Matt Reed

Thirty-five miles north of the Arctic Circle lies a little town called Bettles, Alaska. Population:10 (in a good year).

Welcome to Halibut Cove's Ridgewood Wilderness Lodge, where you'll find homecooked food (fresh oysters, anyone?), hospitality and rain-or-shine adventure with your hosts, the Sidelingers.

What if you could surf and paddle off a virtually untouched beach? In Alaska, that's still possible. One writer took a trip aboard the Milo, a commercial fishing boat turned seaworthy surfmobile, in April for a snowy/sunny warm-in-a-wetsuit adventure.