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How I ended up in Alaska
By Randy Smith
I have been living in Alaska now for 30 years and have loved every moment of it. I enjoy photographing wild life and the wonderful landscape of Alaska. It truly is the last frontier. My journey began in 1979 when I graduated from high school. It was a warm June day and my friends and I were kicking around ideas of going to Maine for the summer and seeing the great outdoors. Some of us preferred New Hampshire while others thought of Montana. We decide to write down our top 3 places we would like to travel to and place them in a hat. I had been to Maine and New Hampshire and was looking for some thing a little different. I always wanted to go to Alaska but it was pretty far from the east coast. I figured what do I have to loose. No one else is going to think of Alaska so I wrote it down 3 times. Well Maine had the most votes but everyone was intrigued with the idea of visiting the last frontier. It seemed like the great unknown. Could 5 of us really afford to travel to Alaska and back? One of my friends had a cousin in Seattle and that seemed like the natural place to start our trip to Alaska from. So we were off, all 5 of us in one vehicle driving to Seattle. I think it was the longest 7 days of my life ever. I don’t know how Lewis and Clark made the trip in canoes, it must have been unbearable. After resting in Seattle for 3 days we started off the ocean portion of our trip on the Alaska state ferry. We did not have enough money for cabins so we camped out on the upper deck of the ferry. This is still very popular today for the adventures traveler. Our first Alaskan city the ferry stopped at was Ketchikan. It was a welcomed stop after a couple of days on the ferry. I can only eat some many hamburgers. Ketchikan was beautiful city; I have never been to such a lush place before. Ketchikan has an average rain fall in the hundreds so take your rain coat when traveling the inside passage. Our next stop was Juneau the state capital. I had never seen an American bald eagle before and now they dotted the sky like pigeons in a big city. The city of Juneau is a post card at every turn so take lots of film with you when you go. We ended our ferry ride in Haines Alaska. By this time we had seen more whales, Otters, Seals, Puffins and eagles than I could count. The mountains where breath taking the water falls cascaded into the sea. After 8 days of traveling in the inside passage of Alaska I new I was home. Well my friends and I parted ways. They returned to Boston for the comforts of a large city and I kept traveling north. The share vastness of Alaska is difficult to explain, you have to experience it for your self. I have been here now for 30 years and I am still discovering the great out doors.
It’s Alaska’s 50th birthday this year so come visit us and experience the great out doors for your self. It will change your life forever.
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Contributor's Note
I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I do.
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Haines
| Juneau
| Ketchikan
| Valdez
| Seward
| Anchorage
| Fairbanks
        
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Your story is similiar to mine. It made me remember sleeping on the deck of the ferry - the Solarium. Meeting new friends and dreaming of adventures to come. It now been 25 years for me and i still find Alaska as majestic and magical as the day I arrived. Although I must admit I think the winters are longer now! http://www.fastliondirect.com
The photos are truly stunning, thanks for sharing them.
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