10 Things I’ve Been Meaning to Say to Alaska

1. You were definitely a trip of a lifetime and worth the 2 year wait to take this adventure.
2. Your mountains are pure majestic beauty. At each location we visited, mountains surrounded us and the views were stunning.
3. Sailing through Glacier Bay, you reminded me of my smallness in this world and in the lifespan of earth. The expanses were vast and in comparison to the glaciers’ ages I am just a mere speck in a moment of time.
4. Blue is such a stunning color with a huge range of shades. Gazing at your turquoise glaciers, I was astounded by nature’s awesomeness and wonder.
5. Thank you for sharing your wildlife with me. Having a seal pop up only a few feet from my kayak was delightful. Seeing bald eagles fly overhead was breathtaking. Watching out the bus window as caribou trotted next to us on the way to the river was just unbelievable. Others on the list- porcupines, otters, starfish, dall sheep. I am a bit upset that a grizzly was not added to our list.
6. There is nothing like the fresh salmon and halibut caught in your waters. I am not a fish eater at all! However, I tried your halibut and loved it. It became an item I looked for on the menu. The fresh salmon cakes at The Salmon Spot were beyond delish.
7. I am a bit angry that you did not reveal the Northern Lights to me. I hoped that each night we would receive the call to come and admire the colors dancing across the sky but the gray blanket of nightly clouds didn’t permit the longed for view.
8. Denali- not much more to say. Viewing its immense presence from base to summit was a pure gift from you. There is only a 30% chance of viewing its full enormity and I had the privilege of viewing it surrounded by blue sky and basking in sunlight.
9. Each of your cities and towns has its own uniqueness. I enjoyed talking with the locals and trying out their recommendations for dining. Fireweed ice cream, Russian dumplings, Reindeer hot dogs all met the high recommendations.
10. Everyone said that once you visit Alaska, you will want to come back. I so totally agree with that statement now. We heard that many retirees work there from May-September. Maybe a retirement dream but I do plan to visit this amazing state again.

This post was inspired by another Slice of Lifer, Christine Fillmore. I read her blog, https://justyouravgteach.wordpress.com/, a few days ago and knew that I wanted to use that format and write to Alaska. So I thank her for my inspiration.