Like many, my family has been watching "Sarah Palin's Alaska" where Gov. Palin and her family give the rest of America a glimpse of this beautiful state and the Alaskan life. I really wish I had seen it before I moved up here because I was definitely unprepared for what awaited me!
I came to Alaska fully expecting the experience to be less civilized than Colorado...more along the lines of Wyoming or Montana. I was anxious to experience to experience first-hand the vast open spaces and wilderness and naively thought that while Joe was working, I would be able to grab my camera and take off in search of the perfect photo op. I've enjoyed solo drives in some pretty desolate areas and never felt I was putting myself in danger when I would strike out for the day with nothing but my camera bag and handgun of choice, a .38 Special. In my imagination, Alaska was going to be the ultimate opportunity to feed my need for adventure.
After almost 5 months here, I'm glad to say that I wasn't too far off in my view. I've never seen such beauty in one place. On a sunny day, your senses are almost overloaded trying to take it all in. The wildlife is so abundant it is as if we live in the middle of a wildlife park. Five miles in any direction will put so far from civilization that you have no running water or electricity and roads are non existent. What I failed to consider is that in Alaska, you have to multiply each one of these qualities by at least 10 or what I call the "Alaska Extreme".
As I said, the mountains here are incredibly beautiful. Kenai is completely surrounded by mountain ranges. However, these same mountains cause havoc in predicting the weather. To travel the 60 miles (as a crow flies) from Kenai to Anchorage is a little over three hours by car. In the summer, you drive along a two lane road between two mountain ranges traveling along the path of the beautiful Kenai River. During this three hour drive, you will pass through three distinctly different weather zones. In the summer, it causes no great concern other than the possibility of rain and bumper to bumper traffic due to the tourists. The winter is quite different all together.
In the winter, due to the diminished sunlight each day, at least half the trip to Anchorage is in pitch darkness. Cars must be provisioned with an emergency kit of coats and blankets, hiking boots, food and water, roadside flares, as well as a first aid kit in the event you hit one of the hundreds of moose along this route. Studded tires are necessary even on 4WD vehicles due to the ice that accumulates on the road. Although you may check the weather before you leave, there is no guarantee that you won't encounter blizzard conditions on the other side of the mountains and with no cell phone coverage and limited radio service and you could be driving into very dangerous conditions completely unaware. The area is also known for avalanches and several times throughout the winter, the road is closed until it can be safely cleared. You have to be prepared to spend at least 24 hours in your car should this happen. Alaska Extreme.
The wildlife here is abundant. I have seen moose, caribou, eagles, and more fish than I could have ever imagined. Joe has encountered bears on fishing trips competing with him for salmon. What I failed to realize is that because the wildlife is so abundant, you do not dare drive over 45 mph for fear of hitting a moose or a caribou. Last week, Joe was getting the oil changed and visited with a woman at the mechanic shop. She was there getting her truck repaired after hitting a moose in the middle of the downtown area across the street from the Dairy Queen. Alaska Extreme.
During her campaign, Sarah Palin got a lot of flack about shooting wolves from helicopters. Last March, a woman was killed by a pack of wolves when she was out jogging. In the paper last week, there was an article about the Wildlife Department granting approval to exterminate two packs of wolves who are terrorizing a village southeast of Anchorage. Over the past year, the wolves have killed numerous dogs and have begun entering garages and circling residents homes waiting on an opportunity to attack. One pack numbers 20 and the smaller pack is about 7. Alaska Extreme.
In our area, we don't have wolves but we have grizzlies. We have been warned that you do not leave your house without a bear gun. My .38 Special would be useless against a bear and would probably only make the situation much worse. We've been told not to grill anything outdoors during the summer and we definitely don't leave our garbage cans outside the garage for any reason. We've heard tales of bears pounding on patio doors and windows as the frightened homeowners escape in their cars. Last summer, there were two bear attacks within 10 miles of our home and a grizzly has been been spotted about 2 miles from here. Environmentalist have been successful in severely restricting the hunting of these animals so in our area they have no fear of man. If you fall into the environmentalists' camp on this issue, I'd welcome you to spend a week with me this summer and you can experience for yourself what if feels like to no longer be at the top of the food chain. Alaska Extreme.
As I watched Gov. Palin entertain Kate Gosselin and her 8 children last night, I had an epiphany. Gov. Palin consistently embraced the beauty of her surroundings, reveling in the magnificent scenery. Ms. Gosselin saw very little of the beauty because she was too concerned about the rain, the bugs, the different food, etc. Rather than enjoy the experience, Ms. Gosselin made everyone around her miserable and ended the scheduled camping trip after only a few hours. Her attitude really hit home. I had lately found myself too focused on the difficulties I've found here rather than focusing on the very things that make Alaska so special. Joe and I have been given a wonderful opportunity to live in a place that many never get to experience. This past weekend, we made a list of the things we hope to see while we are here. Once the roads clear, I'll upgrade my .38 Special to a .44 Magnum; grab my camera bag; and head out. I'll be a Sarah Palin and NOT a Kate Gosselin! Perhaps I'll get my own television show and show you a glimpse of the Alaska Extreme I'm learning so much about!
Note: I just learned that our internet speed in Kenai, one of the most populated areas in the state, is too slow to support downloading photographs. They have the systems in place to boost the speed and coverage but aren't ready to unroll it. The upgrade could happen soon or I may be back in the lower-48 before this happens. I've not posted to my blog because I like to share pictures, but I have so much I'd like to share. If you'll bear with me, I'll give you a narrative of my adventures and update with pictures at a later date.
Just one more example of Alaska Extreme that I am embracing with a smile!
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