Howling Dog Saloon

Since I started out with a story about the Howling Dog Saloon, I may as well tell you more about the place. It is at the intersection  of Elliott Hwy (Rt. 2) and Steese Hwy(Rt. 6) in Fox, Alaska. The bar is nothing special, but if you want to get a feel for the local color, its worth a stop. Its kind of dark on the inside, with an area for a band, and a bar that has many, many bras hanging above it. We were there early, so we didn't see anyone lose or donate theirs. There is an outside patio with picnic tables, which is where we hung out during out visit. Unpaved parking lot, a little bit of untended grass.  The clientele consisted of mostly young adults, probably in their 20's and 30's, in various types of dress, from dark goth make up on one girl to t-shirts and jeans. Many tattoos. Very casual. Not a night club atmosphere. Definitely the local dive hangout bar. Based on the conversations that we had, many of these young people were drifting through life, unsure of their path, and just ended up in Alaska. The guy that dubbed us "travelers" was a miner, who worked long, hard hours in the wilderness. He had to take a bush plane to get to work. When he worked, he worked many days and many hours. When he was off, he was off for long periods of time. His earnings sounded good, but when you consider the high rent in the area, and the fact that he had to spread those dollars to last during his off time, it made for a tough life. If you are not afraid to venture into such a place, this is really a great place to go to meet local citizens and hear some stories about life in Alaska.