Two northwest Alaska towns offer a glimpse of life in the bush. Nome is more accessible and diverse, with a fascinating history. More than a century ago, Wyatt Earp made a fortune plying drinks to gold miners, and his old bar is still a busy place, especially during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Towering gold dredges dot the surrounding tundra, and a pair of old engines from the "Train to Nowhere" are slowing rusting away south of town. Nome's beach is still mined for gold, with divers operating small dredges all summer. Three deliciously long dirt roads fan out over the Seward Peninsula from Nome, with hiking, fishing, camping, and bird watching opportunities. Musk ox and reindeer are frequently spotted. Thirty miles north of the Arctic Circle, the Inupiat settlement of Kotzebue is a base for Red Dog Mine, largest zinc mine in the world. Several national parks traverse northwest Alaska, including Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Noatak National Preserve, and Kobuk Valley National Park. The last of these contains a remarkable series of high sand dunes covering 25 square miles. National Park Service offices are in both Kotzebue and Nome.
- Don Pitcher for Triporati
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