I'll Take That To-Go

These drive-thru coffee joints are very popular in this area. It would be interesting to find out how many there are in the whole state. I bet they'd give Micky D's a run for their money.

These first two are located in Fairbanks (credit to Bren for the photos). I like the name Kodiak Joe's -- sounds very rustic. The other, with the soft serve on top is called Sunrise Bagel and Espresso.


Lava Java is here on base right off Flightline Ave., convenient for those folks who work on the flightline. It is the first drive-thru coffee place we visited here and didn't have a good experience the first three times we visited. A version of a frappuccino was on the menu but they didn't have the ingredients to make them on our first two visits so Bren ordered a kiwi Italian soda which she loved and looked forward to getting again on our next visit. A week later we had our third visit (Lava Java gives out those buy 9, get one free punch cards that keep you coming back) and we hear, "Sorry, we don't have anymore kiwi syrup and the owner decided to not stock it anymore." As Bren's face fell I said, "Oh, okay. So, can we get a frappuccino yet?" The girl, who needs to lay off the tanning bed, replied no, the owner has also decided to not do frappuccinos, and would we like to try something else? Bren decided on the Blended Iced Mocha (you can see the ad on the front of the shop). It's a frappuccino. We don't go there anymore. Too expensive and too much of a gamble.


I took this last photo on Santa Clause Lane in North Pole today when I went to return movies at BlockBuster. It looks like it may be halfway decent, as it should be since North Pole does a lot of tourist business. Next time I'll stop and have a drink.

And while I'm on the subject of coffee joints, there is a Barnes&Noble Cafe that serves Starbucks coffee, and I know there is a Starbucks inside Fred Meyer.

Bren and I are looking forward to trying the few store front coffee shops we've seen in town. I hope we find some good ones.

Love This Shop

The little store to visit in this neck of the woods is called The Knotty Shop. We passed it on the Richardson Highway on our way to Eielson when we moved here in September, but had not gone back to have a look, so on Tuesday I decided to surprise Bren and drove her to the store after picking her up from school.

As soon as I walked in the door I wanted to stay for the winter. The lighting, wood, and vaulted ceilings provided a rustic feel with an amber glow, my eyes were drawn to different focal points in the store by miniature lamps. Country music was playing and the slight aroma of coffee had me looking around for the source. In the corner to the right there was a snackbar where you could buy ice cream, drinks, and pick up a complimentary coffee, which I did.

The shelves were full of Alaskan-themed pottery, carved wood items such as mugs, bowls, and walking sticks; beaded bags and jewelry; authentic animal skins (complete with intact claws). There were beautifully painted pans (for panning for gold) and saw blades, tapestries, big animals and Santas carved from logs; a children's section carried an array of plush stuffed wild animals, pillows, toys, and books. In the back of the store was a very large display of stuffed animals that used to be very much alive, and quite an array of animal skins. Oh, and let's not forget to mention the t-shirts and winter jackets.


Bren loved the shop, but didn't seem to be as smitten with it as I was. I kept wishing my mom was there to ooooooo and ahhhhhhh with me.

I ended up buying a bear pillow for my nephew, and a small tapestry. Bren bought a silver and gold snowflake pendant for her silver chain.

I will have to go back to the shop alone sometime just to spend more time looking at all the beautiful things there. I'm not much of a shopper, but I really enjoyed the trip.



Mucho apologies for the multiple posts to those reading on Bloglines. I'm not very good at arranging photos yet