Moose Droppings: The Continental Blog

Fire in the Sky!

2011-12-20T11:55:00.000-08:00

Ken Wyman, our Alaska Operations Manager snapped this picture from his desk at Continental's Anchorage office. Nature certainly puts on a show in Alaska regardless of the season!

Continental and United Van Lines in Alaska

2011-12-20T11:48:00.000-08:00

Continental is an agent for United Van Lines
in Alaska

For many outside of the industry, there is a lot of confusion regarding companies that are affiliated with major van lines. To add to the confusion, moving to, from, and within Alaska requires services outside those van lines.

So, what is the difference between United Van Lines and Continental? Continental is an agent for and shareholder of United Van Lines and its parent company UniGroup. In essence, United is a trading network of agents who make up the van line. Each agent is an individually owned company. In the case of Continental, it has been owned by the same family for nearly 60 years, starting in Anchorage when Alaska was still a territory.

The van line itself provides a way to ensure consistent quality, procedures, and services. From a financial standpoint, United does not own any agencies, and through agent statements, pays individual agents for the services they provide to the van line as a whole.

While there are other agents for United in Alaska, Continental provides decades of experience in managing the Alaska moving process. From its offices in Seattle, Tacoma, and Anchorage, Continental provides a complete Alaska Moving solution.

If you are looking for an Anchorage local mover, Continental provides that service too! Since it is also a family owned moving company, it provides competitively priced services, with the assurance that only a company like Continental provides the quality that only an agent for United Van Lines can offier.
Visit Continental at http://www.continentalvan.com/

Moving to Alaska? Frequently Asked Questions!

2009-11-03T15:29:00.000-08:00

So you are considering a move to Alaska? I'll bet you have a question or two!

Hi, I am Beckie Martin, Continental's Certified Moving Consultant based in Anchorage, Alaska . My job is to help customers as they prepare for a Move to Alaska!
I know, based upon many conversations with folks each day, that moving, especially to Alaska, raises lots of questions.

How do I start? How long does it take? Can you move in winter? What does it cost? These are all great questions!

We provide several easy ways to get information about moving.

1. You can check out our website, http://www.continentalvan.com/. You can get free Alaska tips to download at this link: http://www.continentalvan.com/alaska-moving-tips.cfm

                             OR

2. You can email me directly. Just click the link: http://www.continentalvan.com/contactus.cfm?StaffID=7#bottomv

Frequently Asked Questions about Moving to Alaska

Almost ready!   Check back in the next few days!

Continental Posts Alaska Moving Tips on Website

2009-09-03T15:27:00.000-07:00

For those of you that are considering a move to our fair state, you may want to check out Continental's new Alaska Moving Tips section . The moving tips are available as a .PDF download that you can read at your convenience or directly on their website. It includes information on how your goods are shipped as well as winter-time shipping considerations. It is a good read!

Before anyone considers a move to Alaska, read the Alaska Moving Tips section of the Continental website.

Sockeye Salmon Rule the Day

2009-08-31T11:02:00.000-07:00

Kim Murphy of the Los Angeles Times recently wrote an article about the personal use dipnet season. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009772350_alaskafishing30.html

It actually demonstrates two things about Alaskans.
1. How self sufficient Alaskans are.
2.How the rest of the country views Alaskans as a slightly crazy bunch of morons who would risk life and limb in wet cold weather and 45 degree water to collect salmon that can be purchased in most Lower 48 cities with a quick trip to the grocery store.

Keep them thinking that. The river is crowded enough.

Brad Fransen is Director of Sales and Marketing for Continental Van Lines, agent for United Van Lines in Anchorage Alaska.

Bear Jokes Rule

2009-07-21T14:50:00.000-07:00

When Continental put Bear Jokes on the website, it was intended to be a great way to show our fun loving personality. While we take each move seriously, Continental's staff is an easy going bunch who understand that moving to & from Alaska can be quite stressful.

What was unexpected, was the sheer volume of people looking for good Bear Jokes! Who would have thunk? Continental's Bear Jokes have become somewhat of a cult classic. Bear jokes are one of the most viewed pages on the website, developing a very impressive Google page rank on its own.

One can only think that there is a large subset of our society who thinks that Bear Jokes are a necessary component of healthy living.

To view Continental's bear jokes, go to http://www.continentalvan.com/ and visit the Alaska section which includes Bear Jokes.

Moving to Alaska

2009-04-07T09:48:00.000-07:00

As a mover in Alaska, we hear from lots of people who think that a move to Alaska to live a simpler life is a slam dunk. I recently was asked by a friend for the name of the PBS documentary about Dick Proenneke who lived off the land near Twin Lakes. Alone in the Wilderness is a wonderful story filled with adventure.

Our website is often filled with requests for an estimate for a move to Alaska. Many folks are in the dreaming stage, thinking that they can run away, eat sourdough pancakes with small berries collected from bushes dotting the hillsides. While it worked for Dick, less that 1% of the US population is wired for that type of living.

What they don't think about is the difficulty of living a remote lifestyle. Months of dark and cold. No access to convenience stores. Limited communication. Solitude bordering on complete isolation. Hard work. Filling the woodstove throughout the night.

My brother used to be a fishing guide in remote Alaska. Each year they would hire a few Cheechakos with dreams of living the Guide lifestyle. About 70% of them didn't survive the season. The isolation got to them. No showers. Lonely nights. I want mommy. Early plane trip home.

So before you sell your house and auction off your worldly belongings, you might want to do a few things first to see if you are wired to for remote living.

Lock yourself in a closet for the weekend. Close the door. Entertain yourself.

Don't shower for 2 weeks. The itching is only in your head (or maybe on your head).

Set your alarm clock to go off every 2 hours for two weeks straight.

Turn off your hot water tank. Shower. Again and again. Shivering is your friend.

Read JohnKrakauer's book "Into the Wild". Read closely the description of his decomposed body from the Moose hunter who found Christopher Johnson.

Load up your shopping cart with cabbage, turnips, and fava beans. Come up with fun ways to cook each.

So, if you pass the test, give us a call and we can move you to anywhere in Alaska you wish. But keep our business card. You might need us for a return trip.

Thar She Blows!???

2009-01-30T10:55:00.000-08:00

Thar she blows! Maybe. Word is that the Cook Inlet volcano is ready to shoot ash high into the stratosphere. What will that mean for Anchorage. That depends. It depends upon what way the wind is blowing. It is already dark up here. If it goes, it is about to get darker.
Our crack team of sales consultants, crew members, and staff are all ready, camera in hand, if it erupts. Stay tuned.

Christmas Lights Year-round! How trendy!

2008-12-22T10:28:00.000-08:00

No matter where you drive in Anchorage, you will inevitably come across houses with Christmas Lights up year around. While this may seem odd to our newcomers, it really isn’t. There are a few reasons people leave lights up year around.

For several years (as early as the 70’s) the city of Anchorage has hung miniature white lights on trees, bushes and a few light posts. They also encourage residents to do the same. The lights help Anchorage by making it a brighter and safer city during the long winter months.

Another reason people leave their lights up year around may have to do with the hazards of hanging them.

We all know that Christmas is in the winter; well winter months can be just a tad challenging in Alaska. If it isn’t snowing, then it is below freezing. If you decide to hang your lights up in the snow, you must be careful when plugging them in, because snow melts and water and electricity do not mix well. I have personally been zapped and 1 year, I avoided being zapped, but the snow seeped into the plug and zapped every fuse in every strand of lights I had just finished hanging.

Some people would give up at this point, but I decided to just rest for the night and hang them the next day. The next morning I woke up and was happy to see it had stopped snowing. My joy was short lived; I opened the door and the cold air took my breath away. The temperature had dropped to single digits. I told myself I was an Alaskan (and we are tough) so I could not let the cold air stop me. I bundled myself up and hit the ladder to take down the frazzled lights. A horrible thing happened as I pulled on the strands…. they broke in pieces. It was so cold that the light strands had frozen completely solid. I took a deep breath and blew out ice fog. I then proceeded to pull off all the lights, went to the store to buy more and came home to start the whole process again.

Another lesson I learned: It is best to take the new lights out of their packaging and stretch out the light strands inside your home where it is warm. Next, you roll them up around your arm/shoulder and then go out to hang them. Trying to take the lights out of their original package in the cold air only causes frustration; as if it is too cold, they will break. The strands also do not stretch well in the cold air.

Another problem I ran into; one year I was hanging lights but only had flat staples instead of the rounded ones. I figured it would not be a problem. I was wrong; once again the cold air made the light strand brittle, so not having the extra room the rounded staples allow, made the lights break in half. I was not a happy camper.

No matter how old I get I admire the beauty of Christmas lights. This is especially true in Alaska; because I know 1st hand how challenging it can be to hang them and they truly do add brightness to our dark winter months.

Beckie Martin

And We Live in Alaska Why?

2008-12-16T10:14:00.001-08:00

Ken Wyman, our Anchorage Operations Manager, shares some of his favorite pictures. When you look at these it pretty much answers the question of why we live in Alaska!

Alaska Moose Recipes (even famous politicians love this)

2008-12-16T10:03:00.000-08:00

Alaskan Moose Roast (Even famous politicians find this darn good)
(This recipe works great with any meat that needs, slow moist cooking)
3-lb. roast
1C. red wine
5-6 large carrots
6 large potatoes
10 large fresh mushrooms
Flour
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbs. Of peanut or olive oil
1 Tbs. Mama Bear Kitchen Wild Thing Spice
1 Tbs. Mama Bear Kitchen Fish and Game Rub
Sliced medium onion
Rinse meat thoroughly. To rid meat of gamely taste, it may be soaked for 1-2 hours in mixture of 1 qt. Cold water and 1 cup vinegar. Rinse again and pat it dry.
Dredge roast with flour Mama Bear Kitchen Fish and Game Rub, salt and pepper. Brown, on all sides in iron cart pan in which the peanut oil has been heated. Mix Mama Bear Kitchen Wild Thing Spice with wine. Pour over the roast, add sliced onion. Preheat plank for 15 min. Palace roast on it and cover with aluminum foil.Bake until tender about 2-3 hours in 325F. About 1 hour before serving time, add peeled and cut carrots, potatoes and mushrooms. Continue cooking until vegetables are tender.

Continental's Fleet of Trucks Building

2008-07-30T12:10:00.000-07:00

The familiar United logo will become much more prominent in Alaska as Continental builds its fleet of United branded through-van trailers.

With Continental's transition to represent United Van Lines in Alaska and Mayflower in the state of Washington, over 100 pieces of equipment were repainted from orange to the fleet logos of the UniGroup family of movers.

With over 50 years experience in moving to, from, and within Alaska coupled with the strength of the United brand, Continental's capabilities in Alaska continue to dominate the Alaska marketplace.

To learn more about Continental, visit their website at http://www.continentalvan.com/ .

John Adams Summits Mt. Rainier

2008-07-07T16:41:00.000-07:00

OK. The flag was actually photoshopped into the picture, but John Adams, Continental Certified Moving Consultant, and his son Bryce, actually summited Mt Rainier over the weekend. That is pretty neat in itself, but for a nearly 50 year old novice climber, it is an incredible feat.

John has no plans to best this achievement in terms of climbing, but he is certainly glad that it is over.

"That was the hardest thing I have ever done," states John.

No, not actually. I have informed him that he needs to go back so that we can get the Mayflower flag in the picture too!

Alaska Photos

2008-06-26T10:44:00.000-07:00

Beckie Martin, our Anchorage Moving Consultant shared some recent pictures.

Beckie writes:

The mountain goat was making his way to the road (Seward hwy) near McHugh Creek. There was actually a huge herd of them in the valley of the mountains- this one was not shy at all.

The one of the water and mtns is a picture of the Homer Spit. I took this picture from the top of East Hill Road in Homer.

I also discovered a place called Fritz Creek. I always thought Homer was the end of the road, but I was wrong...this place is 9 miles outside of Homer on East End Road. Very rustic Alaska, where the General Store doubles as the Post Office. They also have a restaurant across the street where locals of all walks of life share good food and spirits. Former Governor Hickle and his wife Erma Lee were there amongst the likes of fisherman in their best mud boots :) Good place to eat (I wish I could remember the name of it).

Gas was a little spendy in Fritz Creek.

The Most Frequently Visited Webpage

2008-06-25T14:48:00.000-07:00

As we prepare to roll out our new website, http://www.continentalvan.com/ , we did quite a bit of research on what content to roll over from our old website. How did people use our old website to get information or eventually contact us?

Because of our specialty services, we assumed that the content-rich pages related to Moving to Alaska or Local Moving, would certainly be the most frequently visited. What came as a total surprise was that these pages were way down the list. The second most frequently visited page was the Frequently Asked Questions page.

This is what I call a big "Duh!"

Once you know this, it becomes obvious why it is visited. People go to websites to research information about the products or services that they are considering purchasing. Duh.

I recently purchased a high end camcorder for creating video content on the new site. I am no techno-wizard; I'm just a self taught marketing dude with a decent ability to learn from my mistakes. I'm sure that as I learn video editing software, I will make plenty.

Anyhow, back to the story- I had to contact a company to verify that my hardware would be compatible with the rest of the junk that I was ordering. My greatest fear was that I would come across like an idiot. If they asked if my camera was an 84x or an 86XE, I would be clueless. Certainly anyone who was buying this camcorder would know the difference!

Well, the guy on the other end of the phone (yes phone. I risked the idiot label), was really nice, and didn't make me feel like a total loser. In fact, I actually came across pretty well. I think he actually assumed that I knew what I was doing. GOLDEN DAY!

So the message for me from this exercise is that I am going to build out the FAQ section to cover as much information as possible.We are going to have Live Chat, and build content to make sure that people know that we are easy to work with.

Hot Water and -41 Degrees do Mix!

2008-05-19T15:12:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder what happens to water in subzero temperatures … well ok, besides it freezing? I took this picture out at my cabin in -41 degree weather, just a few days ago. We took hot tap water in a coffee cup, went outside and my wife, threw the water into the air. As you can see, the water instantly turns to ice fog and evaporates … the water never touches the ground!