Alaska Diary -Kenai Peninsula - Part IX

We leave Denali, in our little pop-up headed through Anchorange, where after a week on the Kenai peninisula, we will stay with some friends of our friends from Winona, Minnesota. The mountains seem all around us, although our view of Mount McKinley is obscured again by cloud cover. The ladies stop in a supermarket in Anchorage to stock up on groceries. The guys are informed that their will be a summer solstice "celebration" that night. This apparently is a big custom throughout Alaska and the world for that matter. On the the Chugach mountain above Anchorage young people gather on the longest day of the year in wild revelry, according to our grocery shopping reporters. Mmmmm? Mary Jane and nude dancing?

Later that evening, the campground has a lovely view and loons and wolves are heard beyond the campfire. Since this is bear country, we are instructed by the ranger to leave the food and cosmetics in the SUV and not the camper. The summer solstice dinner consists of shrimp and crackers for a first course, then Mrs. T comes up with tin-foil wrapped salmon grilled over the fire, corn, and cake for dessert. And champagne. Mmmm good.

I wonder if the Neo-Druids at Stonehenge near Salisbury England celebrate this solar event like this?

It was at about this point that your two, somewhat staid, stick in the mud husbands, were informed that it was their duty to continue the festivities all night. It was an Alaskan custom, we were told. Plus, it would be light out all night long. Unfortunately, the two midwestern men, clinging to their conservative ways, rebelled and broke up the party by trudging off to bed, at the ungodly early hour of 1 a.m. in the morning.
P.S. early the next day before heading off to the Kenai we talked to the local Ranger who informed us the ladies has jumped the gun by one day on the "solstice celebration".  Would you believe they wanted to do it again the next night.......:)