I just finished my second trip to Alaska and have a few notes to share for the curious traveler.
The sun doesn't set in Alaska (at least not that I saw) this time of year. I arrived on the solstice, a.k.a. the longest day of the year, and bars appeared to be open all night long for a celebration. The pictures I've posted of myself here weren't taken at midnight - but they COULD HAVE BEEN.
Of course, it's the exact opposite in the winter: the sun never rises. I suspect if I lived there year-round I'd have to hibernate all winter and stay up all summer just to match my body's rhythm with the environment's.
Denali National Park is astonishingly beautiful, but this time of year there are too many tourists and not enough wildlife if you ask me. When I went in early May one year, the Nenana River was still frozen (and I mean SOLID), and I saw a moose, a bear, and herds of caribou roaming free. Now it's tourist season. Don't get me wrong, Alaska is beautiful this time of year - it's just less distinguishable from similarly gorgeous places in Colorado, or Minnesota, or British Columbia this time of year.
Thanks to my very good friends Don and Kassandra and Lonnie for putting me up and just putting up with me during my visit. I had a great time and hope to go back again soon, at a time when the tourists have mostly dissipated (^_^)
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