The fellow next to me on the plane back to Alaska looked like a typical older, sunbird tourist. In his late 50s, he was tan, a little on the heavy side, with whitish hair, wearing white shorts, short-sleeved polo shirt, white sneakers. I assumed he was headed north for a cruise.

Not so, he said. "It's a complicated story."

He had been driving to Alaska from his home in Florida, by way of his old stomping grounds in upper Michigan, when his Jeep broke down. He was not going to let an expensive mechanical failure stand in the way of his Alaska adventure.

He left the jeep behind and bought a round trip ticket to Anchorage. He rented a car for two weeks. "I told them to give me a big one, because I may need to sleep in it," he said.

Though arriving at midnight, he had not lined up a place to stay, for his first night or any other night. He didn't have a tent either. His only outdoor gear was a two-piece fishing pole, stashed in the overhead bin. He had never heard of the Milepost, the independent traveler's bible for exploring Alaska by road.

He spoke longingly of maybe going after halibut, or possibly even seeing Kodiak Island.

On his budget, salmon from a roadside stream might be a better bet, I thought.

I told him about Bird Creek, just south of Anchorage. Best if you fish a couple hours ahead of the high tide, I advised, as if I was someone who catches more than one fish a summer.

And those tides are big -- more than 20 feet -- so be careful, I said.

He had lots of hunting experience in Upper Michigan and Canada's north woods. Some of his hunting friends had made quickie trips to Alaska -- fly to Anchorage, charter out with a guide, shoot a moose or a caribou, and head straight home.

"If I'm going to Alaska, I want to go for at least two weeks," he said. "I want to see the place, meet some of the locals."

He sure didn't look like the kind of guy who'd eagerly spend two weeks driving around Alaska sleeping in his car. I had to admire his determination to have his Alaska dream trip.

It reminded me just how much power Alaska still holds in the American imagination.

-- Matt Zencey

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