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ePaper created 2014-01-26, 03:47:43 | version 1.26.00
• The most popular and best-known attractions will be closed. Southeast Alaska in particular is quiet during the winter months, with limited hours at many museums and visitor centers. Alaska schoolchildren go outside for recess nearly every day, unless outside temperatures reach –10ºF (–20ºF or so in the Interior). Otherwise, they bundle up, head out, and usually don’t even notice the cold as they sled, ski, or skate during daily outdoor time. How awesome is that? Alaska Fact What’s the Real Deal with the Daylight/Darkness? It’s a common question among visitors, and one of the most unique aspects of inhabiting a state so far north. Alaska sits near the top of our planet, and the Arctic Circle, at 66º 33´ latitude north, crosses the state 125 miles north of Fairbanks in the interior region of the state. The “circle” is the point at which the sun doesn’t rise for a day in the winter (winter solstice) and doesn’t set for a day in the summer (summer solstice). For arctic com- munities, this means a winter of almost total darkness, since the farther north one goes, the less the sun rises above or sets below the horizon. For most of Alaska, though, the winter and summer solstice events mean long stretches of daylight and/or darkness, but the sun does rise and set, albeit later or earlier, depending upon the season. While it’s kind of cool to stay up late during a summer vacation, I cau- tion that while your family might be okay with a late-night free-for-all through a campground or hotel property, the rest of the visiting popula- tion might not appreciate it. Allow plenty of time for settling down; shut off electronics, read a book, sing songs around the campfire, and get ready for bed just like you would at home. Ask your hotel if blackout shades are available (most rooms have them) or use that extra blanket in the closet as a curtain. If traveling in an RV or sleeping in a tent, bedtime might not be so simple. Try the above tricks, but also add the caveat that an mp3 player may be used for a listening session of quiet music or a story as long Planning Your Adventure 4