Seeing Alaska for the First Time

by Kris Long, BLM Public Affairs Specialist

Rugged, Majestic, Timeless Beauty.  Leaving Boise’s hot, dry August, I stepped onto Alaska Airline’s Boeing 737 headed for a cool and refreshing three-week journey on a BLM work detail to Anchorage.  Clouds filled the skies as we flew north over Canada and into Alaska.  Not much was visible from the air, until we began our descent into Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage.  When our plane dropped beneath the clouds, I was swept away at the brilliant blue glow on the breathtaking glacial mountains.  Never had I seen anything like it!  At first, I thought the blue must be high glacial lakes.  Later I learned that this beautiful color is created by the dense glacial ice absorbing all but the reflecting blue of the color spectrum.

With all this beauty suddenly surrounding me, I began to realize that my detail to BLM’s Alaska State Office in Anchorage was not going to be just about work.  Back home in Boise, people said they were jealous that I had this summer work in the milder climate of Alaska, where fall temperatures were in the mid to upper 60’s F.  The cooler climate I had been looking forward to; it was the rugged, majestic and timeless beauty of the place I hadn’t quite grasped.  What I saw and experienced on my Alaskan adventures will captivate me with pleasant memories for many years to come.

Along the Seward Highway Scenic Byway.  My first weekend road trip was a drive south along the 127-mile Seward Highway Scenic Byway on the Kenai Peninsula.  Every turn revealed new and inspiring scenic beauty.  I immediately noticed the rich abundance of wildlife.  My first sighting was a bald eagle near a forested coastland, followed by sightings of more eagles, tundra swans, cranes, ravens, ducks, and Arctic terns, to name a few.   I spotted a couple of grizzly bears.  Had it not been raining, I likely would have stopped at Beluga Point to search for beluga whales and at Windy Point to get a glimpse of the mountain-dwelling Dall sheep.  On a later journey to the Delta Wild and Scenic River, a caribou jumped right in front of our car, accompanied by a barrage of clicking camera shutters.  Fully antlered moose grazed knee-deep in a pool, and beavers swam through the pristine lakes.

Friendly International Flair of Tourists.  Along the Seward Highway, I stopped frequently to take photos.  At one stop, a couple from Switzerland asked if I would take their photo.  We talked for a few a minutes about the beauty of this land, Alaska, and how friendly and hospitable the people are here.  I reasoned if these tourists from Switzerland – familiar with the likes of the Swiss Alps, St. Moritz and Zurick – were taken aback by the beauty of Alaska, then there must be few other places on earth like it.  Also, like Switzerland, with its multilingual fusion of languages, I sensed here a friendly International flair of tourists, having already picked up on conversations in German, Japanese and French.

After the morning’s scenic drive, I reached Seward, one of Alaska’s oldest and most picturesque towns.  While there, I stopped at a wonderful restaurant with a scenic view of Resurrection Bay, complete with harbor and the snow-capped Mt. Alice.  As a land-locked Idahoan, I can’t describe how fresh and delicious the crusted baked cod tasted at the restaurant.  To top it off, I learned that the opening scene to one of my favorite movies, Tom Clancy’s “The Hunt for the Red October,” was filmed at Resurrection Bay in 1990.

Many Uniquely Local Diners.  Back in Anchorage after a magical day, I stopped off at the F Street Station for a delightful seafood dinner.  I found many uniquely local diners, the names as colorful as Alaska itself, like the Moose’s Tooth, Glacier Brewhouse, Lucky Wishbone and Arctic Roadrunner.  Unique too to this Idahoan, were the many small airports and bush planes everywhere.  I was informed that with Alaska’s vast land, few roads and great distances between villages, over twice the size of Texas, small aircraft transportation is a viable mode of travel.

There are so many stories to tell, like the clear day at the 20,320-foot Denali peak or crossing the highway to the North Pole.  Unforgettable, was a trip to BLM’s Glennallen Field Office and the Delta Wild and Scenic River for a weekend of fly-fishing with Project Healing Waters and the BLM Glennallen staff.

Thank You, Alaska!  I am indebted to BLM Alaska State Director Bud Cribley and Communications Director Artealia Gilliard for their hospitality and my opportunity to become part of the Alaska staff for three weeks.  In addition to meaningful staff work, I had the pleasure working with some wonderful employees who have given me new perspectives and many fun stories to tell about my adventures.