Tiny Texas

"Oh, you’re from that tiny state down south" she says when I tell her we are from Texas.

This is not the first time we've been teased about the size of Texas. I guess Alaskans find it a bit fun to pick on Texans. And rightly so. After all, everything seems bigger in Alaska. The mosquitoes are huge. The mountains are colossal (Although I never saw it, Mt. Denali is over 20,000 feet tall). The glaciers are immense. Potholes (Frost Heaves) are unmanageable. Alaskan days in summer are way longer than Texan days, too.

Texas prides itself on wildflowers. But here the wildflowers are larger, more colorful, and last all summer. Even their lupine flowers put Texas bluebonnets to shame.





On the other side of the story, though, Alaska has nothing on Texas’ 4th of July celebrations. After all, in Alaska there are no fireworks because the nights are too light. Alaska’s cities are tiny compared with Dallas, Houston, and so many other Texas cities. Fairbanks didn’t have a single skyscraper. And the trees are embarrassingly tiny in much of Alaska. The scrawny spruce trees are stunted because of the permafrost ground. Finally, Texas prickly pear flowers are unbeatable.

To the surprise of many Alaskans, I respond to their teasing by saying, "Yeah Alaska is much bigger than Texas, but I would much rather drive across Alaska.”

Of course, there are no roads that span across Alaska.