KODIAK LODGING and RESERVATIONS - Kodiak's hospitality begins at our front door...Welcome!
KODIAK vs. HAWAII 
 
The similarities are uncanny aren't they!
 
Paradise comes in all shapes (boats)
sizes (fish and whales)
and colors (sandy beaches)
but one thing is for sure
...when coming to Kodiak Island
leave the flip flops home
and pack the boots!
In the competitive 'spirit of siblings', Hawaii Island might be bigger, but Kodiak Island is older (statehood), tame yet still wild, remote yet very much connected and most important ~
no freeways and absolutely no commute traffic!
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ALASKA
the last frontier
KODIAK ISLAND 
the Emerald Isle  
cama'i ~ hello!
49th State in the Union 
January 2, 1959  
 
           The 2nd largest island  
3,588 square miles                     
100 miles by 67 miles
 
1.6 million acres designated Kodiak Wildlife Refuge (2/3rd of island). The Refuge preserve, protect and manage those who inherited the land by birth and those who tread on it for the exploration and adventure.
 
 
 
 
 
Only 100 mile road system; the rest is reached by airplane or boat; Our
commute traffic is 12 cars in a row!
   
 
Latitude 57º 78' N                       
Longitude 152º 40' W            
 
Population: 13,848 (entire island)   
Visitors: 30,000 (yes, total!)   
# of cruise ships: only 24 in 2009 
Average daily spending $170 for a 12-day vacation to Alaska which include several days on Kodiak Island. 
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This is where the two islands draw major differences:  Hawaii can keep the costs low and 'popular' because
it has a very high volume of travelers. It lends, however, to crowded beaches, traffic congestion and everything is "big": big hotels, 
boats and buses to house and transport the 6.7 million visitors.
 
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Temperature: Average 54º -84º      
Annual rainfall: 75 inches           
Average annual snowfall: 74.8 inches
Snow capped mountains sometimes never melts before the new snow fall.
 
Time Zone: 2 zones
1 hour behind California
2 hours for Aleutian Islands
 
Tallest Mountain: 
Mt. Koniag 4,470'                         
no active volcanoes 
Mt. McKinley - 20,320'
(on the mainland)
                      
Holy Resurrection Orthodox Cathedral oldest Russian church outside Russia - 1794  
 
Official color is blue and gold.
 
Famous for: Kodiak brown bears, king crab, salmon (5 species), Mill Bay Coffee special blend and Kodiak Brewing Company ~ first micro brewery in Alaska!
 
Okay ~ enough about the golf courses!
 
We'll match their orchids with any day!
 
 
 
 
 
 
Anything they can ~we can do...too!
Fishing, surfing, scuba diving, kayaking
                                     
Ancient
  • Our footprint goes back 5500 BC 
    Alutiiq petroglyphs  
 
Oldest
  • 1794 Russian Orthodox Cathedral outside Russia
  • 1912 Liquor license in Alaska
     the B&B Bar
 
First
  • State capital for Alaska in 1792;
    given to Sitka in 1808, then set up in Juneau in 1900
 
Largest
  • Commercial sea port for Alaska
  • 2nd largest fishing fleet for USA 3,000 commercial fishing vessels
 
Biggest
  • 1894 Kodiak brown bears measured 13' 6" nose to tail; 1,656 pounds.
  • Halibut 459 pounds - Dutch Harbor
  • King crab 24 pounds, 4 ounces; total leg span 58¾ inches 
 
Cheapest
  • Land sale in history Alaska purchased from Russia 1867 
    $1.7 million about  2 cents per acre.
 
The most
  • Commercial pilot licenses are issued in Alaska than any other state in the Union.
  • Alaskan eat more ice cream per capita than any other state in the Union.
 
   248 air miles to Anchorage      
   224 nautical miles to Homer
2,243 miles Seattle via Alcan Highway
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Our sentiments exactly ~ wrap up Kodiak's residents into one word: extraordinary,  caring, blessed, dedicated, and hard-working. The heartland of America is right here in the last frontier of Alaska".   
                                  Mary  KL and R
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Photos from Tony Lara's collection:
Captain Phil Harris
(and crew)
of the CORNELIA MARIE 
 home port is Kodiak Island
 
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HAWAII
the Aloha State
HONOLULU ISLAND
 the ‘big’ island   
aloha ~ hello!
50th State in the Union
August 12, 1959
  
The largest island
4,038 square miles
95 miles by 80 miles
 
"Many wild animals here (no predators, though) none are in danger or rare (on land) so the need for a refuge wouldn't necessarily be in need.  Nothing bigger than wild turkeys and pigs.  Other than our major concerns are underwater and protecting our lush greenery."
(Big Island Visitor Bureau)
 
266  miles of coastline; their road system circles the entire island
 
 
Latitude 16º 55’N to 23ºN
Longitude 154º 40’ W-162ºW  
 
Population: 201,109 (Wikepedia)
Visitors:  6,699,424
# of cruise ships:  88 in 2009
Average daily spending $180
----------------------------------------Worth repeating:
30,000 vs. 6.7 million tourists
Average daily spending:
Hawaii - $180   Kodiak - $170
When Kodiak Island is added to the Alaskan vacation itinerary, we are less expensive than Hawaii! KI prides ourselves of having no traffic conjestion, small boutique innkeepers, 
buses and charter boats that carry 4 to 13 passengers. We can offer a personal experience.
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Temperature: 13 climate zones
Average 50º to 77º summer
Annual rainfall: 128 inches   
including the winter snow fall 
snow capped mountains in winter.
 
Time Zone:
2 hours behind California
 
 
Tallest Mountain:          
Mt. Mauna Kea 13,796'
2 active volcanoes
 
 
 
Mokuaikaua Church missionaries
arrived in 1820
 
 
Official color is red.
 
Famous for: Kona coffee, orchids, (world's leading producer of) macadamia nuts and great golf courses!
 
 
Official flower is the red ohia lehua blossom. The flower is actually found in an array of flowers, in-cluding white, yellow and orange. The ohia lehua tree can be found along the slopes of the island’s volcanoes. According to legend,
the blossom is sacred to Pele, and picking it will produce rain.
 
 
Fishing, surfing, scuba diving, kayaking   
 
Ancient
  • 800,000 years, youngest in Pacific Ocean chain of 132 islands; overall 10 million BC
 
Largest
  • The Mauna Kea Observatory houses the world’s largest telescope.
 
Tallest
  • Measured from the sea floor, Mauna Kea on the Big Island stands 33,476 feet high
    (13,796 feet from sea level), making it the tallest mountain
    on the planet.
 
Southernmost
  • Ka Lae, also known as "South Point," is the southernmost point in the United States, located  18:54:49 N, 155:41:00 W
    (I thought Key West Florida has this claim of being the southern-most point in USA?!)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2,551 air miles to Los Angeles
2,217 nautical miles California
2,315 miles to San Francisco
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"Hilo might be Hawaii’s 'small town' city, and that suits its residents just fine. The natural surroundings here, of course, are beautiful, said one longtime resident. But the strongest attraction I have for Hilo is its people. This is a very friendly community with a wonderful small town atmosphere".
               Marci BI Visitor Bureau
 
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Submit your favorite 'Big Island' photo and I will insert it here.
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Kodiak Island and Hawaii Island has 2 things in common:
 
Captain James Cook departed from Hawaii Islands on January 18, 1778 and by May 24th, he sighted Afognak and Kodiak Islands from his H.M.S. Resolution before landing in Anchorage, Alaska.
 
Migrating birds and whales may pass by Hawaii Island first, but they spend the summers around Kodiak Island Archipelago.
 
Set your course to 58º   north; come capture the spirit of the people, their traditions and from those we have so much to learn from ~ the wild life ~ as they have roamed these parts for centuries. May it continue to be so.
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