It’s September in Alaska. To be here now is like I’ve hidden in the restroom stall at a department store until it’s closed and the employees have all gone home. Now I can sneak out and have everything to myself.

It’s like living in a magical wonderland. Someplace so big and so diverse and so relatively empty of humans… Yes, we live near Anchorage. And there are lots of people here. But it takes no time at all to find your way to the wilds of Alaska. The Great Land.

The fish are still swimming in the streams and lakes. The berries are still ripening on the hillsides. The restaurants are still serving salmon, halibut, and king crab legs. But now, we don’t have to share it with hordes of tourists. The summer season has largely ended. Kids are back in school and we prepare for winter’s darkness. It’s a beautiful time to be here in Alaska. But don’t tell anyone I said so.