What do you miss the most about Alaska? (Anchorage, Fairbanks: dental, winter)

[starlite9]

Originally Posted by mongazid

No Airplane noises? Are you kidding me?

Yep, going off the deep end there.... Airplane noises is what helps define Alaska! Specially if I am doing the flying!

In the winter at -50, the crunching of the snow, the sounds of a dog team sliding past with the dogs all pantng in a measured way, waves breaking on a coastal beach, summer thunder storms, wolves howling towards twilight, moose calling to each other... There are so many sounds that are Alaska it would be hard to list them all.

[cedew]

I wasn't there very long, but I literally miss everything about it. I miss the fun quirky people, I miss the grandeur, and I miss hanging out with the family in the neat old house we stayed in. :'( sniff...what a sad idea for a thread!

[tigre79]

Regarding the airplane noise thing, I'd say that smaller planes make more pleasant sounds than the big passenger jets. And they're more interesting, at least to me. The small planes and helicopters are part of what I really like about being out on the coast down here. It's not at all the same as being near a major commercial airport with 737s roaring overhead.

[Snootylooter]

I miss the feeling of purpose. Almost everyday that I lived there I felt like I was challenging myself & accomplishing something simply by living there. It was unique, different, wonderful - I felt unique, different, & wonderful just being a part of it. Daily life & it's rituals had more meaning. It wasn't survival living, but I felt more self-sufficient/self-reliant. It wasn't remote living, but I felt more remote from the "junk" that can clutter lower '48 living. We "fixed" things more or "made from scratch", "made do" - not because we had to but because it always felt like the Alaskan thing to do.

I miss the fact that friends can become closer than family. My closest friends are the ones I first met in Alaska. I also miss the rich diversity, the quirky individualism, & world view. Alaskans always seemed better read and more widely traveled. I miss the sense of community that felt closer than it does in the lower '48. I liked that it mattered more how you led your life than who, or where, you came from.

I miss foraging, fishing, long drives, spectacular scenery eveywhere & anywhere you look, Benny's Mexican wagon (HAD to throw that one in there!), the vast wilderness with a spot that you might possibly be the first one to stand on - ever.

I miss the rich history - and knowing that it's young history allows you the opportunity to actually meet early settlers & leaders. I really miss local/state politics & still follow it closely.

I miss the way the snow crunches & squeaks when it is "Alaska" cold & the way it smells - but not so much the way it breaks up in the spring!

I miss the airplane noise, especially the float planes! And the smell of SE boat harbors, the sounds of the fishing boats, the train from Anch. to Fairbanks, the pickles at the Bird House, the glaciers.

I really miss the libraries! I've yet to find a library in the lower '48 that can rival the selection in Anchorage or even Ketchikan!

Wow - you really got me started! Makes me wonder what we are still doing here & not there.

[Grannysroost]

Wonderful explanation, but you know you can all that, or the feelings anywhere if you put your mind to it...

[Alaskapat528]

Originally Posted by Grannysroost

Wonderful explanation, but you know you can all that, or the feelings anywhere if you put your mind to it...

Very true Deb.

[Snootylooter]

Grannyroost - you so right about that!! Every spot on the globe has something positive & unique that is it's own. I'm ususally happy where ever I am & am fortunate to be able to reasonably change where I am, if I want to. I do believe, however, at the end of a long day some places you have lived just feel more like home than other places do. The OP's question brought wonderful memories to mind!

[Grannysroost]

Originally Posted by Snootylooter

Grannyroost - you so right about that!! Every spot on the globe has something positive & unique that is it's own. I'm ususally happy where ever I am & am fortunate to be able to reasonably change where I am, if I want to. I do believe, however, at the end of a long day some places you have lived just feel more like home than other places do. The OP's question brought wonderful memories to mind!

So true, that is another we can all do

[Barkingowl]

Originally Posted by starlite9

Yep, going off the deep end there....

Actually I'm not. I'm talking large commercial jets not props.

[rwjoyak]

Originally Posted by Snootylooter

Grannyroost - you so right about that!! Every spot on the globe has something positive & unique that is it's own. I'm ususally happy where ever I am & am fortunate to be able to reasonably change where I am, if I want to. I do believe, however, at the end of a long day some places you have lived just feel more like home than other places do. The OP's question brought wonderful memories to mind!

That's why I asked the question. Cedew said "what a sad idea for a thread" but I view it very differently. No matter where we go we carry our memories with us and by reliving them we bring friends, family, places and times back to life. Shared experiences and memories enrich our lives beyond measure, and I think it's always great to remember the good times.

Another memory is standing in the back yard of my house and watching the northern lights at -30F. One time it looked like there was a upside down glass bowl overhead, and the lights were being poured onto the top of the bowl and then running down the sides to the edges of the sky. And yes, they do make sounds if you're someplace quiet enough to hear them.