6 Reasons To Travel To Alaska
Alaska is a very different place with its nature, people, and life. Alaska was purchased from the Russians for 7 million 200 thousand dollars in 1867 by William Seward, the US Secretary of State during the Abraham Lincoln era. The American people said that it was folly to spend so much money on a place covered with ice, and they called Alaska "Dumb Seward's Ice Box".
It is not known whether the Americans who left their homes and jobs within a few years of this analogy thanked Seward while they went to Alaska with the dream of finding gold by digging and shoveling, but at least the US government strategically bought Alaska and drove the Russians away. America blocked a possible Russian base on the continent.
6 Awesome Reasons To Go To Alaska
1. One of the places that nature lovers must see
The diversity of nature, ice with its blue glow, white-headed eagles, brown and black bears, king salmon, and endless lush vegetation especially in summer. In Alaska, where traveling by caravan is popular, the first to welcome you will be the "Mc Kinley Mountain" with mists and clouds on its summit. This is how you see the highest mountain in North America with an altitude of 6 thousand 193 meters.
2. Capital Juneau
If you don't like the winter, go to Alaska in the summer months, the spring months in this country are warm and you will see all the beauties of nature. Alaska declared the city of Juneau the capital of the state in 1906. The city with a population of 34 thousand is spread over an area of 8 thousand square kilometers. Oddly enough, if the people living here want to travel, they first have to use planes or ferries to go to other cities. The view of the city, which must be seen, is very beautiful, surrounded by green, modern buildings, and when you go up to the hill with the cable car, you can't get enough of the view.
3. The Famous Golden Glacier
The cove formed by the Gastineau Canal is called "Gold Creek". The sheep have a story to get this name; In 1880, when everyone was chasing gold, two adventurers, Joe Juneau and Richard Harris, decided to look at the bottom of this river where no one looked, and they found gold. While they were collecting handfuls of gold from this place where gold comes and accumulates with the current, the people were walking around the mountains with pickaxes and shovels. At that time, 158 million dollars worth of gold was extracted from all the mines of the City of Juneau, and in 1944, when the mining was completely finished, the people turned to forestry and fishing. Gold mining stories have been the subject of many American films, for quite interesting years. The City of Juneau is among the 10 cities that travelers love, so this interesting city is a must-see.
4. Passion for the rivers in Alaska
White-headed eagles, the symbol of America, which are frequently encountered in this region, hunt salmon by diving into the river. Of course, hunting them is not just the passion of eagles. Every year, the public organizes competitions to catch the biggest salmon. Especially female salmon with a weight of 10-20 kg die after the spawning period. King Salmon, on the other hand, weighs around 40 kilograms and is difficult to catch. Hunting King Salmon in public is a great success.
5. Traditional Slide Races
Dog-drawn sled races, which are a must-watch, have become a tradition for more than 40 years. The race track is very long, about 1678 kilometers. The race, held on the road used by gold prospectors to transport the gold they found to the city, first started in 1973 with the race competition of sleds pulled by 20 dogs each. In 1995, Doug Swingley broke the record in the history of the competition by completing this challenging road in exactly 9 days, 5 hours, 42 minutes, and 19 seconds.
6. Indigenous people in Alaska
There are many locals in Ketchikan. Many tribes such as Tlingit, Tsimshian, and Haida settled here. That's why you come across interesting totems in many places. In Ketchikan, which was previously inhabited by wooden platforms and roads, the number of streets increased over the years, and it was declared a city. Local people make their living by fishing salmon, since 1970, the number of salmon has decreased due to overfishing, so closures have begun in canneries in the region.
If it were up to me, I would like to live in this magnificent nature place, not just for a holiday. I guess it will be very cold, of course, but I guess you can even get used to it :) And would you like to live there?
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