Visitor Transportation
Dear Editor: I am one of a group of friends who traditionally visit Sitka each summer. We spend five days enjoying the gorgeous scenery, the friendly shops and entertaining music festival. As we ended this year’s trip last week, we agreed that Sitka is a special place. However, this year’s reunion was tinged with a touch of annoyance because of our rides to and from the airport. I’ll call these experiences ‘‘A Tale of Two Taxis.’’
When two of us arrived at the airport midday, there was no taxi available for a ride to town. As we phoned the list of taxis, all we heard was the message, ‘‘This mailbox is full.’’ We stood stranded outside the arrival area. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a stranger asked us if we were looking for a ride. He introduced himself as a summer resident willing to help us out. We accepted his offer of a short ride to our lodging. In appreciation we gave him a $20 bill, not because he asked for it, but because we were grateful for his kindness. The experience was a reminder of old-fashioned Alaskan neighborliness.
When it was time to leave on the early morning flight, we made a reservation with a local shuttle service. We were picked up on time and driven the short distance back to the airport. The fee for this service was $21 per person. The total cost of this ride was a whopping $105! We were dismayed at the price and, needless to say, did not feel that a tip was appropriate.
As I consider these two rides, it seems to me that there is a hidden cost to the second ride. I am left with several questions. What are kindness and hospitality worth? What is the effect of price gouging? How does Sitka want to be remembered by its visitors?
Toni McDermott, Palmer
Traffic
Dear Editor: This morning (June 6) I did a simple survey in front of my house from 10:18am until 11:13am counting all the various kinds of traffic on HPR. Here are the results:
OUTBOUND
Busses - 22
Semitrucks - 5
Cars/pickups/vans - 137
Ebikes - 5
Pedestrians - 1
Plane/helicopter - 1
INBOUND
Busses - 32
Semitrucks - 3
Cars/pickups/vans - 173
Ebikes - 4
Pedestrians - 1
Plane/helicopter - 2
This is what causes the drone I hear most days now.
Rebecca Osborn
2520 HPR
747-5951
