Notes from Alex

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  • The Workhorses of the Sky

    A Young Pilot’s Dream Takes Flight Over Southeast Alaska 7 He remembers the rhythm before he remembers the view—the steady hum of an engine pulling its weight through coastal air, the soft slap of floats against saltwater, the quiet confidence of machines built not for comfort, but for purpose. In Southeast Alaska, airplanes aren’t luxuries.…

  • Where the Journey Begins by Air or Sea—and the Wild Teaches You What to Expect

    What to Expect When You Arrive in Southeast Alaska Getting Here Is Just the Beginning 6 There’s something different about Southeast Alaska the moment you arrive. You feel it before your feet even touch the dock or runway—the air is heavier, richer, alive. Maybe you came in low over the water on a floatplane, watching…

  • The Mantle Returns

    A Calling Reawakened Through Loss, Legacy, and Love He sat quietly, pen in hand, thoughts unfolding like waves against a familiar shore. The kind of silence that only comes after loss had settled in—a silence that speaks, if you’re willing to listen. Recently, his father had passed from this world into heaven. And with that…

  • “A Journey Through Gold Rush History, Mountain Majesty, and the Spirit of Adventure”

    Skagway: Where the Gold Rush Still Echoes Through the Mountains 7 There’s something about Skagway that feels alive with history. Tucked at the northern tip of the Inside Passage, this small town isn’t just a stop on a cruise itinerary—it’s a living storybook of grit, ambition, and the relentless pursuit of opportunity. When you step…

  • “Launched Into Legacy: The Story Behind the USNS Solomon Atkinson”

    A Name Launched Into History: The USNS Solomon Atkinson There are moments in life when something becomes bigger than news… it becomes legacy. On February 23, 2026, at a shipyard in Mobile, something powerful slid into the water—steel, purpose, and history all wrapped into one vessel. The future USNS Solomon Atkinson (T-ATS 12) was officially…

  • “Wrangell — Alaska’s Hidden Harbor of History and Heart”

    Wrangell, Alaska — Where Time Slows and Stories Live 7 Wrangell isn’t the kind of place that tries to impress you. It doesn’t need to. Tucked quietly along the Inside Passage, this small island town carries a kind of confidence that only comes from deep roots—Tlingit heritage, gold rush echoes, and generations of families who’ve…

  • The Men Who Made Me

    Subtitle: Raised by Family, Guided by Clan, Shaped by Legacy The Men Who Made Me 4 Where I come from, nobody sat me down and said, “This is how you become a man.” There was no single moment.No clear line you crossed. It was something you grew into. As a man of the Tsimshian Nation,…

  • Petersburg — Little Norway in the Heart of the Inside Passage

    Little Norway, Big SpiritDiscovering the Quiet Strength of Petersburg, Alaska 4 There’s something about the Inside Passage that never gets old. The water feels alive, the mountains seem to rise straight out of the sea, and every town along the way carries its own story. And then… there’s Petersburg. Tucked quietly on Mitkof Island, Petersburg…

  • The Men Who Shaped the Atkinson Men

    There are some pictures that carry more than faces. They carry weight.They carry legacy.They carry the quiet, unspoken transfer of manhood from one generation to the next. This is one of those pictures. Five men standing together—each one different in personality, in path, in presence—but all connected by something deeper than blood alone. They were…

  • The Art of Getting Old

    Subtitle: How Pops Taught Us to Walk in Love, Peace, and Grace There’s a quiet truth most people don’t talk about: getting old is not something that happens to you—it’s something you learn to do. And if that’s true, then Pops was a master of it. I didn’t always understand what I was watching when…