Reindeer and caribou and bears, oh my!

Alaska is, without a doubt, God's country. The snow covered mountains are not only massive but majestic. Snow covered and hugged by dramatic cloud formations, they glint in the sun and shine ebony in the rain.

I felt mixed about approaching anything so awesome though. The mountains offer extraordinary excitement and adventure, but one knows that danger can also lurk at every turn, mostly in the form of wolves, massive grizzly bears, and moose that will charge, particularly if they are protecting their young.

There are few roads in Alaska, so travel is a constant challenge. Transportation in town is easy enough--cars, taxis and trolleys, of course, but going from one city or town to another is a different story. The people who live here travel by small planes to the "bush" or remote areas, fly their own pontoon planes that land on any water way, or drive big trucks or heavy vans to tackle the few roads that are snow packed or ice covered. Travel here is definitely not for the faint of heart.

The other variable to dangerous driving is that the wildlife traverse the same territory, and, believe me, they have the right of way. At a couple of tons and with a jump range of eight feet, the caribou and the reindeer, can and do appear out of no where.

Also, at this time of the year and prior to going into their hibernation, bears--brown and grizzly both, can be found looking for food anywhere--in town walking down the street, in the parks where runners jog, and even in the back yard. And one does not want to come between a bear and a meal, so vigilance, care and respect for nature is mandatory.

Like most of us, I believed the wild west existed only in the history books now. Not so...Alaska is most definitely a last and wild frontier.