Alaskan berries

While in Denali last weekend we discovered that a variety of delicious edible berries grow wild across the state.

We were admonished, however, to never ever eat the white Eskimo berries, which John Krakauer (“Into the Wild”) theorized was the culprit in the tragic death of Christopher McKandless in 1992. 

The teenager wanted to check the veracity of what we were told about the infamous “white berries” so I did a quick Google check and stumbled across an article by Iris Brooks, entitled, Alaskan Berry Magic. 

Much of what Ms. Brooks wrote in that article captures the essence of what I have experienced while in Alaska, specifically…

Ø     Alaska resonates with stillness

Ø     Named after the Aleut word “Al-yes-ka,” meaning “the great land,” [Alaska] is a wide-open expanse with subtly shifting light

Ø     Traffic lights are rare but signs about moose are common

Ø     The feeling of endless space is exhilarating

Ø     One has to be a rugged individualist to survive in a place where snow mutes the land and schools close only when weather conditions are truly risky, with temperatures plummeting to more than 50 degrees below zero.

While I have yet to experience “winter in Alaska,” the last statement reminds me of when the teenager wanted to write a letter of complaint to the superintendent of the Laramie school district when he didn’t close schools the morning we experienced negative 50 some degree temperatures. 

The teenager said it was too dangerous for kids to attend school (and no, he just wasn’t whining about having to go to school).

He said many kids walk to school (and it was too cold and dangerous), and that others couldn’t make it because their parents could not start their cars.

The teenager also told us that almost half of his classmates were absent from school that day.

I guess he's feeling lucky he doesn't live in Alaska.

Tomorrow we leave for Seward, where we will fish and take a cruise, hopefully to see whales, sea lions and a glacier.

Quirky Sight....

I take a lot of photos, most of which are lousy and many end up discarded.

Sometimes when I look at what I shot I scratch my head and wonder: What was I thinking?

Mostly though, I take photos because in my whacky little mind, something about the scene makes me laugh, wonder or ponder.

Most of the photos usually only have significance to me and leave others wondering: "What?!"

Since, however, this is my online journal, I post away--regardless of the poor quality.

Hopefully, years from now, when I look back at these posts, I will have that same sense of "quirkiness" that induced me to take the photos in the first place,

That being said...

Took me a few seconds to realize why all the fire hydrants have these four to five foot red and white stripped poles attached to the top.  Anchorage averages 79 inches of snow annually.

Can't get enough of the views of the mountains, although I haven't yet figured out which range is which.

 

I realize part of the beauty of Wyoming’s flat, open landscape—there’s nothing to get in the way of the magnificent sky and mountains in the distance.

I remember the first time I drove out to the Wal-Mart in Laramie and saw the full range of the Snowies in the distance.  I still find it breathtaking, even after nearly two years.  This view--although it may not appear so--most definitely has that vista beat.

Wish that I could see the Northern Lights. Alas, I happen to be visiting Alaska during the wrong season, which can only mean one thing: a return trip! 

Temptation...

I walked to the Safeway today to purchase some laundry detergent.

It’s a quick, thirty-minute round trip.

I need the extra exercise to work off the delicious smoked salmon, Alaska brews and other comestibles tempting me these days.

I was feeling pretty good about getting in a second trek for the day and working off more calories.

That is, until I saw the free sample sitting at the in-store Starbuck’s counter.

While it may look full-sized, it’s only 2 inches tall.

For something so small, it sure packed a punch!

Too bad I’ll be sitting for 5 to 6 hours tomorrow as we make our way to Denali.

Who came up with these drinks anyway?  They're dangerous!

I hardly ever consume them, precisely for that reason (plus they're so darn expensive!). 

Good thing, in Laramie, the only Starbucks are in the two competing grocery stores and I'm always too occupied with groceries to think about fancy coffee drinks.  

Perhaps my future walks here in Anchorage should be in the opposite direction of the Safeway!