Fifty State Man

I have been on vacation folks, in case you wondered where I have been.

I have finally acquired my fiftieth state, having travelled, stayed overnight and met the folks in the other 49 over the decades. The Red Headed Irish Wisecracker and I cashed in those credit card points and headed into the North.

Just a few impressions. We tended to get out into the rough and Alaska has a lot more rough than smooth. The cities and towns are few and the rest is is nature primeval.

We met fine folks out there, self reliant folks who seem to be solidly based in reality.

I enjoyed the tour. immensely. We put over 1900 miles on the GMC pickup we rented and saw some fantastic sights.

Turnagain Arm , SE of Anchorage, enjoying the seven hour sunset over Cook Inlet.

Portage Glacier- we watched it calve right there. The noise was like a freight train as the ice broke off.

Faithful Steed, GMC Canyon courtesy of AVIS

Great State Flag- a constellation of Stars with the North Star in the lead position. Portage Lake, SE Anchorage.

Very hungry Humpback whale feeding after the migration from Hawaii.

Alaska resident with character and natural grounded self confidence.

Once we got up North, past Fairbanks the buildings all seem to be made of whatever material can be scrounged. A lot are prefabs used in the pipeline project, with pieces of shipping containers cut and fit to add on. Very practical people , more motivated by surviving 40 below that how the HOA will like the color scheme.

Rest of the same parking lot and that truck is on the shoulder of the Dalton Highway that leads to Prudhoe Bay and the Artic Ocean.

What people hang on the wall says a lot about them. Rose , owner of Rose’s diner in Healey, just thought these object d’art each told a story of who she is and what she thinks is important.

Here it is, maintained by the US Government, manned two months a year by two Park Service employees who will stamp your certificate of having made it this far. Nice folk who also clean the rest rooms with power washers and love to use them on squatters.

Sobering fact a lifelong native , born in Barrow and raised with Polar Bears in his back yard told me.  Anchorage is now over 50% of the population and is infested with folks who want to bring zoning, permits and taxes to this land of the free.

It was fun and exhausting, we just got back and I am too wired to sleep.