My last full day in Anchorage was full of shopping, shopping, and more shopping – Costco for “frozen, chilled, and room temperature foods,” Brown Jug for wine (I bought HOW MUCH???), and of course the USGS map store for – you guessed it – maps. I also stopped at Fred Somebody’s and bought stuff for this weekend and beyond since my $245 worth of Costco frozen chicken and falafel balls (you think I’m kidding?) and a Volkswagen-sized box of peppermint patties will most likely not fly its way to me until next week or later. Regretfully, that 6-pound quiche that looked so good on the shelf was in my cart for approximately 17 seconds until I came to my senses and put it back.
But that wasn’t all. I had to arrange for everything except the maps to be shipped via air freight to King Salmon. I’ll admit I am an Alaskan bush shipping weiner and so had someone else handle that. I simply brought my purchases to the appropriate counter underneath the big sign “Alaskan Bush Shipping Weiner Line Forms Here” and that was that.
When you’re grocery shopping for life in the bush you had better be dang sure you know what you’re doing. Or, like me, you can just wing it and hope for the best.
There is 1 serious question to ask yourself: “Do I really think I’m going to eat this?”
There is also 1 serious statement you must repeat to yourself – a mantra, if you will: “I’m gonna have to eat this since there is no store within 295 miles of where I’m going.”
I hope I like falafel as much as I think I do.
