Actually, it’s more accurate to ask…What’s the price of gas in Alaska?  I feel a little like a radio talk show host, “Lee in Atlanta ask, ‘How much are you paying for gas’.”

Well, since leaving three weeks ago today.  (It doesn’t seem like that long ago.) I’ve paid as little as $3.32 in Wyoming, $3.58 in Great Falls, MT, $6.25 in the middle of Jasper National Park, Canada (I only bought $25 to get to the next town outside of the park), between $4.66 and $5.50 in U.S. dollars in Canada depending on how remote the location, $4.40 in Seward and the low price winner since crossing the northern border of the lower 48…..$3.87 here in Anchorage.

With the way gas prices fluctuate, there could be a $.20 variation since I was in Wyoming, Kansas or home in Texas.

Since I was doing some price comparison on gasoline, I decided to check out some grocery prices at Fred Meyer here in Anchorage.  Fred Meyer is kind of an upscale Wal-Mart.

Seedless grapes                          $3.48 per lb.

Bananas                                        .84 per lb.

Fresh Corn on the cob                     .78 each

Hamburger (93 % lean)                  5.73 per lb.

Home Pride wheat bread                4.49 each

House brand wheat bread              2.19 each

Fred Meyer 2% gal milk                 3.39

Kelloggs Raisin Bran 20oz              4.99

24 pack of 12 oz Coke                 10.99 (on sale.  Reg. price 14.99

A Red Box DVD movie rental is still $1

Saturday, I was in Homer and met a fellow alumnus of Girard Rural High School in Girard, Kansas.  I didn’t know Ron Hess when I lived there because he was 4 years older than me. Therefore, we were never in the same school.  He had a sister, Judy, who was a year older and when I was in the seventh grade I wanted to go out with her.  She wouldn’t have anything to do with me.

When I got to Ron and Marilyn’s home Saturday morning, they were in the process of canning salmon.  Due to the fishy odor, they had cleaned the fish outside and was heating the pressure cooker on a propane stove.  It was their first attempt and Ron emailed yesterday telling me they only lost 4 jars out of 52. Not bad!

Anyway, Ron spent 20+ years with Unisys and ended up in Anchorage with them.  Ron and his wife live down a narrow, winding drive on a bluff above the ocean about five miles outside of Homer on the Kenai Peninsula. One of the things Ron had always wanted to do was write a book.  He’s done that several times now.  I bought “A Murder in Fire Bay” from Amazon and finished it about a week into the trip.  He has a couple of eBooks available, too.

We enjoyed lunch at a restaurant at the, literally, end of the road in the U.S.

A fisherman heads out from Homer.

More later…..