Alaska – The Land of the Midnight Sun (and a poem)
We rode first class on the Alaska Rail
Early in July I had my first full tour experience – and with my dad :). Even better, it was in Alaska! We went to many different sites and museums including the Anchorage Museum and the Native Heritage Centre also in Anchorage. I even tried dog sledding at the Heritage Centre!
When we first arrived in Anchorage we could see Mount McKinley from Downtown, but once the clouds rolled in, we never saw the giant mountain again.
The Worthington Glacier
In Anchorage my dad and I biked all the way around the city – we even saw a moose on the path!
Throughout Alaska, we saw beautiful scenery, such as waterfalls, salmon runs and glaciers. My personal favourite waterfall was Horsetail, which we saw when we left Valdez for Fairbanks.
After a night in Anchorage, we drove to the tiny town of Whittier on Prince William Sound. Whittier is weird because almost all the residents live in one large apartment building!
Flying solo from Anchorage!
From Whittier we cruised across the Sound to the tiny port of Valdez, where dad and I ate fresh halibut. It took six hours to ride across Prince William Sound, but it was six hours of beautiful scenery.
We saw puffins, porpoises, otters and a calving glacier. As well as thousands of jellyfish!
From Valdez we traveled through interior Alaska, I learned a lot about the Alaskan oil pipeline, about Native Alaskans that continue to live there and about Alaskan animals.
Just for the ‘Halibut’!
When we went up to Fairbanks I saw the Alaska oil pipeline and learned that is starts in the North Slope region in northern Alaska and ends in Valdez. This is really important to Alaska’s economy.
I really enjoyed Fairbanks especially because it has an arctic feel to it. I felt very isolated and up north.
It was interesting travelling in a group. Since I was pretty much the assistant tour guide I had several jobs. I would serve food and drinks to the people on the motor coach.
It is funny to think about how lucky I am to travel the world, especially in a group, but I have to adapt to the group’s routine and style.
I already live in a mountain area, but it was so interesting to be in Alaska and that close to the Arctic Circle.
Handstanding in Denali National Park
The Alaskan Night (my poem about the North)
Theatre at Pioneer Park, Fairbanks
The Alaskan Night,
Is a beautiful bright –
As bright as it could be.
As the huskies run,
And the moose have fun
I think of the Klondike stories
Of how it would be,
to find gold in thee
or .. to be left poor, and hungry
And as I am here in Alaska,
enjoying the scenery
I think of how it would be,
to be left shivering in the snow
And as I stand here in the morning of the Alaska land
I’ll wait for the midnight light
And jump out of my seat
to tell you that I love the north.
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