Re: Alaska
Spent 22 years in Alaska. Moved there in April '72. Completely different place then it is now.
Back then, Moose season (I live north of Healy, which is just north of the park), was in Sept for bulls, Then the first week in Oct you had a cow season. Come Nov. you had an either season.
Like I said, I live in Lignite, 3 miles north of Healy on the Nenana River. Hunting wasn't bad then.
After a couple years I moved to anchorage and went to work with the Anchorage police dept. (not much work in healy, plus wife was tired of living in a little one room cabin with no electricty or running water).
As time move on, and people moved in, hunting because a different game. Not many roads and more people using those roads. Hunting got pretty ruff unless you could fly out. It became a rich man's sport unless you wanted to live in the bush.
It was different in the NW coast. I spent a lot of time there as an XO, then CO of some native guard units. Really enjoyed that. Hunting was better but a lot was restricted to Natives.
If you're into duck & geese hunting, its a different ball game. Just a cross from Knik arm is some of the best duck & geese hunting in the world. Nothing to going out before dawn and comming back before noon with a boat load of birds.
Fishing south of Anchorae was also great, Some of the best in the world. North was great for trout and grayling.
Alaska was nice but I found everything I went to Alaska for is better in Wyoming. I can hunt in my back yard and there are few places I can't get to with out spending tons of money.
The thing I miss about Alaska more then anything else was the National Guard. We had some great gigs, we called it adventure training. Nothing beats parachuting into the mountains and skiing out. Or taking a Huey as far up a creek as you can get and still land, and floating out on RB 15s, fishing the whole way.
Glacier training was hard to beat also. I loved Rock and Ice climbing. Or going out with the natives seal hunting from small boats. Chasing Polar bears on snow machines, (did you know they wont turn right, They'll turn left all day but wont turn right).
Nothing beats the excitement of being in a small village when they land a whale. The whole village jumps in and goes to work.
You want to see some great country, try a 100 mile cross country ski trip above the arctic circle.
I did like winters in Alaska better then the summers. Winter camping in sub-zero temps is a lot more fun then one would think.
But because of age and COPD I can't hump like I use to, but here in Wyoming, horses keep me in the field so I can still enjoy the outdoors. Getting to the top of a ridge on a horse doesn't wind me like doing it on foot.
I have some great memories of Alaska, but still I like Wyoming better.
