Travel

Image | Nancy Harvey

By Nancy Harvey

Remember when September handed us our first homework assignment ~ a tell-all as to what we did on our summer vacation?  As each summer comes to an end, I still assign myself the task.

This year, my summer vacation was spent in Alaska and I would so enjoy sharing this journey with fellow classmates. I would tell them Alaska is both awesome and amazing, the ‘Last Great Frontier’.  I would attempt to describe the breath-taking beauty and wonders of its wilderness.

Wouldn’t they enjoy hearing about bear, moose and the bald eagle? I imagine the smiles evoked in describing the whales with their blowholes (Thar she blows!) and always the same finale, a wave of the tail.

Harder to relay is the way Alaska smells… clean, crisp, northern.  Indescribable are the Northern Lights scattered across the evening sky, as if God had a paintbrush. A call for applause.  I would admit to my dilemma, so much to do, so little time and in the end, the reconciliation to do less and savor more.

Would they be curious as to why glaciers are blue? Would they be surprised to hear Alaska is cloaked in flowers? Would they be fascinated by Alaska’s rich history?

Ah, that is for another class.