In today’s Monday Morning Mojo, I am sharing a few things I learned over the last several weeks of traveling through Alaska. In the spirit of practicing what I preach about taking time out with those you care about the most, I spent ten days on vacation with Lisa, my sister Dana and my brother-in-law, Michael Buttlar. Forgive me for another self-indulgent post; however, much to share here.

Alaska, the 49^th State of the United States of America, became part of the US in 1867, when the US bought Alaska from Russia for US$7.2 million. Little did the Russians know how rich this land was in gold and other minerals, and natural resources. Also, having Alaska as part of the US is very strategic from a defense standpoint.

Animal Sightings

Throughout the trip we observed animal life forms of all shapes and sizes, with the exception of seeing a moose! That was a surprise because approximately 200,000 moose are residing in Alaska, which is more than one quarter of the human population, and we heard stories of moose casually walking in the cities. I did eat my fair share of mousse, however, as the cruise line we traveled on had no shortage of food and desserts. This is a moose we saw in the airport upon leaving Alaska.

During our travels, we did see a family of grizzly bears, a mother with her two cubs, who in less than a few months will begin their five-to-seven-month hibernation. Amazingly, these bears do not urinate or defecate during hibernation, which sounds very painful. Here is the picture of the three grizzlies we saw moseying their way up a small river.

The plight of the salmon also proved to be a great lesson. I learned the King Salmon is the tastiest. I watched hundreds of salmon make their way upstream to spawn, with only a fraction of hope for achievement. We participated in modern fishing techniques, with each of us reeling in sizeable Silver, or Coho Salmon. Here are catches by both Dana and Lisa. Dana won with the biggest catch.

Sea Life

In the water we saw several whales, seals and jellyfish, yet my favorite sighting was the otters sleeping on their backs holding hands. I learned sea otters hold hands while sleeping to prevent drifting apart in the ocean currents. They float on their backs and use their paws to grasp onto each other, forming a chain or “raft.” This is not our picture, but a visualization of what transpires.

We also saw a few bald eagles on our hike and on a rafting trip we took. Approximately 30,000 bald eagles are living in Alaska.

Alaskan Huskies

Another highlight came in learning everything about the Alaskan Husky sled dogs. We visited a family that raises and trains these dogs. We learned a ton about the state’s most popular sporting event, the Iditarod, and the brutal climate that dogs and the musher must withstand.

Forests and More Forests

The most distinct impression of Alaska I have is the never-ending forests we travelled through. Whether we were on sea or land, we got spectacular views of the more than 129 million acres of all different types of fauna that exist in Alaska. I did learn about the “Lichin”, a plant-like organism that typically forms a low, crusty, leaf-like, or branching growth on rocks, walls and trees. We have our own “Lichin” in the Kronick household, as that is my wife’s proper Chinese first name :-). Here is a picture of the Lichen that exists in Alaska and a landscape view.

What is remarkable is that Alaska’s size is equivalent to the landmass of the contiguous United States in the following ways: it’s about one-fifth the size of the lower 48 states combined, it’s larger than Texas, California, and Montana put together, and it is the largest state in the U.S. It contains over 663,000 square miles of total area.

A bonus for this entire trip was seeing a long-time friend, Scott McDonald, in Vancouver where we embarked on this voyage. Scott is a good friend we have known since living in Taiwan.

I hope you have a chance to visit this state, as it has so much to offer. Thanks for being part of this community, and have a great month ahead. Photo credits go to Lisa (Lichin) Wei and Michael Buttlar.