So you’ve been to the ocean, to the mountains, to the White House, to the Grand Canyon, to Europe, and the islands. Now it’s time to start thinking about that next vacation and you’re ready for something different. May I recommend the great state of Alaska?
Wait! you say. Alaska? Why would I want to freeze my posterior touring a dreary world of ice and snow? Ah grasshopper, how little you know about the land they call “the final frontier”.
Actually, the extent of what I knew about Alaska prior to this summer was that Sarah Palin lives there, or at least she did before becoming a reality TV star. But all that changed when Sharon and I took a 14 day excursion through our 49th state. What we discovered was breathtaking, educational, and downright fun.
First of all, understand that Alaska is big. I mean, really big. You could fit Texas, California, and Montana inside it. This means it takes some time to get from attraction to attraction. So if you’re going to see it….really see it…..you need more than a week. Two weeks is better.
Yet despite its enormous size, fewer people live in the entire state than live in metro Birmingham, Alabama. Alaska has under 750,000 residents. That means thousands of miles of uncivilized, unspoiled, completely natural landscape. It is what the world was like before humans messed it up.
We took a group tour and this is definitely the way to go. You can try to navigate it by yourself but you’ll miss a lot of information, a lot of locations, and a lot of really enjoyable social interaction. We used Holiday Vacations and they do a wonderful job, but there are several other companies that do the tour as well. In fact, tourism is the number two industry in Alaska, second only to the oil business.
Our group flew from Birmingham to Houston (before the hurricane), and from Houston to Anchorage. The latter leg is a 6 and a half hour flight. Air travel certainly has changed. Eleven years ago we flew to Hawaii and we were constantly inundated with food, drink, and free inflight entertainment including movies and games. About one hour into this trip, the flight attendant gave us a drink and tossed us a bag of mini pretzels. About two hours later I inquired as to when the food would be served. She gave me a wry little smile as if to say “you don’t travel much, do you?” ( I don’t). There would be no food unless you buy it. Bottom line, bring your own…and bring it from home. On the flight back I bought a sandwich at the airport and stuffed it in my carry-on. Of course, the sandwich cost roughly the same as I would have paid to buy food on the plane, but I couldn’t help thinking that I somehow outsmarted them.
Anchorage is as close as you’ll get to a big city. About 300,000 people, around 40 percent of all the people in the state. I’m sure they have buildings higher than three floors, but I didn’t see any other than our hotel. About a block away was a street stand selling reindeer hot dogs. Nope, couldn’t do it. Can’t bare the thought of eating Rudolph. Nice restaurants and gift shops, and the residents love their tourists and treat them well.
From Anchorage we visited Alyeska Resort, including a heartstopping tram ride up the side of Mt. Alyeska. No place for anyone afraid of heights but incredible views of glaciers, lakes and mountain ranges.
Next we went to Wasilla, residence of the aforementioned Sarah Palin. No sign of Sarah, but we had a blast at the Iditarod Trail riding the sled dogs. The sled was on wheels (it was July, temps in the 70’s, quite beautiful actually) and the ride was much faster than we envisioned. More like a thrill ride as we hung on while 12 dogs took off with us in tow. Afterward we toured the kennel where the dogs are raised. Made the mistake of letting Sharon hold one of the adorable puppies. Had all I could do to keep her from stowing it in her purse.
The six hour bus ride through Denali National Park is billed as one of the featured attractions of the trip, but I found it a bit overrated. The scenery is impressive, but the few animals we saw were so far away that you could only appreciate them by watching the driver’s camera zooming in and showing them on the hanging monitors. Speaking of the driver, she was the highlight. A gray haired, rugged looking woman with a low, gravelly voice. She manhandled that large bus along the hairpin trail that hugged the very edges of the cliff, all the while keeping up a fascinating narration of what we were seeing, and then pulling to the side and grabbing her video camera to focus in on wildlife spotted on the mountain sides. She had a dry sense of humor that had me chuckling throughout.
In Fairbanks we got a look at the Trans-America pipeline, quite an engineering masterpiece, and got to pan for gold at one of the dredges. Sharon and I actually had some gold specks in our pans. (Everybody gets a little. It’s in the soil.) It was measured out at 33 dollars worth. We’re rich! There’s also a riverboat ride with a stop at an Indian camp. Seaplanes will take off and land around you.
A journey on the Alaska Highway took us to the town of North Pole where, as you might have guessed, there is a huge Christmas store including the big jolly guy himself taking orders. This was probably Sharon’s favorite part of the trip as she glided all over the establishment collecting gifts for grand kids and family. My assignment was to purchase postcards and mail them out with the North Pole postage mark on them. If you fill them out and buy a stamp they will mail them right out of the store.
Eventually, we crossed into the Yukon Territory of Canada where we boarded a train and followed the route of the early Klondike gold prospectors. The back story is incredible. When you actually see what these gold seekers had to go through just for the hope of staking a claim and striking it rich, you marvel at their courage and determination. A very small percentage found gold, and many didn’t survive the ordeal.
The tour finale was a four day cruise out of Skagway into Glacier Bay. You could stand on the bow of the ship and gaze at the massive ice and mountain sculptures. It’s like looking at a painting come to life, a photographer’s dream. You hear loud cracking sounds as chunks of ice break off the glacier, and watch as they tumble into the sea and stir nutrients in the soil, attracting fish which in turn attract flocks of seagulls. Some of our groupmates saw whales frolicking in the frigid water.
The cruise ended in Vancouver, then a ride to Seattle and the flight home. During the course of the tour, there were bus rides during which it was not uncommon to see bears munching on shrubs on the side of the road, moose strolling across the highway, bald eagles soaring overhead, mountain sheep, and more. I felt closer to nature and, dare I say it, closer to God. He definitely did some of His best work here.
Oh by the way, it never got totally dark while we there, and never got colder than about 50, or warmer than about 75. July is the perfect month in that region. One other note. There are no detours in Alaska. There is one road and one road only from place to place, and if that road is blocked for any reason, you are delayed until it opens. Unless you want to rent a team of sled dogs. It’s part of the charm.
So forget the stereotypes. No eskimos. No igloos. No walruses on ice floes clapping their fins. Just the pure, uncivilized beauty and order of the wild. It’s a trip that belongs on your bucket list.
Warning: Exposure may cause you to think deep philosophical thoughts and deepen your awe of The Almighty.