T's postcards - 110

Alaska is the Biggest State
- 19 Mountains over 14,000 ft
- Highest point in North America, Mt McKinley (Denali) 20,320 ft
- More area than the 26 smallest states
- Purchased from Russia in 1867 for less than 2ȼ an acre
- Longest days, 24 hours of daylight
- Longest nights, 24 hours of night
- More than 3 million lakes, larger than 25 acres
- 586,400 square miles
- 1/5 the land mass of the entire continental US
- More than two times the size of Texas
- 29 active volcanoes, half the world's totalȼ
- More coastline than the lower 48 states, 33,000 miles
- More than 1/2 of the world's glaciers
- One glacier larger than Switzerland

Well, I learned something. I would have said Hawaii had more volcanoes than Alaska. In fact, I'm not sure I would have even said Alaska had volcanoes. Well, apparently Hawaii is down to 2, that's right - 2, active volcanoes. Super active, but only 2. Well, I guess that shows what I know!

T's postcards - 109

Deadhorse, Prudhoe Bay, Alaska.
On back: "An aerial view of Deadhorse in mid-July. Most of the oilfield's service companies are located here, just south of Prudhoe Bay. The Deadhorse Airport is in the foreground and on the horizon is the ice pack of the Arctic Ocean." Very neat! Thanks Grandma and Opa Matt!

T's postcards - 99

3d Eagle (I think - could really be about anything). Thanks Grandma! Looks really neat!

T's postcards - 91

Front says:
Alaska Facts
Daylight:
Anchorage: Summer Solstice 19.21 hours
  Winter Solstice 5.28 hours
Barrow: Sun rises May 10 and sets August 2 (84 days of light)
  Sun sets November 18 and rises January 24 (67 days of darkness)
Vastness: 586,000 square miles. Easternmost and westernmost state (55 miles from Russia), and more than twice the size of Texas.
Volcanoes: 70 or more active volcanoes. Most are part of the Pacific's 'Ring of Fire.'
Earthquakes: 10 quakes greater than magnitude 8 on the Ritcher scale since 1889. Alaska has approximately 50 quakes each year with a magnitude greater than 5.
Mountains:
Mt Mckinley highest peak in the US (Called Denali, meaning the 'Great One' in Athabascan) 20,320 ft
St Elias  18,008 ft
Foraker  17,400 ft
Bona  16,500 ft
Blackburn  16,390 ft
Sanford 16,237 ft
Of America's 20 highest peaks, 17 are in Alaska.
Glaciers: 100,000 glaciers cover 30,000 square miles. Malaspina, 850 square miles, is the largest and roughly the size of Rhode Island.
Thanks Grandma and Opa Matt!

N's postcards - 93

Alaska: "Mushing on the Bering Sea, Alaska. The Iditarod finishes at Nome each year. These teams vie for their positions before the finish." The iditarod is run from Anchorage to Nome (over 1150 miles) each year with teams of 12 to 16 dogs, and is finished in 10 to 17 days. I know what winter is like, and I don't know how they could do it!
Thanks Grandma and Opa Matt!

N's Postcards - 92

Prudhoe Bay showing the temperature at -58. Um, that's cold! Thanks Grandma and Opa Matt!

T's postcards - 88

A dvd postcard showing the beauty of Kenai Fjords in Alaska. Thanks Grandma and Opa Matt!

N's Postcards - 86

Another great 3D card - this one shows a big cat - I want to say jaguar, but I could be something else. Thanks Grandma and Opa Matt!

N's Postcards - 81

Fairbanks, Alaska
On back: "Scenic view of downtown Fairbanks with the Chena River running past Golden Heart Park" Nice park - I remember the first time we saw it, the boys said "but this CAN'T be downtown, there aren't any big buildings." :) Because Winnipeg is sooooo big! :) Thanks Grandma and Opa Matt!

N's Postcards - 73

A dvd postcard from Alaska, it shows animals that live on the glacier and a couple short films. Very neat! Thanks Grandma!

T's postcards - 66

Northern lights over an igloo! Thanks Opa Matt!

T's postcards - 60

White Pass
On back: "White Pass: From the turn of the century, the White Pass and Yukon Route railway carried freight and passengers from Whitehorse, Yukon to Skagway, Alaska. Today the train no longer makes that trip, but summer tourists ride from Skagway over the rugged coastal mountains and relive gold rush history." Thanks Opa Matt!

N's Postcards - 56

A card showing Lorraine Temple and her dog team. Thanks Opa Matt!

T's postcards - 50

I drove the Alaskan Highway and lived
And so did we, when we were on vacation in 2009. :)
On back: "World Famous Alaska Highway Trip - is a real 'trip.' This rugged 2000 mile 'tourist adventure' is a never-to-be-forgotten experience for most people."
Thanks Opa Matt!

T's postcards - 44

Alaska Railroad along Turnagain Arm with views of Chugach Mountains. Gorgeous scenery! Thanks Grandma and Opa Matt!

T's postcards - 38

A make up postcard with stickers. If I remember right, the stickers come with the postcard and you can make any sort of scene you want. :) Thanks Grandma and Opa Matt!

N's Postcards - 25

Alaska train line in Denali National Park. I think that would be a nice trip! Thanks Grandma and Opa Matt!

N's Postcards - 15

A cartoon map card of Alaska from Opa Matt. Drawn by Phil Timper.

T's postcards - 13

El Dorado Gold Mine in Fairbanks, Alaska, is somewhere we visited on one of out visits. Nice looking train! Thanks Grandma!

N's Postcards - 9

We sent this card home the first time we went to Alaska, the card was found in the airport museum in Fairbanks. We let the kids choose one each and off they went!