If it’s your first visit, then travel veterans will tell you an Alaskan Cruise is the ultimate way to see and experience the state of Alaska. Do you dream of seven-night cruises in pleasant sixty-to-seventy degree weather, while feasting on fresh-caught salmon, caribou steaks or reindeer sausages, and sipping on local micro-brews? Wouldn’t it be great if all your tours were pre-arranged and you could pan for gold, visit a glacial park, whale watch, take a jeep and canoe safari, watch a 1900s Lumberjack Show and see towering native Inuit totem poles? Or, if you’d like, you can still view the majestic glaciers along the Inside Passage, yet stay on the ship for all your entertainment, including casinos, movies, fitness centers, internet centers, spas, libraries, swimming pools, Broadway-style shows, game centers and educational native Alaskan presentations. A cruising Alaskan adventure is the perfect option for people who despise the organizing, arranging and “now what should we do” aspects of a vacation but love experiencing new things, all for one inclusive price. During the summer months, you can even find a seven-night cruise for as low as $799!

Perhaps you came to Alaska for an adventure. The last thing you want to do is sit in a cliché hotel, eat the usual cheeseburger while drinking the usual Budweiser beer, see a movie or go on some far-removed helicopter tour of the tundra. You want to be in the middle of the action, risking life and limb just to say you “did it.” You want to experience the ultimate adrenaline rush. You’ve come to the right place! The Alaskan experience will take you to a dog sled race out of Juneau, Skagway and Seward in the summer months. Winters in Seward offer the bravest souls a dip into the icy arctic waters in one of the world-famous polar bear swims. Spectators who’d rather not get wet can enjoy turkey bowling, oyster slurping and bachelor/bachelorette auctions from the sidelines. You may want to white water raft through Class IV and Class V rapids on the Sixmile Creek (with NovAlaska) or kayak to see marine wildlife up-close and personal from one of the tours. Kayak tours can be arranged in coastal towns such as Ketchikan, Sitka, Juneau, Cordova, Seward, Homer, Whittier or Kodiak. If air is more your thing, then take an exhilarating canopy zip-line ride through the tree tops in Juneau Alaska.

Instead of a cruise or helicopter ride, you may choose to travel the Alaskan landscape by land. If you’re the “road trip” type, then take the Palmer Highway out of Anchorage and travel 190 miles east through the Chugach Range and the Matanuska Valley to Glennallen, where you’ll find the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. You won’t want to miss the 13 million acres of glaciers, mountains, waterfalls and moose! Another land route is the Richardson Highway, which takes you from Fairbanks to Valdez along a 350-mile stretch of gold-mining history. The George Parks Highway from Fairbanks to Anchorage is a classic interior route that takes you right to Denali National Park, with its amazing wildlife viewing and hikes. If you’d rather not drive, then you can get a dog sled team of Malamutes and Huskies in Juneau, Skagway and Seward during the summer months.

By Travel Editor

One needn’t be a die-hard racer to love the Siberian Husky. Sure, these dogs are clearly bred for racing. Their slender, agile frames shout “long distance runner,” while their thick double coat and heavily padded feet exude “endurance.” This breed is incredibly resilient, requiring little food and little sleep, but demands exercise and attention. The Alaskan Husky likes to dig, loves to run and enjoys the hunt. Smaller dogs, cats and other animals may become prey for this wolf-like dog, so they function best with similar-sized dogs of the opposite sex and the companionship of the whole family. Early obedience classes will help these native Alaskan dogs be all they can be and it should be understood that positive reward works best for these docile and devoted animals.

The Siberian Husky frequently appears in pop culture. The Alaskan Husky is a mascot of the University of Washington, Northern Illinois University, Michigan Tech University, Northeastern University and the University of Connecticut. You can see this breed in movies like “Iron Will” (starring Kevin Spacey), “Snow Buddies,” “Balto,” “Krypto the Superdog,” “Eight Below,” and “Snow Dogs” (starring Cuba Gooding Jr), to name a few. Balto, the lead dog from the 1925 Iditarod Race, has his own statue in New York City’s Central Park and inspired the movie series as well. Part of the public’s love of the Husky is based on pure aesthetics, while another part is based on its friendly, loving demeanor. For that reason, the Alaskan Husky is also commonly used as a therapy dog.

The lifespan of a Siberian Husky is 12 – 16 years. Sight problems are one of the most common health ailments, with juvenile cataracts, corneal dystrophy and progressive retinal atrophy affecting some older dogs. As with many larger breeds, hip dysplasia can be found and sled dogs may come down with gastric disease, bronchitis or “ski asthma.” If you take your dog to the vet regularly and ensure proper feeding/exercise, then your dog should live a long, healthy life.

By Travel Editor

Whale-watching is one of the main tours that people take in the state of Alaska. “The time the cruise ships are up there is when humpbacks and orcas are feeding, so there’s a good chance you’ll see them,” says Robert Blythman, director for Carnival Cruise Lines. He says some excursions, like the Whale Watching and Wildlife Quest in Auke Bay, comes with a money back guarantee. “It’s a 100 percent guarantee that you’ll see the otters,” Blythman added, noting that there are 70,000 of these playful critters swimming in Alaskan waters. He personally recommends the Sea Otter Quest from the town of Sitka. Humpback whales and killer whales can be seen surfacing and breeching the Inside Passage, which is a popular Alaskan cruise route, or in Prince William Sound, the Kodiak archipelago, Glacier Bay National Park and Kenai Fjords National Park. Humpbacks sometimes disappear for thirty minutes at a time, but the orcas usually move in pods with the ships. Beluga whales are most easily seen in Cook Inlet and Turnagain Arm, near Anchorage. Many drivers pull over between Beluga Point (Mile 110) and Bird Point Scenic Overlook (Mile 96) for a magnificent view of these endangered whales. Bowhead whales, the state marine mammal of Alaska, can be seen in the Arctic Ocean and the Northern Bering Sea.

Wolves are people-shy and rarely seen, though they inhabit 85% of the state of Alaska, averaging one wolf every 25 miles. While you’re in Alaska, don’t miss Denali National Park, where you can catch glimpses of wolves, bear, eagles, caribou and other wildlife from one of the bus shuttles. Wolves live on Unimak Island in the Aleutians and on all Inside Passage islands, except for Admiralty, Baranof and Chichagof. In South Central Alaska, you may want to try the Wolf Country Alaskan adventure tour.

While you may want to choose animal-specific private tours in Alaska, there are a few sights you definitely don’t want to miss! The tours at Denali National Park range from a four-hour Natural History tour, to an eight-hour Tundra Wilderness tour, to a twelve-hour Kantishna Experience tour. The Anchorage Zoo houses many endangered animals in a captive setting, while the Anan Wildlife Observatory in the Tongass National Forest and the Denali National Park showcase animals in their natural environments. The Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve is a breath-taking experience just off the Haines Highway.

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“Suddenly people started coming into town,” described JB Carnahan, former police officer in Fairbanks Alaska. “It happened kind of rapidly when it took off. Because I don’t think anybody really believed this monstrous project was going to impact us. I mean, maybe the politicians did, but I think the average guy was just kind of going, ‘Oh sure, we’ve heard this before,’ because this has always been a boom or bust town. And suddenly, there it was.” When the Trans-Alaskan pipeline project began, a flood of people came to town with $3,000 – $5,000 cash burning holes in their pockets, beautiful women arrived from New York and Florida, welders and construction workers drove up from Oklahoma and Texas, South American and Irish immigrants came to collect a check and everyone from secretaries and teachers, to prostitutes and pimps came looking for their fortune. Fairbanks hadn’t seen such activity since the gold rush of the late 1800s! Within a year, the population had doubled in size to 40,000 strong, and the pipeline project had transformed this sleepy two-cop town into a bustling metropolis. Unfortunately, along with all of the business came higher rents, more drugs and more crime.

Over 30 years of operation, the Alaskan pipeline suffered some well-publicized mishaps. In 1977, a pump station exploded, spilling 300 barrels of oil. In 1989, the Exxon Valdez hit the Bligh Reef near Valdez, spilling 11 million gallons of crude into the Prince William Sound harbor. Salmon, birds, whales, sea otters and bald eagles were all casualties of the worst oil spill in U.S. history. In 2001, a man shot a hole in the pipeline, spilling 300,000 gallons of oil. In 2002, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake hurt some of the support structures. Environmentalists charge that there’s a spill a day, but oil experts say this massive pipeline is one of the cleanest in the world.

Many tourists visiting the state of Alaska hope to catch a bird’s eye view of the massive 800-mile Alaskan pipeline, which stretches over purple mountains and blue ice, lit by crimson sunsets or offset by brilliant blue skies, zig-zagging upwards through the yellowed grass or straight-lining across the frozen tundra. Visitors can photograph the pipeline from several marked viewpoints along the Richardson, Steese and Dalton Highways. On the Richardson Highway, you can stop at Milepost V 64.7 (Pump Station 12), Milepost V 216 (Denali Fault), Milepost V 243.5, and the Tanana River Pipeline Crossing at Milepost V 275.4. At the Steese Highway viewing spot, visitors can walk right up to the pipeline or check out an information cabin at the “Trans-Alaska Pipeline Viewpoint,” situated at Milepost F 8.4, just outside Fairbanks Alaska. Along the Dalton Highway, which parallels the pipeline, you can see the structure from the BLM Yukon River Crossing Visitor Contact Station at Milepost J 56, just over two hours from Fairbanks.

By Travel Editor

A good starting point to learn more about Alaska’s indigenous people is to visit The Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage Alaska. This world renowned cultural center and museum contains information, educational materials, video presentations, artwork and displays documenting the following Alaskan native peoples: the Athabascan, the Aleut & Alutiiq, the Yup’ik & Cup’ik, the Inupiaq & St. Lawrence Island Yupik, the Eyak, the Tlingit, the Haida and the Tsimshian. Here you can view beaded artwork from the Athabascan people, learn about the spirituality of the Yup’ik and Cup’ik, who believed in good shamans for healing and bad shamans who placed curses on people, or gaze upon the festive Chilkat & raven’s tail robe regalia worn at the Eyak potlach festivals.

A good educational family activity is a pilgrimage to the Saxman native village. Here you will see towering, colorful Alaskan native totem poles; a short, compelling documentary film about the Tlingit tribe; traditional Alaskan long houses made of timber, sod and whale bones; a dance performed in native red-and-black capes; and a tour with legendary narration by a knowledgeable guide. Your kids will be talking about the totem pole tales and ethnic dances for years to come! Kids as young as four can remember this Alaskan adventure like it was yesterday, which makes this stop a must!

The Alaskan native people can be divided into eleven distinct cultures, speaking eleven languages and twenty-two dialects. The natives still comprise 15% of the population and attract many tourists each year who want to peer in on such a resilient, resourceful group of people. Living in harsh climates that sometimes reach 40 degrees below zero, these people built homes of sod, whale bones and dried animal hides. They harpooned whales and created canoes out of birch bark, moose hide and cottonwood. They caught salmon, trapped beaver and survived the harshest winters. Whether you are visiting Alaska for the first time or the twentieth, explore native Alaska as part of your Alaskan adventures.

By Travel Editor

“People go to Alaska to see wildlife for a reason, but you see it in many ways and in many circumstances,” said Erik Elvejord, spokesman for Holland America Line. “Don’t expect a lineup of bears when you hit the pier, or pods of whales everywhere the ship goes.” Seeing wildlife in Alaska while on a cruise is all about careful planning, Alaskans say. While animals won’t be flocking toward the ship, you can visit one of the port stop towns for guaranteed sightings. Carnival Cruise Lines recommends the Sea Otter Quest in Sitka, for example, because there’s a 100% guarantee you’ll see these playful creatures. Holland America recommends the Whale Watching and Wildlife Quest in Auke Bay because humpback and orca feeding grounds are located right amid the Alaskan cruise route. Bears can be a little more hit-or-miss, wildlife experts say. You can take a $100 “Bear Search” at 7am in Icy Strait Point, although there’s no guarantee you’ll spot one. Or you can take a $300 – $1,600 fly-in adventure to Pack Creek on Admiralty Island, Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park or the McNeil River State Game Sanctuary, where bears reliably come to feed on salmon.

This summer, you can find some great deals on Alaskan cruises if you know where to look! Since so many people flood Europe during the summer, you can find great savings. For instance, Holland America Line offers 7-night premium cruises (with stops in Juneau, the Hubbard Glacier, Sitka, Ketchikan and Victoria), with prices starting at $699, down from $1,629! Summer is actually a great time to visit Alaska because the bears are out catching spawning salmon, there are many summer festivals, the flowers are in bloom, the days are longer and the weather’s mild.

Alaskan cruises are a great way to get around the 49th state. Cruising.org can point you in the right direction for a cruise in Alaska. Or try the Online Vacation Center at (800) 329-9002, which offers sharp discounts; as low as $699 for a seven-night excursion aboard premium cruise lines like Holland America. To board the ship, you may need to fly to Seattle or Vancouver, although flights are less expensive than flying directly to Anchorage, Alaska.

By Travel Editor

In Juneau, a classic Alaskan tour is the “Four Glaciers By Helicopter & Dog Sled Adventure.” On this once-in-a-lifetime expedition, you’ll soar over four real glaciers, which are the Taku, the Hole-in-the-Wall, Dead Branch and East Twin, while catching a bird’s eye view of moose, goats, bears and caribou. Then you will land on Norris Glacier where you’ll meet up with your Alaskan malamute and Alaskan husky dogsled team. Your guide will describe the 1,000-mile Iditarod Race that traverses from Anchorage to Nome. Your trip will include some hiking through crevasses and navigating streams for two hours of ethereal zen. This journey is for the fearless, the cold-insensitive, the adventurous and the athletic.

The “Rainforest Canopy and Zip Line Adventure” is another Juneau Alaskan adventure. You’ll no longer have to imagine what it must feel like for a bird soaring through the trees. Starting on Douglas Island, you’ll zip by flora, fauna and the remains of an 1800s gold mining operation. Not only will you get a sensational view of Alaska, but you’ll experience a tremendous adrenaline rush. Two guides will saddle you up with a harness, gloves and helmet, instructing beginners and zip-line junkies alike.

As one of the later states to join the union, Alaska is a wealthy land of natural beauty, profitable oil and a plethora of wildlife. After summer solstice on June 21st, the days are long, with Ketchikan, Anchorage, Fairbanks and Barrow receiving 19.5 – 24 hours of sunlight per day. Summer temperatures are around 60 – 70 on the Inland Passage, where most cruise ships stay. You can find a seven-night Alaskan cruise for as low as $699, so what are you waiting for?

By Travel Editor

Those who call Alaska their home must be a special hearty breed for it is not a forgiving climate for those who make mistakes. Bears are just some of what the wilds dish out daily to inhabitants and visitors to this great landscape. Even more fantastic than the wildlife and the wilderness is the rich and diverse history that Alaska offers. In this article we will address some of the questions you may have regarding this great state.

What is the history of Alaska?

Alaska’s story is fantastic and is detailed. It was originally discovered by the Russian explorer Vitus Bering in 1741. But it was not until 1784 that the first settlement was established. It was not a profitable venture on the part of the Russians but it proved so for the Americans when U.S. Secretary of State, William H. Seward, purchased Alaska for 7.2 million dollars. That is 2 cents an acre. A phenomenal deal, especially considering that gold was found in the Yukon and thousands of settlers eagerly made their way during the gold rushes of 1890.

Who was Alaska purchased from and when?

Alaska was purchased from the Russians by U.S. Secretary of state William Seward in 1867. The United States paid 7.2 million dollars or roughly 2 cents an acre for this bountiful, wild frontier. This was a great bargain especially when later gold and oil were found in this natural setting. It had not been much of a go for the Russians but for the Americans purchasing Alaska was a great boon to the economy.

What are the demographics of Alaska?

As of 2006 Alaska has a population of roughly 670,053 people. It is the 48th most populated state with it being the least densely populated. There is 1.1 individuals per square mile. The race of Alaskans varies from a majority being Caucasian, followed by 15.6% being Native American or an Alaska Native. It is in the northern and western areas of Alaska that the Alaska Natives that are primarily settlers of and there are numerous populations in the southeast. You also have to consider the amount of other ancestries such as German, Irish, Norwegian and the Aleutians.

How do most people get around in Alaska?

Did you know that there are more people that own planes in Alaska than any other place? This is because many of the towns and outlying areas are remote and do not have highway systems in order to travel by car. There are some highway systems in the more populated area but even the capital is inaccessible by car unless you use a car ferrying carrier.

By Travel Editor

The first Alaskans were thought to have crossed the Bering Strait between 60,000 and 50,000 BC. By the mid 1700s, there were 60-80,000 Indians, Aleuts and Eskimos living in Alaska. The Indians of Alaska included the Tlingits and Haidas in the Southeast, and the Athabaskans of the Interior Passage; together, they numbered about 20,000 strong. The 15,000 Aleuts inhabited the Aleutian Islands and a Southwest portion of the Alaska Peninsula. Lastly, 30,000 Eskimos lived along the Alaskan coast from the Arctic Ocean to Yakutat, stretching to the Kodiak Island, the Alaska Peninsula and Prince William Sound. The early inhabitants of the state of Alaska lived in a hunter-gatherer society and used every part of the beasts they hunted, making long houses, tools, igloos, weapons, clothing, blankets, jewelry, dishes and canoes. Shamans battled for good and evil, with some providing spiritual healing, while others cast curses. Wealth was shared through ceremonies, like Tlingit potlatches, Athabaskan festivals, Eskimo messenger feasts, and Aleut theatrical performances. For thousands of years, these indigenous groups would be the only population on the Alaskan frontier, but that changed and the Alaska native became just 15% of the total population.

Despite small European encounters, it was the Russian and Scandinavian influences that dominated much of the Alaskan territories. Peter the Great’s empire sent Captain Vitus Bering to acquire the lands in 1725, just before Tsar Peter’s death. However, the Tlingit Indians fought hard to hold onto the original Russian settlement of Sitka and the Yakutat Peninsula, decimating early Russian expatriates. The Aleuts waged similar attacks on early Russian settlements in the Kodiak region. Despite the bloody battles, there are still many Russian Orthodox churches, people and cultural influences in places like Petersburg, Sitka and Kodiak.

Once gold was found in the Canadian Yukon and Alaska’s Nome in 1896, the future of Alaska was set. Henceforth, it would become a land of opportunity and prosperity. Fairbanks Alaska wasn’t even on the map until gold was discovered in 1902. Thousands of settlers made their way to the territory, which the locals could no longer stop. They set up ambitious ports and mine shafts, built highways, towns and railroads, and found their fortunes in gold panning, fur trading, whaling, fishing and lumber-jacking. Later, oil was discovered in the 1960s, furthering Alaska’s reputation as a profitable region. Today, tourists on their Alaskan vacation can see evidence of the gold rush/oil craze era in places like Skagway, the White Pass & Yukon Railroad, the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic site and the Gold Rush village in Fairbanks Alaska.

By Travel Editor