THE STATE OF THE UNION

In the coming months, a number of our citizens who are not ideologues will take the time to reflect on their body politic over the past 2 ½ years.  These reflective voters, also known as rational readers, practical thinkers, centralists and Independents, will cancel out the political noise from progressives who expect more socialism from their President and tea party conservatives who want more individual liberty.  Those who do their homework and examine the record with an open mind will discover something encouraging about the state of the union.

They will find that since president Obama took office, our nation has made significant progress on domestic issues.  The Supreme Court has welcomed two new constitutional scholars who will hold the high ground against the Court’s conservative cabal for the next half century. The President’s economic policy has permitted the credit bubble to unwind in a measured fashion, while avoiding a second great depression. (As a stark contrast, austerity measures and bank band aids are crumbling the EU, and causing riots in Britain) The military, industrial and financial complex has been reined in by responsible cabinet members, regulation and legislation. Notwithstanding lagging revenue and high unemployment, our social obligations to students, the disabled, and the elderly have not been thrown under the bus and universal health care is a reality.

On the political front, Obama’s move from transformative candidate to transactional president has been marked by negotiation and compromise rather than ideological rants.  In this regard he reminds me of Regan and Clinton, who each in their own way knew it was their duty to serve all the people, not their ideological base.  This is not to say that the President’s election has not been transformative.  The pride of Afro Americans and other minorities is palatable.  Recognition of gay rights has exploded.  The youth of the world view the United States with its urbane President in a new and positive light.

On International policy, Obama’s approach differs from the previous neo cons in significant respects.  The President is carefully moving the country away from the war on terror, toward a domestic terror policy, where it belongs.  His administration knows that the Muslim kinship cultures of Southeast Asia and North Africa are not prepared to follow a western model to modernity and democracy.  Better to euthanize Al Qaeda, prepare a level playing field and get out of the way.  The president has treated other western nations with respect, while insisting that they contribute their fair share in policing the world’s trouble spots.

One could easily argue that most of the past 2 ½ years have centered on unwinding the mistakes of the previous administration in the wake of tumultuous new problems.  Unfortunately the former Bush mistakes have exasperated the new problems.  A careful analysis will show that the question to ask ourselves is not “how much worse off are we” but rather “where would we be, but for the actions taken.”  In the face of such an economic and international political tsunami, a defensive step backward is always better than drowning in the backwater.

ALASKA

But for a cheerful displaced cousin who urged us to visit, our vacation plans would never have included an overland trip through Anchorage, Seward and Denali Alaska.  After all, this is the State that elected Sarah Palin and all I could envision was a right wing gun culture that would make my trip unpalatable.  

My perception was wrong.  Alaskans are as diverse and outgoing as any place I have visited. This is the mysterious land of the June midnight sun, which only a few weeks later in August, is struck with the first “termination dust”, signaling a short fall and long winter.  This is a vast land where planes (big & small), trains, boats, buses and automobiles all come into play to transport natives and travelers into various venues, spread far apart. 

Alaska’s largest city, Anchorage provided our starting point and the first view of snow capped peaks.  A friendly place with a small town feel, Anchorage is just perfect for adjusting to the four hour time difference.  We took in two wonderful museums and a large weekend farmer’s and native craft market with even a booth supporting the Alaskan comic strip “Tundra”.  We began immediately to feast on “just off the boat” salmon and haddock, along with caribou. Occasional taxi and foot power are all you need for this easy to navigate town. 

We rented a car for three days to enjoy the trip to Seward on one of the world’s most scenic routes.  This is an easy four hour drive that passes Alaska’s major ski resort, Alyeska, a great place for lunch. Another stop is the Conservation Center at Portage, featuring Alaska’s big five: wolves, brown bear, caribou, moose and dall sheep.  There are also wood buffalo and musk ox reclamation projects on view.

 Seward is a charming fishing town that houses an aquarium featuring local aquatic life.  It is also the departure for an all day boating adventure in the bay, viewing sea life and calving glaciers.  We saw humpback and orca whales, sea otter, seals, bald eagles, puffins, dauphins and other unique nesting birds.  Shopping and restaurants abound in Seward. On the way back to Anchorage, we spent several hours at the Exit Glacier, which requires a fifteen minute walk and a fully charged camera.  Black bear and moose are commonly seen on this easy trek.

 Many travelers like us return to their anchor hotel in Anchorage to reboot for another phase of the trip.  This is great for checking luggage and dirty laundry you don’t need.  Early the next morning we caught our tour operator’s express bus for Denali National Park.  We elected not to stay at the Gateway of the Park and transferred immediately into a second bus to head for our back country lodge.  The lodges are not supported by the National Park Service and are privately owned.  The lodges are not inexpensive at $400.00 per person per night, but offer an incredible wildlife and landscape viewing experience.  No internet, phone or television service is available in the middle of Denali National Park.

The buses run by the private lodges are more comfortable and less crowded than the public Park Service buses.  They provide the opportunity to meet your lodge mates, from around the world, and facilitate viewing space and photography.  The drivers double as spotters and guides.  The ninety mile six hour ride is not quite as eventful as the African Serengeti, but provides some of the best wildlife viewing in North America.  On our trip in and out, we saw many brown bear, dall sheep and caribou, one moose and no wolf.  We were treated to 15 minutes of a stalking lynx and a brown bear sleeping on a stone covered caribou carcass that provided some of our best photographs.

The highlight of Denali is of course Denali Mountain (Mt. McKinley) the “great one.”  The highest peak in North America sits at the end of the Alaskan Chain, thirty miles from the back country lodges.  If the timing and weather cooperate, the sight from base to peak is magnificent.  We saw the mountain in its full glory on two of our three days.  My wife took a small plane to photograph the peak on the third day, when clouds obscured the view.

Activities at the lodges are numerous including morning and afternoon hikes, fishing, panning for gold (not a bad choice in this economy) and nature and history talks.  One morning we shed all of our layers as the temperature reached 70.  The next we were in the alpine tundra on a ridge above the lodge in a snow storm.  The grub is family style and wholesome.

At the end of our lodge experience, we returned to the park Gateway and boarded the Alaskan Railway for the return trip to Anchorage. The first class excursion cars offer glass dome viewing, standing platforms for photography and dining cars.  We saw numerous bald eagles, tundra swan, sand hill cranes, and glimpses of moose.  Again, the scenery was breathtaking.

We talked to other travelers who planned quite different itineraries, including extended cruises, small plane trips to view brown bear catching salmon, and of course fishing trips into the interior.  Small children and families appeared to be having the time of their lives. 

The overriding social perspective I took away from our experience was the conservation mindset of the Alaskan people.  It reminded me that like Teddy Roosevelt, who started our National Park system, outdoorsmen, fisherman and hunters have often led the call for preservation in our country.  Many of the eco systems are unique and fragile.  Alaskans want the lower 48 to know that saving the tundra, glaciers and salmon runs are of utmost importance.

 One can only guess why Sarah Palin is leaving this beautiful State for Arizona. The locals did not seem to mind my Obama 2012 button or her departure one bit. Take my word for it.  Put Alaska on your short list.