Leg 12 (Japan to United States)

Anchorage, Alaska, USA
Anchorage (Rust's Flying Service)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazing_Race_9

Wasn't Rust's Flying Service used in TAR2 - weird that they would use the same exact location twice.

• RE: Alaska Leg,Earl Colby Pottinger, 09:03 PM, 05-10-06
  • RE: Alaska Leg,Karchita, 01:33 AM, 05-11-06
    • RE: Alaska Leg,Earl Colby Pottinger, 11:11 AM, 05-11-06
      • RE: Alaska Leg,Karchita, 03:56 PM, 05-11-06
        • RE: Alaska Leg,geographylists, 06:05 PM, 05-11-06
          • RE: Alaska Leg,Karchita, 00:44 AM, 05-12-06
            • RE: Alaska Leg,chaipo, 11:44 PM, 05-12-06
              • RE: Alaska Leg,Earl Colby Pottinger, 05:36 PM, 05-13-06
              • RE: Alaska Leg,Karchita, 07:45 PM, 05-13-06
                • RE: Alaska Leg,chaipo, 00:47 AM, 05-14-06
                  • RE: Alaska Leg,Karchita, 02:44 AM, 05-14-06

First, why not. Atleast the TAR producers will know how good they can operate.

Second, just because they use the same flying service does not mean they are going to the same destination.

This looks like a cold one, remember TAR 1?

Please remind me what month it was when they filmed in Alaska? It looks like it is definitely sometime between September and June ;)

LAST EDITED ON 05-11-06 AT 11:26 AM (EST)

I don't know when it was filmed but there was snow, snow, snow and snow. Did I mention there was lots of snow?

They dog-sledded, I think there was a dive into cold water, or was that only later in TAR? They had fun driving roads that looked very icy to me. And it was cold!

To answer my own question, I saw on another thread the filming started in November, so it is probably late November/early December. Depending on where they flew from Anchorage, it could be extremely cold. There are tourist dog mushing operations in the Montana Creek and Denali Park areas that I know of, and I am sure there are others.

I would agree--they started the show in November (based on botanical hints, weather in Moscow, etc.). It was probably more like early November when they started--I'd venture a guess around Nov. 9, plus or minus about 5 days. So, it's probably around the beginning of December now. They'll have to get the daytime stuff done fast (but perhaps they'll get to see some Aurora borealis during those long nights!).

You're right. If they do go north of Anchorage to the Denali National Park area for dog mushing they won't have much light. In early December it gets light about 10am and dark about 2-3pm with temps anywhere from 30-40F above to 40-50F below zero, which even an Alaskan would call chilly. Wouldn't it be fun to see them dealing with dead batteries in their SUVs?

If they go south of Anchorage, say to the Kenai, it'll be a little lighter and warmer. I bet they don't go to Denali.

As for the icy roads, Alaska allows studded tires and I can almost guarantee that any vehicles the racers are driving will have them.

LAST EDITED ON 05-13-06 AT 03:10 PM (EST)

LAST EDITED ON 05-12-06 AT 11:45 PM (EST)

My Guess? Since I live in Anchorage, I see a musk ox, which makes me think that they drove to palmer. I also see the Independence Mine, which was where someone said last year there was some sort of reality show being filmed in that area. It's somewhat close to the musk ox farm.

I'm so excited to see my state on TV again!

P.S. And, it really wasn't so cold during December this year, so they were probably fine as long as they were sufficiently bundled up.

Edited to add: Also, Rust's flying service I believe goes out of Talkeetna.

Please define "wasn't so cold", when I go to Jamaica or Florida in winter from Ontario Canada I end up running around in a bathing suit - the people who live there are bundled up complaining of the cold!

LAST EDITED ON 05-13-06 AT 07:57 PM (EST)

Hi there, Chaipo. I lived in the Denali area and Anchorage for 20 years before I moved to warm and sunny Seattle (seriously, after Anchorage!).

You are dead on about the musk oxen and mine, which I didn't recognize, but why would they fly to the Valley? It's only about a 45 minute drive from Anchorage. There are musk oxen in Delta and other places as well, like the Anchorage zoo, or they could even be just a background/scenery type of shot.

If they are that close to Anchorage, it would be a lot warmer than those temps I mentioned for the Denali area. I suppose locals would call any lows above zero not so cold, and day time temps could be in the 20s or 30s. Daylight would be longer, too, like light at 9-9:30 and dusk at 3:30 or so.

ETA: I always thought Rust's was based at Lake Hood in Anchorage, but maybe I am not remebering that right. It is one of the largest bush charter companies. A few years ago they bought K2 aviation which is based in Talkeetna.

I live right by the zoo!

Actually, you're right, I just looked it up: http://www.flyrusts.com/2.cfm
Are we sure it's a flight to somewhere and not a roadblock/detour? It could be something like a "find the flag" type of thing, or have something to do with that ice hole digging that was happening (landing on a frozen lake somewhere?)

In the promo shots, they did show the glenn highway to the valley I'm pretty sure -- just about past Eagle River(knick arm was on the left). Of course that could also be a footage shot (just like the musk ox, as you said). I couldn't recognize whether the mountains in the behind the frat boys' heads in the car were turnagain arm (south) or north, although one peak looked suspiciously like pioneer peak (palmer).

The musk ox at the zoo is actually not chain link fenced like the one in the picture which is another reason I think it might be palmer. I cannot remember if the farm in fairbanks has chain link fence or not.

The reason for the independence mine would be that this winter they were filming a reality show there and it made the news in Anchorage.

That's all I know

You are missing a beautiful and sunny day in Anchorage, Karchita -- spring has already sprung and things are turning green. It was 65 -- no joke.

Take care!

You've got some great info, Chiapo. Welcome to the boards! 65 and turning green sounds nice, but I don't think you want to know how many days it has been that warm in Seattle this spring ...

I wish we had vidcaps, because I don't remember what I saw very well, but I do think I also saw some of Knik Arm/Eagle Flats area.

It seems pretty certain they go north from Anchorage, and one way the pieces would fit is something like this:

Arrive in Anch.

Fly Rust's to a lake to the north, like Nancy Lake or Big Lake. The detour is to chose between whatever they do on the lake - bore a hole throught the ice and go ice fishing? or maybe drive a dog sled across the lake. They often set up choices between a searching task (sorta like ice fishing) that depends on luck for how fast you can do it and something that may be quicker but harder, like trying to get a dozen dogs to do what you want them to do (believe me, not easy). So that makes some sense for detour options.

Next, get in a car and drive south to the Roadblock, on the way back to Anchorage. That could be something with the musk ox or at Indepedent Mine. That fits with the shots from around Palmer that you saw and also fits with the filming spoiler, which I had not heard before.

It'll be interesting to see how far off this is! I am looking forward to this next episode because of the Alaska location and Japan, where I also spent some time.