Wrapping
it up
I
managed to squeeze one last hike out of the season, through
the forest and along the western shore of Resurrection Bay.
It was a fine, brisk fall day, sunny but cool enough to hike
hard without breaking a sweat. Here are a few photos from
that hike:
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A
few days later I left Resurrection Bay in a light
drizzle, having spend more than a month living
there. The town of Seward bid me farewell with a
rainbow that appeared just as I pulled onto the
road to leave.
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 |
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On the drive to Anchorage, the Seward Highway
featured a wet landscape brightened by sudden
splashes of sunshine on snowcapped peaks, and
golden Aspens reminiscent of the Rocky Mountains.
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My
days in Anchorage were a blur of activity, running errands
and completing final preparations to store the RV for the
winter. It rained most of the time and even snowed a little,
making everything harder to accomplish. In the midst of
it all I sat for (and passed) a Coast Guard exam to add a
Sail Auxiliary addendum to my recently renewed captain's
license.
At
last the time came to leave my camper in its fenced storage
lot, surrounded by other vehicles similarly abandoned by
owners fleeing the onset of the Alaskan winter. I'd done
everything I could to ensure the RV's safe hibernation. With
a twinge of regret I locked the doors and hopped into a cab.
This summer's road adventure was over.
That
night I luxuriated in a motel room near the airport. A long,
hot bath, room service, the first presidential debate on
television. It felt decadent and good. In the morning I
boarded a flight to New York. After a few weeks visiting
there I'll be starting another adventure, flying to New
Zealand by way of Tahiti. I don't know if I'll be cataloging
that trip as I've done this past summer. Probably not.
I'll
close this travelogue with a paraphrased line someone sent
me. I don't know who wrote the original:
The
goal in life is not just to arrive
at the grave safely, in a pretty and well preserved body,
but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally
worn out, and proclaiming loudly, "Wow, what a
ride!"
RV
mileage upon storing for the winter: 65,250, about
13,400
miles since leaving Rhode Island 6 months ago.
Begin
Part 2 of this Travelogue
