Alaska - A Beautiful Piece of Rock
Story By:
Denise Zirkle
Alaska, also known as the “last frontier” or the “great land” by the Aleuts is the largest US state by area, one of the wealthiest (per capita) and the most racially diverse. Wildlife abounds in every corner of the peninsula and breath-taking scenery becomes a picturesque backdrop for the wildlife.There are six regions in Alaska – Arctic, Interior, Western, South central, Southeast and Southwestern and all these regions have very diverse weather climates and geographic features.
Mountainous coastlines, rain forests, volcanoes, broad river valleys, tundra, and forests cover these regions enticing visitors and residents to explore the vast amounts of wilderness or “the bush” where one can hang up all their troubles and start over.Approximately 65% of the state is owned and managed by the U.S. Federal government as public lands in the form of national forests, national parks, and national wildlife refuges. The remaining 35% is owned by the State of Alaska, Native corporations and various private interests.
Many visitors utilize public transportation in the form of cruise ships, buses and trains to explore the “great land”. Others drive the Alcan Highway from the lower 48 in their RV’s while others fly up and rent motor homes to take them and their families on a very unique tour of a very small area of the “last frontier”. The best way to really explore Alaska is to travel by foot or bikes even if for a few hours. There are thousands of miles of hiking and biking trails in Alaska which are used by visitors and residents during the summer months when daylight hours extend from 12 to 21 ½ hours. Most Alaskans own one or a combination of RV’s, boats, snowmachines, 4-wheelers or bicycles and use them in all seasons. Many campgrounds are busy year round while others only open during the summer months but some of these campgrounds will open their sites to winter residents who stay in their RV’s while they work on special projects with their employer. Roadside camping is also available as Alaskan state law does not prohibit camping by the side of the road or along a river unless marked as private property.
Wildlife abounds in Alaska and visitors and residents must be aware of moose, bear, or wolves when exploring on foot. Whales, otters, puffins, seals, and seabirds abound in the waterways and can be seen on wildlife and glacier cruises or from roadways. Alaska has more than a million caribou which can be found in about 30 herds across the state. There are 30,000 to 35,000 bald eagles with a lot of these making their winter home in Homer, AK which is as far south as one can drive in the state. The “eagle lady” feeds the eagles every morning around 10 am during the winter months. She will be able to continue feeding them until 2010 at which time the city of Homer will discontinue this practice as she celebrates her 86th birthday that year. As the sun goes down behind the mountain across from our home, this article comes to an end but it is not the end of life in Alaska. Life in Alaska lives on forever with the mountains sending out a sort of calming spirit attracting those who want to catch it. Try it, it is addictive.
Editor's note: Denise Zirkle is our newest contributor. Living in Alaska, Denise is in a unique position to bring us great stories and pictures from up north. Visit Denise's commercial web sites at: www.heritagemakers.com/205797, and http://ic.longaberger.com/esuite/home/denisezirkle
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