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| Alaska |
| Welcome to our website. Alaska is too magnificent to describe in words. It is so large that if it was placed over the "Lower 48" states it would reach from Florida to Minot North Dakota and tip of the Aleutian Islands would be 200 miles off the coast of San Francisco! And the real beauty of it is that the majority of it is wilderness. |
| The Author |
| For twenty-three years, Mark Fuerstenau lived "the Alaskan life" at one hundred miles per hour. During that time he worked as an elementary, junior high and high school teacher and for a two-year period, he served as editor and publisher of the Nome Nugget, Alaska's oldest newspaper. During his years of teaching he spent his evening and summers as Nome Teen Center director, summer youth program director, assistant to the director of Nome Community Center and during his final four summers there was a community development specialist for the Alaska Department of Community and Regional Affairs. In this capacity he was responsible for JTPA programs in the villages of the hundred-thousand square mile Bering Strait Region. In addition to 19 years living in Nome, he lived for four years in the small town of Nenana (pop. 500) which is located between Fairbanks and Denali National Park following the sale of the newspaper before returning to Nome to finish out his teaching career. He raised two sons in the Gold Rush City and traveled extensively in the state from Barrow on the Arctic Ocean, to the Canadian border to the east, to Fairbanks in the great interior, to Seward in the south and Dillingham and Bethel in the west. He mushed a dog team, climbed mountains, hunted, fished, and owned his own airplane which he used to explore and to find stories for his newspaper. One of his last adventures in "The Great Land" was to travel the length of the Iditarod Trail by snowmachine in the Iron Dog Gold Rush Classic snowmobile race with his son Harold in 1998. In 1999, he retired from teaching in Nome and moved to western Ohio where he now resides following the adventure path of Christianity and serving as pastor of a small Western Ohio United Methodist Church. To follow that adventure visit the Worship Explosion website. |
| Nome |
| The Gold Rush City. Sin City of the Arctic. City of the Golden Sands. This rough-and-tumble community of about thirty-five hundred residents located on the shores of the Bering Sea has been known by many names over the years. Founded in 1900 by The Three Lucky Swedes who discovered gold on Anvil Creek near the town, Nome serves as the governmental seat and shopping center of the Bering Strait Region. At one point during the Gold Rush, population estimates range from twenty thousand plus residents. To learn more about it and the surrounding region, click the "Nome" tab above. |
| Adventure |
| Alaska is truly an adventurer's paradise. With its vast wilderness, it is a playground for hikers, skiers, amateur photographers, snowmobilers, boaters, canoeists and kayakers, dog mushers, fishermen and women, hunters, and for those who just appreciate seeing miles and miles of beautiful country. |
| Danger |
| Due to it's sometimes-hostile climate and large wilderness areas, Alaska can be as dangerous as it is beautiful. If you visit the state, talk to park rangers, tourism centers, local authorities, or reputable outfitters before striking out on your own. Be sure that you have adequate clothing, shelter, food, navigational equipment and supplies before venturing out to enjoy the wilderness. Make sure you tell someone (someone who will be looking for you) where you are going and when you plan to return in case you run into trouble. A little advance planning and preparation will help you get the most out of your Alaskan esperience while at the same time minimizing the risk. | |
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| Alaska Facts |
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It's Big!
Alaska is 2.3 times the size of Texas and is one-fifth the size of the Lower 48 states combined. |
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But not crowded...
Alaska's population of 640,000 residents lives in an area that is 570,374 square miles. | |
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| Related Information |
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More information
For more information see the "Links" tab above or click HERE to visit the State of Alaska website. |
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Nome
To visit the City of Nome website click HERE. | |
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