The most remote place I’ve been is a forest the size of Maryland with only four miles of road. It circles Aniak, Alaska. Fewer than six hundred people live there, but the youngest among them have set a standard for community service unmatched anywhere in America, so I wedged myself into a narrow-bodied plane the locals called “the flying culvert” and endured three hours bent like a pretzel. We soared from Anchorage to the far side of the Russian Mountains, seeking that little town in ten thousand miles of wilderness. My companions were mostly moose hunters. The pilot told us we were free to move about the cabin, if we could crawl over the rifles that lined the aisle. We were a light-hearted group, perhaps because this was the first flight in forever without a security checkpoint before we boarded. I guess the authorities figured we carried enough weapons to protect us. My knees were turning numb when the plane made a tight circle beneath the towering mountains and we skimmed over the treetops looking for a landing strip. The forest paused at a mighty river that thundered past the six hundred souls who chose to live out here. We touched down on the banks of that wet highway. Aniak shimmered in the afternoon sun. Our group didn’t take long to freshen up. We tottered over to the Diamond Willow café for a welcoming meal -- salmon and moose jerky, moose curry and rice, pickled salmon and Eskimo ice cream, blackberries and lard mixed with flaked white fish and sugar. Mel, the owner, told me that in winter people drive up from Bethel on the frozen Kuskokwim River for a taste of his fabulous food. “It’s just one hundred and thirty miles,” he looked wistfully out the window. “In spring when the ice begins to break up, I stick a sign on the shore that says "Road Under Construction.”#travel#instatravel#traveling#travelgram#travelling#mytravelgram#igtravel#traveler#travelphotography#americanstory#vacation#sunset#wanderlust#gypsylovinlight#vibetraveldaily#adventure#view#roadtrip https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs_v2l-AbM1/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1vixgv829nvkn