Kodiak Island might not fit your typical image of Alaska; it's more like Montana at the beach

KODIAK, Alaska — As I made my way to Kodiak Island’s Fossil Beach to watch surfers ride the waves, fall was in full force.

The air was crisp. Trees were painted in brilliant hues of red and yellow by a slanting sun. I reached the grassy edge of a cliff where the road stopped and footpaths plunged...