It's a love it or leave it place

Resslin' Around by Casey Ressler

I don't live in a third-world country, ma'am, I live in Alaska. Yes, I know it costs more to ship things here, I understand that, but I don't think it costs $45 to ship a $10 item that weighs less than two pounds," I said into the phone.

Click.

"Living in Alaska stinks," I told my wife. "They want me to spend 45 bucks to ship a piece of foam. What the heck do they package foam in, anyway?"

Every day, you can find one reason why living in Alaska isn't exactly a Jack London novel. Shipping costs was my reason du jour last Monday. Then I got to work and started on an Outdoors story about Petersville being ranked one of the top 10 places in the country to snowmachine, and that Hatcher Pass made another list as the top places to ski.

I realized that for every reason I can think of why living in the Lower 48 would be so much better, I think of two why I wouldn't leave this place for the world.

Every morning that I complain about it being either 20 below or 50 above and raining, I'm met with a drive that includes spectacular views of the mountains. Each time I complain about it being crowded on the river, I can find a place a mile upstream where I'm the only person fishing for hours on end. I complain about the traffic on a 45-mile drive to Anchorage, but if I drive the other way for 45 miles, I'm met with solitude and peace you just can't find anywhere else.

Alaska is a "love it or hate it" place, and it isn't for everyone. But it is for me. And for a lot of other people.

The tremendous growth here, however, is making things a lot more like the Lower 48. Heck, Anchorage is just 10 minutes from Alaska the way things are now.

Finding that balance of convenience and of, well, "Alaska," is what will continue to make this place special. That, and lowered shipping costs on foam, or course.

Casey Ressler (valleylife@frontiersman.com) is the Valley Life editor.