Posted on 06/08/2013 1:17:17 PM PDT by VRW Conspirator
There is a town in Alaska that has had a cat as mayor for 15 years. The cat named Stubbs has been the mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska for nearly all of his life -- no joke. It's been that way for more than a decade in the small tourist town that boasts nearly 900 residents.
The part-manx was named honorary mayor shortly after his birth, and now locals all know the cat as "Mayor Stubbs."
"He was just in the Alaska Magazine, and he's been featured in a few different things," said Lauri Stec, who works at Nagley's General Store in Talkeetna, where Stubbs hangs out most of the time.
As the story goes, 15 years ago several of the town residents didn't like the candidates who were running for mayor of Talkeetna, so as a joke, they encouraged enough people to elect Stubbs the cat as a write-in candidate, and he actually won.
Now, thanks to Stubbs, local tour guides have a little fun with the thousands of tourists who come through the town
Some of you may be interested in visiting Talkeetna some day and the best way to do it is by the Alaska Railroad.
The railroad runs out of Anchorage to Talkeetna or Fairbanks through Denali Park on to Talkeetna. You wouldn’t have to rent a car at all, just fly to Anchorage or Fairbanks, take a shuttle to the hotel and shuttle to the railroad. In Denali Park the hotels are set up to shuttle you to the park and the railroad. It is a splendid trip traveling through the outback, along rivers and mountains. I love the railroad trip as it is so peaceful, has a great dining car and dome seats for at a very reasonable price. All of the scheduling can of course be done on the internet.
Denali Park is a wonderful place to see with its majestic mountains and animals, including bear, moose, mountain sheep, and occasional caribou. The bus takes you throughout the park or you can camp at various sites and catch the bus to and from different stages in the park.
Talkeetna is a great frontier town with around 13 historical houses. They have great restaurants which is surprising and the locals sell handmade and Alaskan products. This is one of my favorite trips in Alaska.
Awkward because normally elected officials tell us to do it.
bump
Or, you could go see America and drive all the way.
Catch the Alaska Maritime Ferry in Washington and enjoy the leisurely cruise to Alaska. Catch the Alaska Hiway just north of Haines and see Fairbanks. ( You can drive north on the Dalton Hiway to the Artic circle if you wish) Then come south via Denali and Talketna to Anchorage. The trip back north via Tok to Chicken and the Top of the World, across the Yukon River into Dawson City.
All that country is spectacular.
Wasn’t there a proposal at one point to make Talkeetna the capital of Alaska, since Juneau is so isolated from most of the state?
Have they checked the Mayor on his Catnip intake?
Sounds fantastic.
The town has no rats!
And driving is so much more fun than taking a train. You get to go there on your own schedule, instead of relying on the train’s timetable. That’s why high-speed rail doesn’t work in America. We all have cars, which are far more convenient.
Murkowski was also running for mayor that year.
Thanks VRW Conspirator.
What is his position on illegal guns?
At least he keeps the RATS at bay. :)=^..^=
Lol that’s fantastic!
Sleeping.
And despite being a pet, he doesn’t vote for them.
Beats the heck out of a President who coils up and tells the entire nation to do it or else.
lulz
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