North to Alaska

That's the title of an old tune stuck in my head. Like hundreds of songs I only know from all those endlessly aired TV commercials during my childhood for various music collections ("Fun Rock!" "Country Classics" "Sweet Sounds of the '70s"), I know only the chorus: "North to Alaska/They're goin' north, the rush is on."

Anyway, that's where I'm going! Alaska. Craziness!

When I was in my early 20s, a good friend of mine moved to Hawaii for a couple of years and hosted all kinds of visitors from the mainland. I kept telling myself I'd go, but never made it out there, to my great regret. So now that I have the ability to visit a remote, expensive-to-get-to place, hosted by someone who knows the territory AND can provide free room and board ... well, I'm not going to make that mistake twice.

Very excited. And not just to check off my 46th state. (Though let's not kid ourselves -- that's part of it.) And not just because it'll provide endless excellent FB opportunities. And not just because it's going to be an absolutely stunning, mind-blowing feast of natural beauty.

I think a big part of it is I'm going to go fishing there. I haven't been fishing in SO long. More than a decade. And it was probably a fishing-free decade or two before that.

I want to catch a 50-lb. salmon.

The craziest thing is I just booked it this weekend and am leaving in less than three weeks, which is a ridiculously short anticipation time-frame.

So, Alaska. That's what I'm getting myself for my birthday instead of an iPad. (Though I might still get the iPad at some point.)

And I looked it up. Johnny Horton, ladies and gentlemen: