As I mentioned last time, I’ve been thinking about the importance of being a tourist in one’s own town. That attitude is far more common here in Alaska, where most locals are surrounded by the sights and sounds that other people have to pay big money and travel thousands of miles to enjoy. Those of us who live in towns frequented by tourists are especially aware. After all, when a cruise ship arrives and doubles the population of your town for a day, it’s hard not to notice what the “neighbors” are doing; when they crain their necks to watch a bald eagle swoop low over the town’s main street, one naturally follows suit.
A small brown bear lunches on the roadside near Letnikof Cove, Haines, Alaska (Photo: MIchelle Zeiger).