The Last Frontier

6/6/13

There's something about Alaska that gets in your blood and stays there.  While it's definitely not a life for everyone, Mike and I love it here and feel like it has become a part of our identity.  Looking beyond the obvious beauty of the land, it is a place full of little eccentricities that make it truly unique.  There aren't many places where, when you're driving and have to stop to check for traffic, that you also have to check the sky for airplanes before taking off or where activities are guided more by the weather, the sun, and the tides, than by a clock.

I can't help but look at that view and occasionally ask
myself "What was I thinking?  Who lives here and leaves?"

"The Last Frontier" is truly an appropriate name for this land.  While the road district can be pretty much the same as the rest of the United States with better scenery, even those places have their share of roughing it beyond what many would tolerate elsewhere.  The absence of running water in a household is not uncommon and there are tons of cabins that rent for over $100 a night that have no electricity or running water.  There exists a strong sense of rugged individualism that permeates every aspect of life.  Most people live off the land at least a little and many carve out nearly all of their existence from nothing more than determination and the resources mother nature provides.  There is nothing easy about that life, but there is something supremely satisfying about enjoying the accomplishments of one's own hands.