Starting this trip again, and leaving home behind is how it feels right now. Thinking of leaving Alaska behind, just makes me a little emotional at the moment. Besides the country, its the people who made me fall in love with Alaska. They opened not only their houses to me, but also their hearts.
L gave me a place to stay in Juneau and A did the same in McCarthy.
T rescued me from the clouds of mosquitos at my camping spot in Talkeetna and treated me like a princess the 2 days I stayed at his house. If you ever find yourself in Talkeetna, get a pizza at his restaurant: Mountain High Pizza Pie.
K and G let me stay in their self build cabin in Fairbanks, while they were out of town. Besides their cabin in the middle of the woods, the books about glaciers and permafrost made my stay totally enjoyable. The practicing session at their friends house gave me a good warm up for their performance with their band Slim pickin' at the Granit Creek Bluegrass festival.
But most of all my stay with my friends in Petersburg, who introduced me to a lifestyle that threw me of my feet and gave me a real sense of the Alaskan spirit. Miss you guys.
And of course V and A here in Anchorage. Besides giving me a room, and a look into their lives, they gave me a home. Love you guys.
Why am I leaving?
Because I did it all. I climbed, kayaked, hiked, biked, danced, road a river boat, drove an ATV, shot a gun, ate fresh salmon, halibut, shrimps, mussels and clamps. I saw a bear, sea otters, wales, beavers, mooses, goats, sheeps, marmots, caribous and musk-oxen. I saw mountains, permafrost, glaciers and Denali. I made new friends.
So really, why am I leaving?
Its evidently my curiosity that puts me back on the road. I want to see the National Parks Banff, Jasper and Yellowstone with my own eyes. I want to see the great lakes. I want to stroll around Boston. I want to see alligators in the Everglades. I want to experience religion in Texas. I want to see what other life styles there are. I want to see the rest of the USA. I am curious.
Dag,
Iris (Anchorage, 9449 miles)
