Alaska – 21 May 2022

 

              I have just spent the last week in and around Alaska, the biggest state, as many have remarked, and I have a few impressions that I am taking away. In no particular order, here goes:

1.       There are people who get addicted to it. Some people get addicted to booze, drugs, television, video games, gambling, sports, you name it. I have met people this past week who get addicted to this state: be it visiting, working, moving here and never leaving. I just met a guy tonight who cannot “eat fish from the lower 48 – it’s trash.” He is not a local, he just is pretty much addicted to Alaska.

2.       The waters and glaciers and mountains are cold and pristine. The park services and federal preservation programs have done a good job, and this is good to see.

3.       Southeast Alaska has a few towns on the map with tons of shops with art work, jewelry, and other keepsakes evoking artistry and nativism. I mean, a lot of merchants selling their wears.

4.       It does get dark late, and the sun rises early. In late May.

5.       People are pretty friendly. Some of them are paid to be friendly, but the others are kind enough to share their time and give helpful advice and insights.

6.       We do eat a lot on an Alaskan pleasure cruise. This would happen anywhere.

7.       There was a substantial amount of older people on our cruise.

8.       Seeing wildlife in the wild is not the easiest thing, but surprisingly doable. Luck and circumstance have to come together, which I think happened to us.

But yeah, some people are definitely addicted to the great northern state, that calls Texas and Minnesota cute, for smaller overall size and numbers of lakes, respectively.