Florida to Alaska

Commended Entry: "Florida to Alaska" by Parker Hadley from the USA

This article was submitted in the Kids World Travel Guide Essay Competition 2020 in the Junior Category 8-11 years.

Florida To Alaska

Nine. I have moved nine times in my ten years of life.

Each place I have lived has been unique in its own way. I have lived in five of the United States: Utah, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, and Alaska.

Each of these places has been awe-inspiring and incredible. They are also very different. These differences were especially noticeable when we moved from Florida to Alaska.

In Florida we saw deer running across the road as we trick-or-treated! Snakes were common, and we often had to remove them from our house. We often saw rabbits nibbling our plants. We would go exploring in the woods behind our house and would see many other critters. My dad and I saw alligators on the side of the road as we were biking! We also had alligators swim past our canoe once. The weather was crazy! We had downpours with very loud thunder and lightning. We had hurricanes that knocked down trees in our yard, and we had two feet of water on the road.

We moved from Florida to Alaska last April. As we left Florida, it was sunny and we had been playing on the beach. When we arrived in Alaska, it was snowing. That was the first of many surprising differences. Living in Alaska is unique. There are moose and bears all around. We have seen moose with babies in our yard and we have seen them on the road! When moose are in our yard, we must go inside so that they do not charge us. When we go on hikes in the summer, we have to carry bear spray. We also have to put our garbage cans inside the garage so that bears do not eat the trash. Once on a hike we saw a big moose on one side of the trail and a bear on the other side! In the winter, I can hike to a beautiful frozen waterfall and slide down a snowy mountain. When the temperature is too cold, I can only play outside for a little bit at a time. I love how summer in Alaska has such nice weather, and we can play outside until really late because the sun does not set.

Alaska truly is a remarkable place! There are many unique and beautiful places and creatures in our country. I have loved exploring incredible nature in my childhood.

Thank you for your insightful story "Florida to Alaska", Parker. Moving is always an adventure and you have already seen and experienced a lot! Keep on exploring!

Places are all different but all can be awesome! Always try to realise what is different and why, and then cherish each place for its uniqueness! Well done!

Parker attends Raven Homeschool in Eagle River/Alaska in the USA.