Alaska is a different state. It's the largest, yet, at the same time, our smallest. Physically, it is huge. But there are not many people there. Juneau, the capital, has about 30,000 residents. Only Anchorage exceeds 100,000. Ketchikan, at 12,000, is the fourth or fifth largest city. Outdoorsmen enjoy it the most. Since I neither fish nor hunt, I had to "make do" with watching the scenery and talking with some of the natives. Some of the scenery is the most spectacular in the world.
Because Alaska is isolated, is difficult to reach and has fairly small cities, it seems to attract people very much like many who come to the island of Martha's Vineyard - people who have had some problems living in 21st century America, people who are trying to find themselves by getting closer to nature while living an independent life.
Its ferry system is very different from that of the Vineyard. The Alaska Marine Highway System handles much larger boats with far fewer workers. On a boat that could carry 900 passengers and approximately 100+ cars, they had 4 people (not counting crewmen) loading people and cars. Here on the Island the Steamship Authority has perhaps double the number of people loading people and cars onto boats with smaller capacities.
Its economy did not match my expectations. In general, prices were reasonable, especially when compared to the Vineyard. You can find a decent hotel room for about $150 a night. Dining out was cheaper than the Vineyard. Housing was less than half of what we pay here.
I was also struck by the people's description of their winters. I picture the typical Alaskan winter as pretty tough with lots of snow and very low temperatures. That is not the case with Southeastern Alaska. The winter is milder than ours except for the wind, which can average over 50 miles per hour.
Overall, it was one of the most relaxing vacations we have taken. I actually felt rested when we returned. But, it's over now. Back to the salt mines tomorrow.
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