Alaska, The Last Frontier

(I've been corrected, I broke the cardinal rule and didn't check my facts, Alaska is the largest state in the Union by area, but ranked 48th by population, that's 1.1 person per square mile. Correction has been made. Thanks for straightening me out Gully. Apologies to all offended Alaskans.)

What is there about Alaska? A couple of ladies have gotten me thinking about Alaska and the people it produces. I know you've already thought of one I'm talking about when you read Alaska. After all she is Governor of our largest state. A state bigger than a majority of countries in the rest of the world. Of course I'm speaking of Sarah Palin. I'm not going to get into politics as I'm not into screaming and ranting about what politics has turned into. No, I'm going to talk about her personal life, to a point and not over.

Mrs. Palin has a diverse background. She was a beauty queen, she ran several successful small businesses, she was a sports caster (like Reagan), she was a mayor and now governor. Her favorite meal is Moose Stew, she hunts (member of the NRA), a self proclaimed outdoor person. She's articulate and she stands for what she believes in, without giving into party or political correctness.

The second lady some of you know, some don't but should. She is a writer, one of my favorites, whose prose varies as much as the seasons. She has been a reporter, Alzheimer's advocate, world traveler, naturalist (I'm not going to use the birthday suit joke), dog sled musher (this Outsider doesn't know the fancy word), and most importantly, friend to multitudes. Some of you know I'm talking about Jeanne or Gully or Gullible, or whatever tag she's going by that day. Her blog is in the list at the left called "Gullible's Travels". Great stories and pictures. She is the one who taught me that an "Outsider" was someone that lived outside of Alaska.

It seems Alaska breeds individualism. Whether you're born Alaskan or privileged to have come from the Outside and stayed, Alaska brings out the best in each person. I know there are the exceptions to that rule, but from what this Outsider has observed, the exceptions are few.

Just think about it, how many people from Alaska can you name that have moved into your town? I have never been introduced from anyone that has left Alaska by choice. Why is that? Could it be lack of population compared to say California, which is where every other new person in town has come from. Could it be that parse population compared to square miles is what people up there like? What about that Alaska is the modern day West, the last frontier to be explored.

I think that's where the individualism of Alaskan's come from. They fend for themselves, because they are the babe of the nation and often overlooked as that state way up there with nothing but oil to contribute.

Well, in the last couple of years of knowing Gully, and now the little I've learned about Mrs. Palin, I must say, Thank you Alaska for raising people that remind us that sometimes its not cool to tag along with the crowd, that reminds us to stand up for what we believe despite what people will say. I can say from this knot head's observation, these two ladies have rose above the rest by doing just that.