AAA Western & Central NY

The Alaska of My Dreams

By Maria Ceraulo

I longed to see Alaska’s majestic coastline. For years, the amazing images of ancient glaciers meeting the sea after centuries of a constant and immeasurable flow inspired my imagination. Last year, I finally made my first trip to see the Alaska of my dreams. I visited the state’s southern coastal region, which includes the Kenai Peninsula and Anchorage,on my way to Denali National Park and spectacular Mount McKinley.

The Moose Way, of course

Soon after arriving in Anchorage—Alaska’s largest city—I realized that everything is a bit slower in Alaska. I learned to slow down, too. During my early September visit, the unseasonably warm weather surprised me. A local told me one afternoon, with a gentle smile on his face, “If the weather was always this nice, a lot more people would live here.” I also learned very quickly that Alaskans are a different breed. I started to understand their special love of this land when my bus driver, Annie, asked me at the airport, “Do you want to go straight to your hotel, or take the long way and look for moose?” In an instant, I replied, “Let’s look for moose, of course.”

Unfortunately, I didn’t see any moose during my late afternoon side trip to Earthquake Park, but I admired the stunning Chugach Mountains as the sun started to dip toward the horizon. Earthquake Park commemorates the lives lost in the Good Friday Earthquake of March 27, 1964, which registered 9.2 on the Richter Scale and is one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded. It is a sad story for these parts, but today I was enjoying a perfect Alaskan sunset on the first of many perfect days in this remote and exquisite land.

On the Road

The Kenai Peninsula’s Seward Highway, a 127-mile stretch designated a National Scenic Byway, is the main road from Anchorage south to Seward. At a lookout point along the way, I spotted the powerful fins of two beluga whales diving back into the water. It was as if they were putting on a show just for me. My trip on the Seward Highway proved as delightful as my destination—the small port town of Seward.

Picturesque Seward (population: 3,000), located at the head of Resurrection Bay, is the gateway to Kenai Fjords National Park, a sumptuous combination of mountains, ice and ocean. Ten minutes into our boat tour, I spotted a bald eagle soaring overhead. The glaciers were packed with house-sized masses of ice. Without warning, a massive chunk broke off and crashed into the sea. Mountain goats climbed the cliffs, and fi ve sea lions noisily welcomed me.

I was surprised at how few houses I noticed. Amazingly, only about 1 percent of Alaska’s 570,000 square miles is privately owned. The other 99 percent is state or federal land, including parks and forests, or Native American property. Alaska is the largest state by land mass (nearly one-fourth the entire size of continental U.S. and twice the area of Texas, the second largest state) but it is home to just 660,000 people, the 47th lowest state population. With 11 “major highways,” Alaska’s off-the-beaten- path location adds to the appeal of “America’s Last Frontier.”

Denali National Park and Preserve—Mount McKinley

It was a clear day, and Mount McKinley’s majestic snow-covered peak dominated the horizon. One mesmerizing look and I knew why people around the world make a pilgrimage to climb the 20,320- foot Denali—or “The High One” as the native Inuit people call it—which also is the official name currently recognized by the State of Alaska.

The mountain was renamed Mount McKinley by an Ohio prospector, after hearing that President McKinley, a fellow Ohioan, had become president. After McKinley was assassinated at Buffalo’s Pan-American Exposition in 1901, the new name stuck. However, when Denali National Park and Preserve was established on Dec. 2, 1980, Mount McKinley was officially changed back to Denali by the Alaska board of geographic names. Today, the U.S. Board of Geographic Names continues to recognize Mount McKinley and Alaskans have differing opinions on what to call their mountain, but they would agree that this special place is overflowing with wildlife.

A grizzly can run how fast?

I was lucky to have longer than most visitors in Denali, and spent hour after hour gazing through my binoculars. The tiny white specks on the cliffs were dozens of Dall sheep that graze high on the mountainside. Closer to the road, two bull moose staked out their territory, and a red fox carried in his mouth an unlucky rabbit for dinner. But there are few experiences on earth as thrilling as watching a grizzly bear in the distance—a safe distance. Grizzly bears can reach up to 1,500 pounds, stand at a height of more than eight feet and run up to 35 miles per hour. The sight of this magnificent animal roaming freely amid the pristine landscape sent a shiver up my spine. This was no city zoo experience. I was on a safari that only Alaska could have created, and the sounds of nature soothed my soul.

Back to Anchorage

Much as I loved the time sightseeing along Alaska’s roads, after a week I was ready to relax in a luxurious train’s glass-domed railcar as I headed from Fairbanks 360 miles south to Anchorage. On the train, I welcomed the freedom to search for wildlife and photograph the scenery while the attentive staff waited on me in spacious surroundings. The McKinley Explorer railcars are the world’s largest passenger cars. It was the first time I experienced totally glass-domed viewing. In my comfortable seat, I had unobstructed views of the passing mountains and valley views. As the days gradually grew cooler and shorter, my trip neared its end. I realized I hadn’t just seen Alaska. I had seen the Alaska of my dreams.