Goodbye to the summer tourists! Now try winter!
In Anchorage, the changing of the season is noted not only in the briskness of the breeze, but also in the sudden disappearance of the typical Alaskan Tourist. I miss them already. I love walking downtown and finding people clustered around a city map. I jump right in the middle, eager to find out where they are from and to point them to their great destination, usually on the next block.
If neither of us is rushing off somewhere, conversations almost always turn to the winter and how we Alaskans handle the cold weather and the dark. It surprises people when I tell them our best-kept secret, winter is the BEST time of year, hands-down!
I'm not saying that I don't like summer. I love the hustle and bustle of the tourist season. I eagerly dig into my garden in the spring and try to grow giant vegetables like the ones I see at the Alaska State Fair each fall. But, the snow, the quiet, the softness of the diffused winter light from my fireside chair sing to my senses during the coziest part of the year. And we still get out on the same trails that we use in the summer. The difference is that in the winter, we snowshoe, we Nordic ski, we sled, and we ski-jor (that is skiing with a dog pulling you, crazy but fun). There's also ice climbing, ice skating, dog-mushing, ice fishing, snow machining... the list goes on.
As the winter deepens and my family starts to indulge in our favorite snow-fun activities, I will write more in-depth blogs on each one. But, I hope that you can start to see why we Alaskans prefer our long winter season, even if the majority of visitors will never see that side of our beautiful state. If you decide to experience our winter, there is plenty for you to do. Perks include lower hotel room rates, no crowds and less traffic, and unique activities geared toward our winter loving population.
So, goodbye summer. You were great! Hello winter, we've been waiting for you!
