The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Our Sudden Alaska Road Trip

Posted on | May 30, 2026 | No Comments

Passing by Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER)

PALMER, Alaska
The walls at my son’s house here are adorned with hunting trophies — deer, caribou, turkey, duck, etc. His military exploits are just his day job. What he really cares about is hunting and fishing, and he’s obviously quite successful at that. Our flight left at 6 a.m. Friday, which meant we had to be up at 2 a.m., in order to make it to the airport by 4 a.m., just to allow for contingencies. We then flew to Chicago, where our connecting flight was delayed by a mechanical issue. The flight that was supposed to leave from Concourse E was scratched, and we were instead sent to Concourse C which you know, if you’ve ever been to O’Hare Airport, meant a long hike. That was more of a cardiovascular workout than I’ve had in a while. We finally arrived in Anchorage about 5 p.m. local time, which is 9 p.m. ET. Even though I was able to nod off for a while on the plane, that doesn’t really count as “sleep,” does it?

49th State Brewing Company

Years ago, I’d hear people talk about “jet lag” and didn’t comprehend it, but I was definitely feeling it by the time we landed in Anchorage. While waiting for our son to come pick us up, my wife and I had a quick bite at the 49th State Brewing Company location at Ted Stevens International Airport. Enjoyed a tall glass of their Eight-Star Lager and a margherita flatbread, which was nice. After my son (accompanied by granddaughter Eliza) picked us up, he explained he had to make a couple of stops on the way home, including one at the Bass Pro Shops in Anchorage.

Because I’d never visited a Bass Pro Shops location before, this was an eye-opening experience. Have you guys ever been to one of these? It’s not just a store, it’s like a sporting goods museum — something you’d take a school bus full of fifth-graders to see. There’s all kinds of stuffed animals (including a seven-foot-tall Kodiak bear) and more outdoor gear than you could ever imagine. It occurs to me that Bass Pro Shops might be the most American thing ever, combining the frontier spirit with the glories of capitalism in a way that makes you start humming Brooks & Dunn:

Only in America,
Where we dream in red, white, and blue.

When we visited Army son three years ago, he and his family were still in base housing at Joint Base Elmendoff-Richardson, which all the locals call JBER (an acronym pronounced “Jay Bear”). Since then, my son’s bought a house near Palmer — not inside the Palmer city limits, but with a Palmer address — and it’s very nice, with a high vaulted ceiling in the living room and big bay window in front. Didn’t spend much time looking around, however, because the jet lag was catching up fast, and I crashed out, waking up at about 1:30 a.m. local time, which is 5:30 ET.

So that’s the story of how we got here, and I’m sure I’ll have more for show-and-tell later this week, but for now, it’s back to the regular news, and the Five Most Important Words in the English Language are still:

HIT THE FREAKING TIP JAR!



 

Category: Alaska

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