30 Second Bottom Line: This film presents a history of how the ice age formed land masses, and it serves as a travelogue of the varied wildlife in Alaska.

Story Line: The ice age caused water levels to drop almost 150 feet resulting in land "rising" to an area that once was under water. The reverse side of that tells us that global warming could put things back under water that we think of as only being above sea level. Sea level is a relative term.

The first inhabitants of Canada and the US west were the descendants of people from Siberia, who migrated across the formation of the new land mass. Some of these people were later known as Native Americans.

Not only is Alaska full of rich and diverse wildlife, but there are over 3,000,000 lakes in that state alone¾what a special place it is. Some of that wildlife includes black bear, sea lions, red foxes, moose, caribou, humpback whales and salmon, and we begin to realize that we do have one place left in the US with vast undeveloped spaces that needs to stay that way as long as possible.

Tell Me More About It: Amazing facts are presented along with eye popping photography on much of the wildlife in Alaska. Black bears are playful yet ferocious. Humpback whales travel 4,000 miles from Hawaii to feed. When not in Alaska, they fast for eight months. Salmon come back from the open sea to spawn as they travel upstream. For those that don't, they provide a good meal for fishing bears. When the bears catch a fish, only a mother shares her bounty. A bear may fish for up to 20 hours in a day and put on 300 pounds. They are trying to build up their fat to use during hibernation in the winter. The goal is to get to what is called either their fat or sleeping weight. The fish that get past the bears realize their goal of spawning and then they die.

It can snow as early as August and it's in this wondrous place that bald eagles are plentiful. Polar bears are active in the winter and they can stand the cold in part because of a thick fat layer and their black skin under their luxurious pelt of white fur. They are able to sniff out a seal from as far as 20 miles away in an area where it gets to -50 degrees or more (remember this is before the wind chill factor).

Of all the places in the world I've not been, and there are plenty, one that I want to go to travel to is Alaska. Cruise ships are fine, but the way to do it is to be off the beaten path so you can hopefully see much of what is shown in this film.

The air and sense of freedom with the love of Earth is grand in any mountain or ocean area. In Alaska, it has to be otherworldly… something to bring a true peace of mind.