I’m From Alaska

By Roy Varni

Sarah Palin’s run on the ticket with John McCain generated quite a bit of interest about Alaska – not that there wasn’t already. We get more than a million visitors to our capital city of Juneau each year. So, the interest is definitely there.

If I am asked where I’m from there is no hesitancy on my part in replying, “I’m from Alaska!” Yes, I was born and raised in San Francisco, but my heart (unlike Tony Bennett’s ) is right here in Juneau, Alaska. So, the obvious question is: “What’s so great about Alaska?” Well, if you’re an outdoor person – a hiker, a hunter, or a fisherman – it’s your almost private paradise. The Juneau area has more miles of hiking trails than it has miles of roads (including every street and alleyway that can accommodate an automobile) – roughly 250 miles of trails compared to 200 miles of roads. Our backyard is a 1,500 square mile glacial ice field that borders Canada, and our front yard is the Pacific Ocean and the islands of the Inside Passage. Granted, Juneau isn’t the easiest place to reach. You either arrive by air or by water. The 1500 square miles of ice prevent a road from reaching us; and the weather sometimes prevents the jets from landing. In the latter instances you might spend the night in Anchorage and, hopefully, reach Juneau the next day. However, when you do finally arrive, it’s all worth it.

Where else in the world can you think of where the locals go fishing in a lake (casting three barbed lead weighted hooks) for pieces of glacier ice for their evening cocktails? Or, where have you seen tourists ride rafts on a raging glacial river that winds through a small bedroom community? Yes, it’s true – dad is out on the back porch barbecuing and waving at the rafters as they float by. As that Russian comic (i think his name is ‘Smirnoff’) used to say, “What a country!”

In one of my future postings, I’ll tell you about some of my most notable fishing and hunting experiences in Alaska. In the meantime, remember my admonition: do yourself a favor – at least once in your lifetime visit Alaska.

I love writing and doing book reviews. I enjoy reading and writing mysteries and thrillers of all kinds; especially my own. Historical facts are often blended into my stories.

http://www.rainsmurder.com

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