.  It really doesn't take long to reflect upon Alaska.  I guess this was done even while we were still there.

  I have some thoughts on Alaska and this trip.

This was certainly a different way of traveling.  I think there are more advantages than disadvantages.  I know many who have taken a cruise to Alaska, with some side trips, and what they told me encouraged me to make this trip even more.  The sights are incredible, but we saw them a little differently.  We also had the opportunity to go places where others seldom go.  I think we "experienced" Alaska as have other friends of mine who made the trip in small planes.  (There are many who gain some similar experiences by coming to Alaska and renting an RV.)  I want to thank my pilot friends whose tips were very valuable. 

The size of this state is difficult to comprehend.  It is more than twice the size of Texas (sorry friends) and yet has a population of only 657,000, of which 40% live in Anchorage.  Many places we visited - - - big names like Nome, Barrow, Cordova - - - have a  population of 4,000 or less.  Think about how some of these places get their supplies.  There are no roads to Nome or Barrow.  (There is the ice road from Prudhoe Bay to Barrow but only for a few months in the winter and only for trucks.)  Food is flown in.  Heavy equipment is brought in by barge during the few months the ports are free of ice.  In Barrow, natural gas is cheap, fresh water is expensive.  There are a great many small towns and villages that get their supplies only by bush plane.

Being tourists?  Here is an example.  When we drove down to Skagway Alaska from Whitehorse Yukon Territory  for a day trip the streets were quite empty.  Many of the small shops were closed.  THEN the ship came in.  EVERYTHING opened up and the streets were loaded with those on the cruise.  Yes, they saw Alaska, but did they really see it?  Traveling on your own certainly involves more packing, unpacking, transporting, arranging, etc. but it has its advantages.  We met Alaskans.  We met some casually, and a few out of necessity.  Fred, at Arctic Aviation in Fairbanks, was an incredible help in doing some work on the plane, but I also had the advantage of spending some hours with him and his friend Guy.  Fred and I drove into town to pick up some things he needed and we just talked.  Then of course we went to some places that the ships and tours just don't go.  Places like Barrow on the Arctic Ocean and Nome on the Bering Sea are accessible only by plane.  Actually Nome is expanding their port as they expect to get three (and hopefully more) small tour ships in the summer.  Many of the experiences we had were because we just found something or somebody.  The roadhouse we stopped at on one of the roads from Nome along the Bering Sea gave us the unexpected opportunity to just sit a talk with the owner/proprietor. 

Flying also gave us a different view of Alaska as well.  Talking with Alaskan pilots gave us tips on flying the State.  Flying low through the Anaktuvuk Pass through the Brooks Range  from Barrow to Fairbanks- - - flying along the Copper and Chitina Rivers through the Wrangle Mountains to land at McCarthy - - - these gave us incredible views. 
Mostly however, IT'S THE PEOPLE.  They are very friendly as well as helpful.  Driving by construction areas, the traffic guides are waving and saying hi.  I have never been to a place where friendliness is so prevalent.  In Nome, an Alaskan woman stopped us on the street and asked Sharon if she is enjoying Alaska.  I think many of these people have lived there all their life and that is just they way they have always been.  Others came from the lower 48 and stayed because they just wanted to live that way.  They seem to be saying, "I love my state and I want you to love it too."

It was interesting.  When we spoke with some people, like the FAA folks in Nome, and others in Barrow, I often asked what it was like in the winter.  30 degrees below zero with 20 to 40 mph winds can be brutal.  These people told me that yes the weather was brutal, but it wasn't the cold that bothered them as much as it was the darkness.  After all, in Barrow it is totally dark for about two months.  On the other hand, there is a feeling in many of these places that in the summer, they are on "Arctic Time."  No, I don't mean the time zone, but it seems that they eat their meals at different times, and sleep is not necessarily at "night."  Boy, they really enjoy the sunlight!!  (Many people in Barrow were wearing Bermuda Shorts when the temperature got into the low 40's.)

Some things about the flying part.  First, just the transportation.  We packed many things in stuff bags- - - one for underwear, one for sox, one for summer shirts, one for heavy winter shirts, etc. as well as one for dirty clothes that can be washed and of course one for my pillow.  We would then pick those items for the next stop and put them in a bag we would take with us.  Of course the plane gave us the advantage of not having to pack things in suitcases.  This worked out well.

Although it was almost a last minute thing, the Iridium Satellite Phone was invaluable.  It was convenient to use when our plans changed while we were in the air.  We  made hotel reservations at places where we were going to stop, checked on fuel availability when our plans changed but it was very valuable when we called Air Traffic Control on the phone over the Brooks Range when there wasn't any radio contact with anyone.  I even used it to call some operations at airports to tell them whether we were staying overnight or just getting fuel, so they were ready when I landed and parked me in the proper place.  I had to file a flight plan and notify Canadian Customs on the sat phone when we were in Cordova.  There is no cell service, no pay phones, and I couldn't make a long distance call from the hotel room phone without buying a phone card from the front desk, which wasn't open yet.

As far the the actual flying, there are differences in this part of the world, meaning Alaska and Northern Canada.  You are often out of radio contact and usually out of radar coverage so such things as "what transponder code to use" (squawk 1000 when IFR but no radar coverage) and "who do I call next" and "what happens when I can't reach anyone" are things that you just get used to and hopefully get briefed on before the trip.  I was fortunate in that flying across the North Atlantic and in Europe I had the opportunity to learn a lot of this stuff.  Today, the Garmin Avionics have a great deal of information in their data base.  You can easily see what frequencies are available and WHERE the Air Traffic Control antenna is so you know who you have the best chance of reaching.

Alaska?- - -  maybe it's true- - -

Come to Alaska once for a tour.  Come a second time for a visit.  Come for a third time, and you'll stay for life!! (I just read that Edward R. Morrow Jr. did.  He was a pilot.  He went to Alaska, become Lt. Governor of the State, declined to run for Governor and instead became an Alaska Bush Pilot- - - and still it today.)