Welcome to Palin Country, you Socialist Liberal!

Oh Alaska. The final frontier, God's country and the home of Sarah Palin; these references and many more were the way my plane neighbors introduced me to Alaska. Enroute from Seattle to Alaska I was seated next to two older individuals, a husband and wife. They looked normal enough, and like most of the people on board they were headed home. At this point I had been traveling the last 8 hours and was feeling the cold that I had been trying to suppress with meds all day. I plugged headphones in my ears and settled in for another 4 hour flight. Around 2.5 hours into the flight I woke up to a screaming baby, two rows ahead. The man next to me took this opportunity to strike up some conversation.

"You aren't from Alaska, are you?" This was a statement more than a question. I claimed Californian after seeing half the plane decked out in Camoflage, i figured my pink Volcolm sweater was one of the many clues that tipped him off. He got to asking where I was from and what I did as a job. After finding out I was a marine biologist from SoCal his tone changed. I couldn't have anticipated the rant that was coming my way. His opening statement to the newly acquired information, "You're a socialist, liberal hippie, everyone in California is nuts! Don't think you are going to bring your liberal ideas up to our conservative state." I wasn't sure if he was kidding or not and let out a nervous laugh. He did not seem so amused. He then began to explain that all science was a lie. Everything I have ever been told is wrong. Climate change does not exist and the polar bears, yes the damn bears, are multiplying like crazy and we should start shooting them to control their populations.

At this point I realize this man isn't kidding and he is deathly serious. This is when his wife, wanting to add her opinion as well, chimed in. "Obama is an idiot, how in the world does he think we can run our country without gas and guns. You can't live without gas powered cars, there is no other way to make energy." It was at this statement I had to inform them, that yes indeed you can live green with clean energy and renewable resources. I explained that I lived in a place, The Cape Eleuthera Institute for a year and had clean, renewable energy. This information seemed to only set them off further. "You have ruined California by trying to make wind energy. Just look at those windmills their disgusting! We are going to fly over Fire Island and I'll show you. You can see that they are ruining the land with those disgusting windmills."

I can only take so much, and I am not willing to waste my breath any further with these two geriatrics. They have insulted my very being and I am done talking. I am so enraged, I can feel my pulse racing in my fingertips. As a closing I thanked them for their opinions and told them that I would take my chance as a scientist and use my observations to lead me to conclusions. This only furthered their need to convert my though, at every silence they interjected with some form of 'proof'' that everything I know is wrong. Perhaps my favorite example was their beloved Sarah Palin.

"Sarah Palin is a good woman and the media and liberals brought her down. She can see Russia from her backyard. Russia is Alaska!" He then pulls out the inflight magazine to show me a map of Alaska, which he edited by drawing in Russia. I sarcastically thanked him for such VALUABLE insight and I would be sure to reconsider my thoughts on Sarah Palin. His wife, in the meantime, was muttering to herself every few minutes that the damn youth was ruining this country. I can only imagine she was speaking of me :). In parting the last thing they told me was to find a man to take care of me and take me around town, and to make sure he is packing! Packing a 44 caliber at the very least, because this is Alaska and any other size gun is unacceptable!

At any rate. I made it to Anchorage. It's beautiful, dangerous and cold! I hear there are moose down the hill from my apartment, so I am off to investigate!

Found my big strong man, with his gun!

Icicles on the house!

Mountains everywhere