The Alaska State Fair 2025

We drove 230 miles to Palmer Alaska on Wednesday 20 August 2025.  On the way we stopped at Potter Marsh Boardwalk in Anchorage which is part of the Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge.  We walked the 1 mile boardwalk and got to see a few birds as well as some salmon.

Russian River - Cooper Landing - 20 August 2025

Our lunch spot...

Russian River - Cooper Landing - 20 August 2025

Potter Marsh Boardwalk - Anchorage Alaska - 20 August 2025

Potter Marsh Boardwalk - Anchorage Alaska - 20 August 2025

Potter Marsh Boardwalk - Anchorage Alaska - 20 August 2025

Potter Marsh Boardwalk - Anchorage Alaska - 20 August 2025

Fall colors

We went to the Alaska State Fair on Thursday 21 August.   We walked around from 11am-4pm and got about 4.5 miles in.  It’s a huge fair and we saw every part of it.  Steve even rode a roller coaster!  We checked out the Da Vinci exhibit and were surprised to learn about the many facets of Da Vinci’s intelligence and talent.  His paintings are all we were aware of before, but we learned that he designed several mechanical tools, weapons for the military, and even a flying machine.  It was very interesting.

Alaska State Fair - Palmer Alaska - 21 August 2025

Alaska State Fair - Palmer Alaska - 21 August 2025

Alaska State Fair - Palmer Alaska - 21 August 2025

Alaska State Fair - Palmer Alaska - 21 August 2025

Boer goats the same as Jacobson's

Alaska State Fair - Palmer Alaska - 21 August 2025

What breed of goat is this?

Alaska State Fair - Palmer Alaska - 21 August 2025

Steve is giddy about a roller coaster ride...

Alaska State Fair - Palmer Alaska - 21 August 2025

Alaska State Fair - Palmer Alaska - 21 August 2025 There were beautiful quilts....

Alaska State Fair - Palmer Alaska - 21 August 2025

Alaska State Fair - Palmer Alaska - 21 August 2025

Alaska State Fair - Palmer Alaska - 21 August 2025

Da Vinci Exhibit - The Annunciation

Alaska State Fair - Palmer Alaska - 21 August 2025

Alaska State Fair - Palmer Alaska - 21 August 2025

We went to the 3pm performance of Cirque Ma'Ceo with acrobatic feats, aerial dancing, and exotic horses.  It was free with admission to the fair and quite a breathtaking experience.  After the show and sitting for a half hour, we sort of lost our energy for much more walking, so we decided to get ice cream and then head home.  With all the food vendors at the fair, we were hard pressed to find ice cream.  What we ended up with wasn’t good ice cream, but it scratched the itch.

Alaska State Fair - Palmer Alaska - 21 August 2025

Cirque Ma'Ceo

Alaska State Fair - Palmer Alaska - 21 August 2025

Cirque Ma'Ceo

Our last day in Palmer was for errands and chores.  We wanted to get things done that require Internet and stock up on groceries since we’ll likely not have great if any Internet on the trip down to the lower 48.  We also saw on the way up that grocery stores are few and far between.  We plan to drive to Tok from Palmer tomorrow (Saturday 23 Aug 2025).  At Tok, we hope to wash our camper and truck, do laundry and find a mass to attend.  After Tok, we’ll be crossing the border into Canada for the beginning of our trek down to Washington state.

The thought of leaving Alaska is certainly bittersweet. We've had such a spectacular summer and the beauty of this state is hard to leave. We are looking forward to having reliable Internet again and maybe warmer temps. I think we've run our AC once this summer. We've already talked about coming back, so we have that to think about when we're sad about leaving.