Susan Sarandon, "I don't vote with my vagina."

[Divernan]

81. Independent & strong folks of both sexes;it really is the last frontier!

I've traveled a lot and there's no place as breathtakingly beautiful.

A great way to see it, and comparatively inexpensive compared to flying or cruising is to take the Alaska State Ferry system along the marine highway. You start out in Northwestern Washington state (Bellingham) and go up along the coast of British Columbia. You can get off for short stays at any of the stops, and take day trips farther inland (Anchorage, Fairbanks, Denali) if you wish. Ferry stops include Port Hardy BC, Prince Rupert, Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg, Sitka, Juneau, Whittier, Kodiak, Sand Point and Dutch Harbor (the last 2 in the Aleutians).

Traveling Alaska by ferry is an excellent option for independent travelers and families, and allows you to bring your car, RV, bicycle or kayak along for the ride.

The Alaska Marine Highway is Alaska’s state-owned ferry system, offering scheduled service to the Inside Passage, Prince William Sound, Kenai Peninsula, Kodiak Island and the Aleutian Islands. Ferries allow visitors to travel at their own pace and create their own itinerary. Cabins provide private, overnight accommodations, but you can also sleep in public areas on the ferries, including lounges and the outdoor solariums, in small tents or sleeping bags. Food service, movies and other entertainment are available on the ferries. It’s important to book ferry travel in advance, especially during summer months or if traveling with a vehicle.

With the money you saved traveling on the state ferry system, if you want one of the ultimate Alaskan adventures, you can fly from Anchorage to the Pribilof Islands (still part of Alaska). The islands are located approximately 300 miles west of the Alaska mainland in the North Pacific. They are famous for their natural beauty, large seal populations, and migrating birds. St. Paul Island (14 miles long) is home to the world's largest fur seal rookeries. Birders from around the world consider the Pribilof Islands a premier destination. Over 2 million sea birds nest there annually and it has the world's largest fur seal rookeries. My son spent a week there last October and raved about it.

The Pribilof Islands (formerly the Northern Fur Seal Islands) are a group of four volcanic islands off the coast of mainland Alaska, in the Bering Sea, about 200 miles (320 km) north of Unalaska and 200 miles southwest of Cape Newenham. The Siberia coast is roughly 500 miles (800 km) northwest. About 200 km2 (77 sq mi) in total area, they are mostly rocky and are covered with tundra, with a population of 572 as of the 2010 census.