....by Stanton H. Patty
Russia sold Alaska to the United States in 1867, for $ 7.2 million, or about 2 c. an acre. ( ironically, $ 7.2 million was the value of the first shipment of crude oil moved by tanker after the trans-Alaska pipeline was completed). Alaska biggest holiday, Alaska Day, October 18, celebrates the remarkable real estate transaction of 1867.
Alaska ! It is detached, like a severed limb, from the rest of the United States. Its nearest neighbors are Canada and Russia. Some of its citizens live closer to Japan than to their own state capital, Juneau. And it is big. A map of Alaska superimposed on one of the continental United States would reach from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and from Canada to Mexico. Alaskans enjoy telling how they could cut Alaska in half and still make Texas the third largest state. Then they brag about having the highest mountain in North America ( Mt. McKinley - 20.320 feet = 6194 meter) and the nation’s biggest oil field (Prudhoe Bay) in the High Arctic.
But is more than scale and geography - more than a tired list of superlatives
- that sets Alaska apart from the rest of the country. For the visitor,
Alaska is youth, energy, space wildness.
A traveler to Alaska senses excitement, a feeling of adventure, the moment
he or she steps ashore from a cruise ship in a misty port or arrives by
jetliner in a northern city where the architecture is haphazard blend of
back-home modern and frontier shabby.
There is something different about Alaska !...
For many visitors, it is almost like a first trip to a foreign land.
Yes, the language is the same. There are big Macs and J.C. Penny stores,
Summertime temperatures are comfortable, about the same as in Seattle or
Vancouver,B.C., along the coast; even warmer the interior, where welcome
hotel air conditioner hum.
Alaska is not the stuff of icy legends in all seasons.
But there is also something almost unsettling about Alaska for the first
time visitor. It seems to be a land of many places, many kind of experiences...too
big to comprehend. That is the key, the many Alaskas....
When to go
Each season in Alaska offers the visitor unique activities and experiences.
Most visitors choose summer because of the temperature and long evenings
of midnight sun. From June through August, you can expect pleasantly warm,
long days - Fairbanks shines under a staggering 22 hours of daylight in
June and cool, comfortable nights.
Alaska is in Alaska Standard Time Zone, European time less 9 to 12 hours. Daylight savings time from the first Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October.
Suggestions:
What to pack Weather during Alaskan summers is changeable, though it is a good idea to bring: - Rain gear. - One extra sweater or jacket for cool evening. - Wool sweater. - Warm socks. - Casual dress. - Short sleeved cotton shirts. - Camp shoes.
- Sunglasses for glaciers. - Binoculars. - Camera and/or videocamera with plenty of film.
- Suntan lotion. - Insect repellent. - Any prescription medicines regularly used.
Best Viewed with:
| Contact us at: |
EAS - ALASKA PROMOTION 1200 I Street - Suite 611 Anchorage, Alaska, 99501 U.S.A Tel. (907) 278-7878 Fax. (907) 278-8885 E-Mail: VisitAlaska@XperienceAlaska.com |
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Pictures by: E. Lonati