Do you go sledding all the time in the winter?

Just because we have snow for most of the year does not mean that we go sledding all the time. It is just like if you live by a beach that does not mean you go almost every day. I normally go sledding a couple times a year and it is always a lot of fun. The difference about sledding in Alaska is that instead of sledding down hills you can go down mountains. This makes everything so much more exciting. With my youth group every February we go to a mountain pass called Hatchers Pass. They drive us to the top of one of the mountains and we sled down. Some parts were so steep that I started going way too fast so I would purposely fall off the sled to stop. It would take us like 30 minutes to get down the mountain and a van would be waiting for us at the bottom to bring us back up. It is so much fun, the next day it is almost guaranteed that you will be sore, but it is definitely worth it.

Do you have lots of snow days?

Snow days actually happen on very rare conditions. Since the in winters it is constantly snowing, the city has a really productive system in clearing the snow really quickly. We might have one snow day per year but it is not because their is too much snow. The snow days we do have are normally when it rains during the day and freezes at night. The roads become ice rinks so it is really dangerous to drive in the city. It is even worse for the people who live on the mountains. School buses pick them up, but with icy roads it is impossible to reach those houses. On these "ice days" everyone stays home because the weather is so bad, it is kind of like when people refuge from hurricanes.

 Last year we actually got three "ice days" because the roads were so bad. This was the most days off we got from school in so many years. The best part was that it was the three days before Thanksgiving so we had a whole week off school. It was like having spring break in the winter!!

Where do most people go on vacation?

A tropical place most Alaskan go to is Hawaii, because it is only a 6 hour flight straight to tropical weather. If we want to go anywhere else tropical we have to travel much further. For short vacations or long weekends most people go to their cabins. My family actually owns a cabin 2 hours away from Anchorage, it is one of my favorite places in the world. The drive on the Seward highway is beautiful and the cabin it self is so relaxing.

This is a typical log cabin with no running water, electricity or heat. Everything is warmed up by the fire and we have gas lamps to light up the room. Their is a creek and a lake really close to the cabin and we built a sauna to heat ourselves up on cold nights. This may not sound too fun for most people but for me it is a time to spend with family and friends. I have so many good memories their, climbing trees, making forts, playing in the creek, skipping rocks and much more.

FUN FACT: The Seward highway is ranked on of the most beautiful drives in the US!!!!

Is their Restaurants in Alaska?

We have many of the same food chains as the lower 48. I think our local restaurants are the best, just as everyone else thinks about their own local stores. The most popular restaurant is called Moose's Tooth, it is a pizzeria. All of the pizza has interesting toppings and they are all delicious. They make their own root beer and cream soda, which is another must when you go here. This place is packed at all times of the day no matter what time it is. They have another restaurant on the other side of town called Bears Tooth. This place sells the same type of food but it has a movie theater attached. They play movies that are no longer in the theater but not out on DVD yet, so the tickets are only $3. Inside the theater they have tables so you can order pizza before the movie starts and they will bring it to you while you are watching the movie. These two places are the place to be..... everyone loves Moose's Tooth and Bears Tooth!

FUN FACT: Moose's Tooth and Bears Tooth are named after 2 mountain peaks, the ones in the picture!!!!

Does everyone know how to ski?

Not everyone knows how to ski or snowboard but it is a popular activity in the winter. Their is a nice ski resort about 45 minutes away from Anchorage. It is always busy, especially on the weekends the resort is called Alyeska. I go skiing here only 2 times a year because the tickets are very expensive but I have so much fun every time I go.  Their is a small area with a chair lift to downhill ski in the city and it is called Hill Top. Hill Top is very close to my brother's school. For Christmas every year my parents buy him a season pass and he goes skiing almost every day after school.

 Public schools do not have a down hill ski team, but cross country skiing is a very popular sport to compete in high school. Their season is the longest season out of any other sport. They start at the beginning on November and end in March. People dedicated to cross country skiing go roller skiing in the summers. This is cross country skis with wheels on the bottom.


FUN FACT: You can see the ocean from Alyeska Resort!!!

Do you have a dog sled team?

Well... I don't personally have a dog sled team but their are some families who race dog teams. A big festival called Fur Rondy happens every year in February in downtown Anchorage. This festival is about a week and a half long. They have different activities every day the festival starts off with a huge firework  show and they have a carnival with rides and different booths open every day. They also have activities like snowshoe softball, running with the reindeer, a giant snowball fight, a parade, a melodrama at night, a snow machine race, snow sculpture contest, and the famous dog race. This dog race isn't the actual Iditarod but it kicks off the Iditarod. This festival is so much fun because everyone from the city gets dressed warm and comes to enjoy these crazy activities outside.

FUN FACT: The Iditarod goes from Anchorage to Nome and covers 1150 miles!!!

Is Alaska an island?

Well Alaska is definitely not an island, it is actually connected to Canada. We do have a lot of coast, which makes fishing a huge attraction for tourists and locals. In the summers fishing becomes a regular activity for many families. On the weekends they will go out and spend all weekend fishing and camping. This is so much fun to just leave the city and spend the weekend with family and friends. Fishing also brings many summer jobs to Alaska. People for m all over the world come to commercial fish in the summers. It also gives students in high school or college a well paid summer job even though it is very hard work. One fun activity that happens every year is called the Silver Salmon Derby. They tag some specific fish earlier in the year and whoever catches one of the same tagged fish wins a prize. Also whoever catches the heaviest fish wins $10,000! People from all over come to participate in this competition. This is a picture of some halibut I caught with my cousin and dad on a fishing trip last summer.

FUN FACT!!! Alaska has more coast than the whole lower 48 put together!

Is there snow all year round?

Even though Alaska is colder than what people in the lower 48 are used to, Anchorage still gets a summer without snow. The summers are beautiful, the sun does not set until midnight so the days seem so much longer! The snow normally beings to fall in late October or early November and it will constantly stay on the ground until late April. I don't think the winters are too cold in Anchorage they are just really long. On top of the long winters the days get really short, the sun will rise around 10am and set around 4pm. This makes many people depressed, but it does not really affect me because it is so gradual. The Alaskan weather seems so extreme to someone who has never visited, that is true but it is very adjustable.

FUN FACT! Alaska is the state that is the most North, East, and West! 

Do You Ride a Polar Bear to School?

This commonly asked question, that again is completely a huge misenterpretation. I live in Anchorage, the biggest city in Alaska, we drive everywhere. The only public transportation we have is the city bus but no one ever takes this because driving is so much more convenient in this type of city. Polar bears are actually no where near Anchorage, they are much farther north, sadly I have never seen one in the wild before. Brown bears and black bears are common to see on hiking trails not far from the city. I have actually experienced many encounters with bears and I do not particularly enjoy them. The most common wild animal to see is a moose, they can be found around the city, in neighborhoods, at schools, crossing streets or even in your front yard! This is an abandoned baby moose I found at the beach this summer :(

Fun Fact! In small villages in northern Alaska everyone drives four wheelers and snowmobiles everywhere! Even elementary kids have their own and they drive themselves to school. This is a elementary school parking lot in a small village in Alaska. 

Home

Many have asked the question, do you live in an igloo? I am sorry to disappoint you but I do not live in an igloo. My house is quite similar to any other average house you will find. What makes it unique is the atmosphere.

Home is different for everyone, obviously home for me is in Alaska. The best feeling ever is coming from the cold snowy weather and walk into my warm house and see a beautiful fire in the fireplace in my living room. This fireplace brings my family together every afternoon. The whole family sits around the fire to do homework, take a nap, or even sometimes to eat dinner. Because of the close community I live in, neighbors, family and friends will just walk into my house and enjoy an afternoon in my home. It is always exciting to see who will show up at my house, I love how everyone is so comfortable just walking into my house and spending time with my family. All the conversations we have had around this fire with frieds and family, in my living room will never leave me.