Whenever I talk to someone from down south about living in Alaska for more than five minutes, I inevitably reveal that Alaska has just over one person per square mile. Alaska has a land area of 663,267 square miles and a population of 736,081. It is the largest state by area and the 48th-largest by …
Last week, I received a phone call from an uncle that I haven’t seen in many years. He told me that he was looking at tickets for this summer to put his car on the Alaska Marine Highway Ferry in Bellingham and come to Alaska. He wanted to spend a few days in Juneau to …
I went over to Safeway last week to get some protein powder and while I was there, I saw an old friend from high school who I probably haven’t seen in about five years, despite the fact that we live in the same city. He was wearing a shirt with “Run 4 The Rock” and …
Two of my nieces and I went out to the Mendenhall Glacier last week and, on our way out to the waterfall, the older one asked me what color bears are. I told her that there are brown bears (which are often called “grizzlies”), black bears, and polar bears, which are usually white. She points …
A couple of weeks ago, I took a trip to Sitka to visit a friend of mine for his birthday and to help him get ready to move. As we drove down Lincoln Street, I pointed at one of the buildings and said, “What’s that?” He looks at me and says, “Bro, you don’t know …
Last week, I was walking down the streets of downtown Juneau and I stopped in front of one of the bars to check a text message on my phone. As soon as I put the phone back in my pocket, I heard one of the phrases I hear most often downtown, “Hey man, do you …
My aunt and uncle told us that they were coming up to Alaska for Christmas and they were going to make a stop in Juneau. I haven’t seen them in years, so we were naturally very excited to see them and drive them around town. We asked them what they wanted to see and they …
Have you ever seen a movie or a TV show that took place in Alaska and said, “Oh, that looks like the kind of place I would visit!”? Some of the places you see are real and filmed in Alaska, like Skagway in the movie “North to Alaska” with John Wayne. Some are real places …
I was recently on vacation down in Portland and was asked to show my ID during a credit card transaction. After seeing that I was from Alaska, she said, “You know, I’ve always wanted to make it up there with my parents, but my dad hates flying and my mom gets seasick. I wish we …
Ketchikan is a great stop on any Alaskan cruise, with many beautiful sights to see. It should definitely be part of any itinerary that includes Southeast Alaska. If you’re planning on visiting, you’ll want to know what the weather conditions will be like, so you can make sure you’re prepared. Let’s take a look at …