Published: July 2nd, 2008 09:39 PM
Last Modified: July 2nd, 2008 11:03 PM
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We were on the train, chugging along at a speed I could probably beat on my road bike. Immediately after the train ride, we would embark on a 5-hour wildlife-watching cruise in Resurrection Bay. The next day, we would be fishing on the Kenai River.
As the train picked up speed, I settled into my seat and thought, "Oh, boy, do I feel like a tourist."
But that's what we do when family and friends visit, and this forced day of relaxation turned out not so bad after all.
The wildlife cruise -- don't bother. Packed like sardines in a can, we could barely move from our table without tripping over our neighbors. And when the occasional whale did surface, everyone on the boat crowded to the best spots, not even letting younger children up front for a glimpse.
It was tourist hell.
The railroad, however: Now this I could appreciate.
Tuesdays are special for Alaskans. Sign up for a train trip on a Tuesday, and Alaska residents can bring a guest along for free. It's a great and affordable way to see parts of Alaska we overlook, and that forced relaxation can be a welcome respite from driving guests up and down the Seward or Glenn highways.
At one point, the train slowed near Grandview where snow patches still clung to a late-June landscape. Our train-car narrator said, "Now, off to your right, up on that snow patch, you will see two black bears making their way up the mountain." In one quick motion, everyone in our train car lunged to the right.
"And to your left," our narrator continued, "you'll see a wolf, by himself up there at the edge of that snow field." And there we went, like a pendulum, back to the left side to see this creature as well.
Even we Alaskans had to admit it was a treat to see so much wildlife in just a few minutes' time.
My 10-year-old son, seated in the window, watched all of this pandemonium with detached interest. I marveled at his indifference, realizing that to him, bears and wolves are a part of his everyday world.
But 30 seconds later, he yelled "Look!" and I and the rest of our railcar stopped what we were doing to see what he was pointing at -- a brown bear? A lynx? Maybe even a wolverine?
"A mouse," he said, smiling broadly, watching a tiny little vole scurry away from the tracks and along the rail bed.
And I knew then and there, he is a true Alaskan, a boy more excited about spotting the rare frogs in the sedges at Eklutna than peering at yet another bear ranging its territory in the wilds of Alaska.
Seeing the state through the eyes of our visitors gave me a renewed appreciation for this place -- something many of us sorely need given our less than agreeable summer.
Pick a Tuesday and check it out for yourself.
• Play outdoor columnist Melissa DeVaughn can be reached at adn.com/contact/mdevaughn or call 257-4482.
Alaska Railroad's Alaska special
When: Tuesdays through the season, but tickets must be purchased by July 15.
Detials: Ride from Anchorage to Seward on the Coastal Classic, one-way or round trip. Alaskans who sign up can bring a guest for free.
How much: $110 round trip
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