The Palin Effect

Since I’ve been up here I’ve recieved tons of statements and questions regarding various myths and ideas about Alaska. To be honest, I didn’t know much about Alaska when I boarded that first flight. So gather ’round the campfire cheechakos (indian word for ‘newcomer’) and let me debunk 5 of my favorites…

1. You can see Russia from Alaska?!

Technically, yes you can. If you go into the middle of the Bering Sea, and stand on the shore of Little Diomede Island, you will see, two and a half miles distant, the shore of Big Diomede Island, property of The Motherland. The International Dateline runs between the two islands. Note that this pair of islands is a long way from mainland Alaska and Russia, but again, you can technically see Russia from AK.

2. It’s dark for 24 hours everywhere

So you’ve seen 30 Days of Night starring Josh Hotnett and you’re now an expert about the circumpolar daylight patterns. WRONG. Barrow and the North Slope are the only sizeable towns on the Arctic Sea, and for a while each year the sun never rises, or in the summer, never sets. Buttttttt, the majority of Alaska experiences a fraction of this effect. The longest day of summer, for me (way way down in Valdez) was light or twilight for 20 hours. This winter, now that I am in the northern interior, I might see only 4 hours of dim light low on the horizon.

3. All of Alaska is a frigid wasteland

When superimposed upon a map of the lower 48, Alaska can barely squeeze inside the borders. Saying the weather in Anchorage is the same as Nome is like saying Maine and Louisiana have the same climate. On any given day it might be -60 in Fairbanks, while on the same day it my be 28 in Juneau. Cold is a relative term up here; thats all i’ve got…

4. Alaskans ride dogsleds/moose/snowmobiles to work

The majority of Alaskans live in an urban or suburban setting, with half the population living in and around Anchorage, cursing the daily rush hour. Not every Alaskan is a bearded trapper with a dog team. Sure, there are guys out there living in the hills with no electricity, but hell, you can do that anywhere ((ie. Ted Kaczinski) joking) Alaskans, for the most part, live a life similar to everyone else.

5. Do you see penguins often?

Time to read a book, Sherlock. Penguins are found only in the the Southern Hemisphere (read: Antarctica)

If anybody has any more questions, please share them and I’d be glad to answer!

Alyeska

This is my new journal about my unorthodox life after college and life in Alaska. Alaska, the land of the midnight sun, where bears roam free, and women have beards. Maybe not beards, but unusually strong handshakes at the least.

The first obligatory entry is always a little awkward for everyone involved, so lets get it over with. Shortly after graduating from college in May, I left my brutally boring and dead-end laboratory job for a fun summer job in Alaska. I’ve since decided to extend the job, wanting to experience a frontier winter firsthand. I worked in a town in Southeast Alaska all summer called Valdez, most notably known for the 1989 oil spill. The town, and surrounding ocean (Prince William Sound) has bounced back remarkably and boasts tremendous halibut and salmon fisheries. Chances are if you buy canned or frozen wild salmon, it was caught in Valdez. Valdez is a beautiful place, immediately surrounded by the Chugach mountains, but the beauty comes at a price…. It rains day after day after day after day… I counted 8 sunny days all summer, from May to August. Valdez, the northernmost ice-free harbour, stays relatively warm in the winter, being similar to Michigan, except that all of that summer rain translates into 300-500 inches of snow each season! Get out your calculators kids, and figure that one out..

Valdez was great, but after the summer season I transferred to Delta Junction, 5 hours north by highway. Delta is about 100 miles south of Fairbanks, and the climate is dramatically different, being an arctic desert and all.

As a Recreation Attendant for the Government, my duties and daily activities vary, but I am basically here to make sure off duty soldiers and contractors have fun and experience the countryside. Which is pretty fun, I suppose, although I don’t have the satisfaction of using my very expensive college degree right now. Nor can I drop in and see my friends regularly, or go to Yesterdog and get a cheddardog, or get a decent pizza. RIght now, though, I am putting these things on hold to enjoy the experience. The Alaskan Range is visible from my bedroom, holding court over the vast spruce forests, and my nearest neighbor is a nosey moose. In future posts I’ll be sure to post pictures to detail the various minutae in my daily life. Keep in touch and post plenty of comments, I love hearing from people.

Hello world!

Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!