(SitNews) Klawock, Alaska - I’ve always loved field trips.

They were the highlight of elementary school days. In high school, being on the ferry with just about every school in Southeast on the way to Music Fest in Juneau was awesome. Since cell phones were still the size of briefcases and only rich kids like Zack Morris had them, we talked to each other in person.

#WhatShouldISay? #WhatsAText?

One Thursday night in college, my roommate and I decided to take a field trip from Tucson to San Diego and rather than wake up early, we drive through the night and caught up on our rest at the beach.

Even now I get excited for field trips. It’s Friday, and tomorrow I’m headed to Ketchikan for the weekend to stock up on goods and civilization to make it through the summer.

It’s not a big deal, because Ketchikan isn’t Cancun, but there are certain pleasures in changing your setting every once in a while, even if it is just a trip across the strait.

I know residents have a love/hate (leaning more toward hate at times) relationship with tourists but Lower 48ers provide excellent people-watching opportunities and you can shape Alaskan impressions. Give them a friendly smile and eye contact and you could find yourself the Ambassador of the Great North, called upon to verify what they’ve heard regarding igloos, household penguins, king crab in the Bering Sea, aliens in Nome, vampires in Barrow, views of Russia and man-eating wolves. You can also be helpful too, directing them to businesses and attractions not in cahoots with the cruise ship company.

Over the last 27 years I’ve spent as little as a few hours and as much as a few days in Ketchikan. I once spent eight straight hours in the mall on a cross country trip pricing cargo pants at Bon Marche, cheap suits at Jay Jacobs, dominating the basketball game in the video arcade, and of course, buying CDs and Big Macs.

Another time I convinced half the team to walk in the rain down to the Tongass store near the ferry terminal, only to discover it had all been consolidated downtown. My bad fellas.

I broke a lace running in a cross country meet at Ward Lake, fed seagulls day-old bread from Carrs, went cosmic bowling, learned how to use an ATM and in one trip collected enough Subway stamps to get a free sub. This of course made so much more impactful since Prince of Wales Island only had the seagulls.

In more recent years I’ve included walks around the docks among the tourists or by the movie theater remembering my first exposure to the epitome of cinematic excellence - Dumb and Dumber.

When you’re a kid growing up in Southeast Alaska you don’t really just have one home because you grow up everywhere. Without social media you paid attention to where you were and relied on it to entertain you, or at least provide a way to burn the hours before the race, meet, game, concert or next study hall.

This weekend I’ll remember how lucky I was in high school, not how bored. Though Klawock was my home, I grew up in places like Ketchikan too - if only for a day or two at a time.

Jeff Lund ©2014

Jeff Lund is a Teacher, Freelance Writer, & River fishing guide (Tranquil Charters) living in Klawock, Alaska
Contact Jeff at Email – aklund21@gmail.com

http://www.jlundoutdoors.com

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