10 sometimes surprising facts about amazing Alaska

The Milepost is an annual publication that modestly calls itself The Bible of North Country Travel. It certainly is filled with facts about Alaska. Here are 10:

* The state's 20,320-foot Mount McKinley/Denali (it has two official names) is the highest mountain in North America. On a clear day, you can see the mountain from Anchorage, some 200 miles away, yet the mountain isn't visible inside Denali National Park until Mile 10 on the Park Road. Visit www.reservedenali.com.

* The access road to the town of Whittier passes through the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel. At 13,200 feet, it is the longest highway tunnel in North America as well as the longest combined highway/railroad tunnel on the continent.

* The White Pass & Yukon Route railway (oictured) is the farthest north narrow-gauge railroad and has one of the steepest railroad grades in North America.

* Glaciers cover about 5 percent of the state, and dozens are accessible for up-close viewing, by road or by water.
* Juneau is the only state capital in the continental United States that is not accessible by road from the rest of the state. You've got to take a boat or a plane to get there.

* On June 21 in Fairbanks, you can watch a baseball game at  midnight, without artificial lights. The summer solstice offers 22 hours of daylight.

* Anchor River Road on the Kenai Peninsula ends at the most westerly point on the North American continent accessible by a continuous road system.

* The state boasts the second greatest tidal range in North America from Beluga Point on the Seward Highway, just 16 miles south of  Anchorage. (The Bay of Fundy in Atlantic Canada has the greatest tidal range.)

* Alaska has more than 10 percent of the world's volcanoes, and one of the most recently active -- Mount Redoubt -- may be seen from the Sterling Highway on the Kenai Peninsula.

* Alaska has two of the largest islands in the U.S. (after Hawaii). Kodiak,  in the Gulf of  Alaska, is known for viewing the Kodiak brown bear. Prince of  Wales Island, which has the most extensive road system in    southeast Alaska, is a popular sport fishing destination.


For more about the 784-page Milepost, which is also published digitally, visit www.milepost.com.

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Trivial question

Where would you find the islets of Langerhans? (Answer somewhere below.)

Cherry blossom package proves spring is coming

This year marks the 99th celebration of the original gift of 3,000 cherry blossom trees from the city of Tokyo to the people of Washington, D.C., and the Mandarin Oriental is in there pitching with a exclusive Cherry Blossoms Bloom package. Included are overnight accommodations in a Deluxe room, a buffet breakfast for four in Sou’Wester restaurant,  overnight valet parking, cerry treats from the executive chef and a 20 percent discount on the Cherry Blossom Ritual in The Spa at Mandarin Oriental. Room rates are from $395 per night, and the package is valid from March 25 to April 10. Call 888-888-1778 or visit www.mandarinoriental.com/washington.

Here's more proof -- a Spring Fling offer in Florida

The Atlantic Resort & Spa in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has a Spring Fling package available  through May 31. The  package, which requires a minimum three-night stay, begins at $249 per night, double occupancy, and includes accommodations in a  guestroom featuring a private balcony, a fully-equipped kitchenette and an oversized marble bathroom, a  $100 spa credit toward a treatment or service in the Spa Atlantic, 20 percent off any additional spa treatment or service, and two welcome drinks. If you stay five nights, you get a sixth night free. Call 954-567-8020 or visit www.AtlanticHotelFL.com and mention rate code PKGSSF.

Worth quoting

“I dislike feeling at home when I am abroad.” – George Bernard Shaw

Perillo adds culinary tours of Italy to its roster

In April, Perillo Tours will launch 12- and 13-day culinary and cultural tours of Italy  in cooperation with Slow Food Italia. There will be two itineraries to four regions in Italy: Piedmont & Italian Riveria, and Tuscany & Umbria.  The tours will focus on the local food and beverage products of each of the regions. Pricing for the two itineraries, which collectively have 12 departures between June 17 and Oct. 21,  ranges from $4,290 to $4,590 per person, double. Alternatively, individual trips can be booked through ItalyVacations.com for travel at any time of year. For more information, visit:www.perillotours.com/slowfood.

Fascinating fact

The world's southernmost flower can be found where else but in Antarctica. It is a cushion plant with the catchy name of Colobanthus quitensis and appears on a little-known archipelago called the Terra Firma Islands.

Trivial answer

OK, that was a trick question. The islets of Langerhans are found in the pancreas.