Alaska - land of mountains, snow and Sarah Palin

Okay, we're going to ignore the Sarah Palin part, because even though we are in Wasilla and Palmer this week, that's really as close as I care to get*.

Alaska really is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. As a human-defined area (i.e. "state") it is also one of the largest. Alaska is the largest state in the Union, in spite of what the Texans like to think :-)

We are here visiting family. Kristi and I got married here, many years ago. We practically had to drag her kid brother here, and before the week was out had had apprenticed himself to a wilderness guide, and it was six months before he returned to Michigan to retrieve his belongings. (I love telling that story.) We are going to spoil his kids rotten, and then give them back to their parents :-)

After all, that is what Christmas is for, right? Spoiling rotten your under-10-years-old nieces and nephews? Ha.

The only downside to Alaska is the winter cold (the summers are warm). Our relatives picked us up at the airport (really, the only good way to arrive at an airport is to have relatives pick you up) and the thermometer in the car read "why would any sane person want to live here, anyway??," and then the gale-force wind gusts hit and and the wind-chill drives it down to "how fast can I get back on that plane???" (Actually, it said -8 degrees F, but I know what it meant!)

The gale-force wind gusts have been amazing, and I really have to admire the stamina of the trees as I watch them whip in the wind and wonder that the roof is still intact as I watch loose plastic bags and other debris fly past outside.

Okay, so I gripe about the cold, but I wouldn't trade a trip to Alaska for anything, especially at Christmas. It is beautiful up here, with the mountains, the trees, the valleys, the sky, etc. There is just something really special about it.

I do recommend that everyone make a pilgrimage to Alaska at some point. Ignore the former half-term governor, and focus on Route 1. Pick up a copy of The Milepost at your local brick and mortar bookstore (preferably a local mom-and-pop rather than a chain, some second-hand stores carry copies) and visit during the last week of May. The last week of May is the best, because the tourist sites are just getting geared up, but the tourists haven't quite arrived yet, so everyone is in a really good mood. Alaskans are nice people. It's also fun to tip them. Carry a lot of $1 bills with you, and pass them around generously. It adds to the atmosphere and is good for the economy :-)


* For the record, I dislike Ms. Palin because she is a disingenuous twit. I'm happy to discuss that elsewhere, and I will unashamedly nuke attempts at continuing that thread here.