopers would consider that a felony however.

At least the mosquitoes are gone. This years crop of mosquitoes was really bad. One landed on the road and a guest, trying to be helpful, loaded on two barrels of gasoline and was going to help other guests on board before he realized it was a mosquito! LOL. Just kidding, but they are huge. Mosquito netting is a must to avoid having your blood drained at will by these creatures. The cold drives them to death and or hibernation but in the spring they will be back again. Something to look forward to, along with the mud. Speaking of mud, I'll have to look at the Jeep and see how far it's sunk again. We'll never get it out so we just leave it there as a tourist attraction. Maybe we'll plant flowers on it in the spring!

So, as Christmas nears, it will be quiet here at the Saloon. In the spirit of the holiday, we want to wish you all a wonderful holiday season, no matter which holiday you celebrate. Be it Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas or any holiday at all, we at the Wild Moose Saloon wish you and yours a Happy, Healthy Holiday Season, and all the best for a Wonderful New Year filled with love, peace and hope.

Summer is Amost Over

Wow...where has the time gone? It's almost Labor Day and we've been so busy working on the Wild Moose that we've had little time to attend to our blog. Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa, meaning my fault in Latin. I know I should be more attentive, but the beauty and giddiness of nature in the summer, when the ground is soft and squishy, just makes me lose all track of time.

The Land Rover is mired more than axle deep in the mud, and the boss lady says we have to dig it out before the cold comes along. She's right, because way out yonder is a 1977 Jeep Grand Cherokee that we haven't actually seen for some years. It got rather buried in the tundra and then froze, so we couldn't pull it out, and I decided to let it set for the winter. Bad move, very bad. Then the spring thaw came, and it was mired deeper, and I procrastinated getting it out with a Cat or something ,and it sunk even deeper. So, there it sits, about half in and half out of the ground, useless except as a tourist attraction, perhaps. "Come and see how we grow Jeeps in Alaska!" Hmm, even the folks from back east won't fall for that one. Will they?

It has been a fine summer. Some rain, some beautiful days, some fog and most of all decent temperatures. Got a chance to go down to the lower 48 to visit some folks and realized how crowded it really is down there. Gets more so every time we go. Most of the wildlife is penned up in a zoo or driving on the freeways. Hard to tell which is which sometimes, as the way they drive, you'd sure think they were animals.

Big story up here is the loss of our Governor, Sarah Palin. We thought she was going to stick around and then run for President in 2012, but who knows now that she quit. Lots of buzzing about what goes on over there but not many of us up here care a whole lot. Juneau is a whole state away (actually, a few Rhode Islands and a New Jersey or two away in distance) and we don't much care for the political arena over there anyway.

We were hoping for a bailout up here. Thought the government was going to send people to help us get the basement dry after the main water line from the well sprung a leak. But no dice. Called Washington and spoke with some people there, and they told me to bail myself out. Ain't that the government way? Bail out the banks, AIG, Chrysler and GM, and Wall Street, but let the little guy be swimming up to his neck in deep water, and they tell me to bail myself out. Yet they used MY tax money to bail everyone else out. Now I don't have a bucket or a window to throw it out of.

Luckily we did get a big sump pump and what's called an eductor to get it all out, and some fans to dry it. It will be fine, but we'll know better than ask for any help in the future. Gotta do it all ourselves up here. Like the man says...It's Tougher in Alaska.!

Penguins at The Saloon

I am truly disappointed. Here we are in the cold, frigid outreaches of Alaska, home of Sarah Palin and all that's right with America, and there are no penguins. That's right, no penguins! I just found out that regardless of how much I wanted penguins, there just won't be any of those wonderful creatures waddling around the Wild Moose this coming, or any other, winter!

Yes, I know penguins are not indigenous or native to Alaska, and only are found in the Antarctic and not the Arctic. But we wanted them HERE. So, we petitioned to have a few hundred transferred here to the Saloon and Inn this coming winter for everyone to enjoy their antics. But no, the Fish and Wildlife folks nixed the idea in a minute. Said it wasn't their natural habitat and wasn't safe to have them here. We countered that this isn't a natural habitat nor safe for humans, either, yet we're here. That argument fell on deaf ears. Or maybe just ears covered with earmuffs, which we did think was strange, since it's summer and 74 degrees today.

We decided to go higher up the food chain, and ask Juneau what they thought about this situation. Unfortunately, someone there told us we should be more reverent about the nuns at the Sisters of the Holy Mackerel Convent, and to quit being a pest. I don't think they had the gist of the conversation as those were not the penguins we were speaking of, not that the kind sisters don't dress in similar garb. So, we put a call in to the Governor for assistance. That too was a disaster.

Seems Governor Palin was busy preparing for her run at the White House in 2012 and penguins were just not all that important on the agenda. She left us a message telling us if we wanted to build some sort of bridge to Antarctica, she could meet with us, but didn't think we'd be able to transport the penguins to Alaska in any case. She also told us she offered to take President Obama and Vice President Biden hunting, as Dick Cheney and her were going on a hunting trip soon. We decided we'd just let the penguin issue drop for the time being and forget the conversation altogether. Best for everyone concerned.

So, if you decide to visit us, don't expect any penguins anytime soon. Even though we do have a room we call the penguin room, it's just a facade. Sorry, but some dreams just don't end up warm and fuzzy as planned.

Musings from Behind the Bar

On the very long summer nights...or shall we call them days. Heck, there are no nights anymore, I suppose. I get rather confused. Laura keeps telling me it's nighttime even though it's daylight; I get up when it's night and think it's day when it's still night. Here it is just the beginning of our 24 hours daylight period, and I'm longing for the dreariness of the short winter days again. I know, I know, that's sort of crazy, but I've grown accustomed to being kept in the dark.

Hmm, that's sort of like the last job I worked. Being treated like a mushroom. Kept in the dark and fed bulls**t all the time. That's why I'm not there any more. There's no bull around here, unless it's a bull moose, anyway. Well, sometimes the things I hear at the bar sound like bull, but who am I to judge? The best quality of a good barkeep is to listen without judging, and to smile knowingly a lot.

Anyway...I digress from the long summer nights. Working at the saloon is good for the body and the soul. The trip to re-stock the larder with food and drink is an arduous task in the winter, mostly due to snow and the bone-chilling cold, but in the summer we're slowed down by the mud. Hard to navigate even with the four wheel drive, and trying to clean it off is like prying dried cement loose. By July the only thing not covered with two inches of mud will be a small place in the windshield and the side view mirror...unless another moose decides to rub his head on that, and then we'll have no mirror again this year. When we can, supplies come in via float plane at the small lake, and we motor down with the 4X4 to get them. On occasion, guests actually truck supplies in for us, and we trade time at the inn for their haul time, a good exchange in these parts. Works great for the two with Sno-Cats in the winter, as they haul sleds and can bring several weeks of goods at one time.

There I go, digressing again. I do that a lot here. Lack of sleep, I suppose. Did I mention we have 24 hours of daylight? And how hard it is to sleep during the day, even if it is night? I did, didn't I? Hmm, repetition is the sincerest form of flattery. Or is that imitation. Good Grief..I better quit while I'm behind and go to bed.

Eskimo Ice Cream - Akutaq

Akutaq - Eskimo Ice Cream History

The native people of Alaska have a distinct version of ice cream. It's not creamy ice cream as we know it, but a concoction made from reindeer fat or tallow, seal oil, freshly fallen snow or water, fresh berries, and sometimes ground fish. Air is whipped in by hand so that it slowly cools into foam. They call this Arctic treat akutaq, aqutuk, ackutuk, or Eskimo ice cream. Akutaq is a Yupik word that means mix them together.

This is a delicacy that Alaska Natives have thrived on for thousands of years. This recipe was made by Natives a long, long time ago for survival and was used as a special traveling food. When hunters went out to go hunting, they brought along akutaq.

Akutaq can also be made with moose meat and fat, caribou meat and fat, fish, seal oil, berries and other Alaskan things. Women traditionally made akutaq after the first catch of a polar bear or seal. Traditionally it was always made for funerals, potlatches, celebrations of a boy's first hunt, or almost any other celebration. It is eaten as a dessert, a meal, a snack, or a spread.

Today, Eskimo ice cream is usually made with Crisco shortening instead of tallow and with raisins and sugar sometimes added. The region of Alaska lived in usually determines what berry is used, and each family usually has their favorite recipe for Eskimo ice cream. It is said that your choice of berries used in making Eskimo ice cream is a lifetime decision. It is okay to eat any flavor made by others, but if you are caught making more than one kind, you will lose all social standing.

The people of the Arctic love to serve their favorite dish to cheechakos (newcomers in Alaska). When guests are willing to try their favorite foods, the Inuits feel pride at sharing their culture. At first, the host might be shy to offer any of their food for fear of rejection. If you are a guest and are offered some (you will probably be served first as a guest), at least try a small amount. Please do not express any "yucks" or other words of ridicule. If you really cannot bring yourself to eat this unusual food, accept the serving and find the oldest person in the room and offer the food to him or her. This will show that you have good manners, if not good taste, and that you respect your elders. Then quickly grab a plate and fill it with things that you can eat. Most people who try Eskimo ice cream say it is delicious!

Food is the connector to everything that surrounds the Inuit culture. Each celebration includes a huge feast, as they believe that food tastes better when it is shared with family, relative, and many other people. Feasts are very special because they believe sharing food is an important part of their culture and an important link to their heritage. In community feasts, where everyone gathers in a public place, all food is donated by those who have food to give. In bigger communities, designated hunters provide much of the food.

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Akutaq Recipe

This was a very hard recipe to record, as each family usually has its own version and usually has never written it down in an actual recipe. They generally just make it from memory and feel. After reading several descriptions on how to make Akutaq, I came up the the following recipe. I have never, personally, made the following recipe.

The type of fat used determines how the Akutaq will taste and feel, as each animal has a different type of fat. Well-aged yellow fat is usually preferred because it has more flavor and whips up fluffier than does fresh fat. The ice cream can also be sweetened with sweetener or with fruits. Meat and fish Akutaq are not usually sweetened.

1 cup reindeer, caribou, or moose fat (back fat)
1 cup seal oil, divided
1/2 cup water or 2 cups loose snow
4 1/2 cups fresh berries (blueberries, cloudberries, cranberries, salmonberries, or blackberries)

Grate or grind fat into small pieces. In a large pot over low heat, add fat and stir until it becomes a liquid (the fat should never get hotter than it is comfortable to your hand). Add 1/3 cup seal oil, mixing until it is all liquid. Remove from heat and continue stirring the fat in big circles.

While continuing to stir at a steady rate, add 1/4 cup water or 1 cup snow and another 1/3 cup seal oil. As fat slowly cools and starts to get fluffy and white, add remaining 1/4 cup water or 1 cup snow and remaining 1/3 cup seal oil, continuing to stir.

When the Akutaq is as white and fluffy as you can make it, fold in berries. Form into desired shape.

Cover and freeze to firm up.

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Modern Eskimo Ice Cream

1 cup solid vegetable shortening*
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water, berry juice, or 2 cups loose snow (optional)
4 cups fresh berries, (blueberries, cloudberries, cranberries, salmon berries, or blackberries)

* Crisco solid vegetable shortening is preferred

In a large bowl, cream vegetable shortening and sugar until fluffy. Add water, berry juice, or snow and beat until well combined. Fold in berries, 1 cup at a time, until blended.

Place in freezer to firm up before serving.

Thanks to: http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/Akutaq_EskimoIceCream.htm

Akutaq - Eskimo Ice Cream

Another Recipe

Fish (white fish, pike, or salmon) 3 to 4 pounds, cleaned, deboned, and, if frozen, thawed.
Crisco/lard
Vegetable oil
Sugar
Berries (blue berries, salmon berries, cranberries, etc.) 1/2 gallon to a gallon


Chop the fish into chunks and place the fish into a large pot. Fill the pot of fish with water to cover fish. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer twenty minutes or until fully cooked. Allow to cool.

Place fish in a large bowl, squeezing out the water as you do so, and crumble into small pieces.

Take at least two large scoops of Crisco with your hand and add it to the fish. Stir it up with your hand for at least three to five minutes, or until the fish is mixed well with the Crisco. Add additional Crisco as needed for the fish and Crisco to blend together smoothly

Add about a cup of the vegetable oil, and continue stirring until the mixture is creamy. If it's not getting creamy in consistency, add a little more vegetable oil.

Whip it up with your hand until it gets fluffy.

Pour at least a cup of sugar into the mixture and stir until all the sugar dissolves. Then add another cup of sugar to the mixture and stir until that also dissolves. Add additional sugar to taste.

Add lots of berries to the mixture and stir it up or mix by hand.

The akutaq is ready to eat. Keep it refrigerated.

June Cometh in Alaska

Summer is here in Alaska come June. Time to plant the hardier flowers and hope that it doesn't snow any more, although we occasionally have snow as late as mid June. Not frequently, but it does happen; we also hope the last frost will be past in the next week or so, as the more fragile plants are waiting for that time to be planted, to come to their full glory in about 6 weeks or so.

It's daylight 24 hours a day. That's a refreshing change from winter, when it goes from dark to a sort of twilight, then back to dark again.

Winter games and hunting are over and the time is right for midnight ball games and of course, everyone's favorite, drinking and carousing at the Saloon. That never changes, regardless of season. It seems odd at first to step outside and see it's just as light at 2 AM, our closing time, as it was at 10:00 PM when you came in. At least to newcomers who are not used to the daylight. For some it makes sleeping difficult too, although we do "hear by the grapevine" that after a rather full evening of food and drink, some have no trouble sleeping at all. 'nuff said about that!

Note: State Liquor Law allows service from 8 AM to 5 AM but we close service at 2 AM because we can't stay awake any longer. We'd rather be honest why we close the bar, than tell you any law requires it. We can't sell alcohol on election days until the polls close. That's funny as we're the only ones here who vote, so there's nobody to bribe with a whiskey, which was the original reason for the service establishments closing on election days. We tried to vote by mail, but the cost to ship me to Fairbanks to vote was so expensive that we decided it just wasn't worth it. Plus, have you ever been shipped anywhere by UPS? Man, do they know how to drop kick a package all over. Now I know why our stuff looks like it was dropped from 10,000 feet when it arrives! (We do know about vote by mail. Now I just get in the mail truck and ride to Fairbanks like everyone else to vote, thank you!)

I do miss the Northern Lights, which, of course, are not visible in the summer. When I lived in the northeast part of the lower 48, I once chased what I thought would be the Northern Lights for miles, only to find it was a shopping center. Talk about disappointment! Of course, everyone talked about going to the Northern Lights and it was only natural...but that's another story altogether. Just leave it that I still find disappointment to this day when I realized how I was duped into traveling to find nothing spectacular at the end of that drive!

Of course, as previously mentioned, the mosquitoes are back, and yesterday I saw one that looked like a DeHavilland Twin Otter coming in for a landing. Huge and winging low with a growl instead of a buzz. We've installed some of the blue light type mosquito traps that electrocute the mosquitoes around the porch, and when one hits the grid they don't make the usual "zzit" sound. It sounds like a lightning strike and a thud! I swear the lights flicker from the juice it takes to kill one of those things, but the guests do seem to appreciate our efforts to create a bug free zone. Laura did have to remind one guest that it was not our evening barbecue they were smelling, as the glassy eyed guest had a plate in his hand and was looking hungrily at the trap. Good grief!

Spring at the Saloon

Spring has come and will give way to summer shortly, as the bitter cold is slowly giving way to, well, just plain cold. The earth below our feet, once covered in white cold snow, has started to turn wet and soggy as the tundra gets into its' usual state of "bogginess" on top of the permafrost. Shortly, all around will be the worlds' biggest mud bog, attended by mosquitoes so large, that when we first got here, one landed and we attempted to load aviation fuel on, and board passengers, before we realized it wasn't a bush plane! (No wonder the passengers were so darned reluctant to get aboard. The pilot really was a blood sucking creature!) Come to think about it, some have ascribed that statement to the airlines and the overall cost of flying up here from the lower 48 anyway!)

We do everything really big up here in Alaska. You know, those Texans think they do things big, but our Texas size donuts are about the size of a postage stamp. You could hide Texas in a corner of Alaska and never find it until the snow melted! If the snow melted, that is! We do have some things they don't, such as Eskimo ice cream, a local delicacy, and other foods that we were marginally aware of until the Saloon became a virtual reality. We'll post the recipe along with others as time permits.

Our Inn

Our Inn is located about 500 miles from nowhere, according to many people who try and find us, but about a hundred miles from Fairbanks and a bit more than that from Anchorage would be a better description. We're a ways off Highway 3, the road leading to the Denali National Park. That said, the road to here is rather difficult and many guests arrive via float plane on a nearby lake, or in winter via snowmobile; in fact, we have several guests who actually own Snow-Cats. That's how much they enjoy the hospitality at the Wild Moose Saloon.

How we got our name is a long story. Actually, we don't remember all the finer details, but it has to do with a large bull moose, an open door on the enclosed porch, some of Laura's cooking and trying to drive the poor confused creature back out into the woods. Or, trying to get out ourselves, whichever came first. Luckily, the moose was the first to exit, without much damage, and the joke was that the place looked like it was run through by a wild moose. Well, the name just kind of stuck, and as time went on, here we are, still with it. And, come to think of it, looking at our logo, we've seen some of us look just about like that moose, after a long evening of tipping some of our finer brews and whiskeys!

Welcome to the Wild Moose Saloon!

A warm welcome to all our friends, guests and patrons to our new website. It sure has been a long and cold winter here at the Inn, with lots of snow and ice to cover the ground outside, and much warmth and cheer inside. Laura has been cooking her famous Irish meals and along with some good ol' Alaskan food and drink, we've managed to keep a relatively full house even with the difficult weather.

Montgomery welcomes each guest with his usual snarl. For quite some time, we thought he was an ordinary cat, until he accidentally delivered what was a most savage bite to a patron one afternoon, almost severing a limb. It was then we realized that gray cats just don't get that big, and the cute "meow" was actually a snarl, and his penchant for eating everything in sight was getting to mean everyone in sight as well. So, we keep him well fed before we feed the guests, if you don't mind. Kind of makes for a less hostile evening that way. Incidentally, the closest hospital is 380 miles away by helicopter...in good weather. So our advice is never aggravate the cat... for any reason.