No, the mosquito is not Alaska’s state bird. Yes, they are so big here they are often mistaken for birds. And, yes, they are voracious. You should see a swarm attack tires on a recently driven car (mosquitos are attracted to heat). When in Alaska, make sure you bring some kind of mosquito repellent.
Igloo is simply an Inuit word for house.
Alaska is more than twice the size of Texas. Alaska is actually one-fifth the size of the entire United States. And for residents of Barrow, AK to visit their state capital in Juneau, it would be the equivalent of driving across six Midwestern states.
Alaska actually has more people than Wyoming — approximately 550,000 to 600,000 people.
No! And I repeat, no, not all Alaskans live in the bush and have to fight to survive. That’s for reality TV. Most Alaskans I know would never give up their indoor bathrooms.
Denali (aka Mt. McKinley) is frequently covered by clouds in the summer. The mountain is 20,302 foot high and creates its own weather. The upper part of the mountain is covered by ice fields and snow. When warm air from below mixes with cold air above, clouds are formed. But give it a few days and the peak will probably show.
Winter is actually a good time to visit Alaska. Even though Alaskan days are short, we still enjoy blue skies and sunshine. If you want to see the Aurora Borealis, winter is definitely the time to come.
They can only be seen when conditions are right. Sunspot activity causes them. So if the sun doesn’t cooperate, no Aurora.
Tourist, you cannot outrun a bear. If you run from a bear, it will think you are part of the food chain. No snapshot is worth it.
I agree that Anchorage is in Alaska, but there is much more to Alaska than Anchorage. You have missed Fairbanks, Seward, Homer, and Valdez, nor did you see Denali or any of Alaska’s other wonders. All you saw was Anchorage.
Vegetables grown in Alaska are not on steroids. Alaska has a long growing season because of the many hours of daylight in the summer, which, when matched with volcanic-rich soil, translates into huge vegetables.
You wonder why drivers hesitate to move after a cow moose crosses the road. This is because as soon as traffic starts to go, a calf may come bounding after mom. This is the usual, so drivers are cautious.
Most of Alaska is impassable muskeg, mountain ranges, and ice fields.
Alaska does not sit next to Hawaii. It just looks like that on most maps. In fact, Hawaii is more than two thousand miles from Alaska.
Huskies or sled dogs are born to run, bred to run, and love to run. They are not being mistreated competing in the Iditarod or Yukon Quest Dog Races. I repeat, they really do love to run.
In Alaska, ‘outside’ has two meanings. Outside with a capital ‘O’ usually means the continental United States. Outside not being capitalized means out of doors.
Technically, snowmobile is the correct word for a machine that people ride in winter over snow. Some even race them. However, in Alaska, we also call them snow machines or sleds.
Young animals are rarely abandoned by their mothers. And you do not want to be on the business end of a mad or threatened moose mom or bear mother. The mother is just out feeding and is not far away. As soon as the baby starts crying, she will come running.
Alaskans are a breed of their own. We do not appreciate outsiders coming in and telling us what to do. We love our beautiful land and majestic mountains, and we love our way of life. Never forget that we are fiercely protective of it. 