Alaska, Oh Alaska

Your great and silent beauty, the rugged and awesome land that speaks softly to all who love the splendor! God waved a mighty arm and made the great and rugged mountains, wild rivers, flowing streams, mirror lakes, lush valleys, and green forests. Wild animals to keep you on your toes! Alaska was waiting for all who needed a place of solace-for some, a place to heal the wounds of life. Some ask, why do you want to live there? What do you see in it? I came long ago, along with thousands more, up the old Alaska Highway. We all came with dreams of starting over, packing all we owned in trucks, trailers, old buses, cars or whatever had a good motor. I saw them in old trucks puffing smoke on every mountain or hill, smiling and waving every time we passed, thinking they would never make it; but they did make it. Most, camping in campgrounds along the way, cooking over campfires. If someone's car was having problems, you stopped and helped-fighting mosquitoes that never left you alone. They were dauntless in their efforts. Upon arriving in Alaska, they were tired and weary, but they got their homesteads, home sites, trade and manufacturing sites. Yes, and a job if there was one to be had. The Bush people lived off the land and what it provided, both spiritually and earthly. Why do we live here in the Bush, you ask. Why? Well, there isn't any other place like it! It is a challenge. You either love it or hate it. Alaska gets in your blood, they say, and if you stay too long you can never leave. If you do leave after having you in its grasps, it beckons you to come back. This is your home-there is no other place like it-waiting, still, silent, peaceful.