My Last Days in Alaska and Coming Home

I guess the theme of this blog update about the last days of my trip in Alaska will be 'last'. Last hike, last pancake breakfast, last shopping; at REI (Recreational Equipment Inc.) - my favorite store! - and at Octopus Ink, a small designer store and a new discovery for me (http://octopusinkclothing.bigcartel.com/). I wanted to spend the last few days of my two-month Alaska adventure in Anchorage, so I drove there from Homer on Friday. My friend Sage and I had planned to go on an afternoon hike, but because of the rainy weather we canceled it. I still went to say hi to Sage. Her mother invited me to stay for dinner, and I ended up spending my last nights in their unofficial guest room in the basement. The couch was so soft and comfortable that it was hard to get up Saturday morning... But I had to, as Sage and I had agreed to have brunch at Sack's Café (http://www.sackscafe.com/sacks/), one of the best restaurants in town, and also Sage's work place for the moment. Saturday evening, I did my last hike on the mountains surrounding Anchorage.

A view of Anchorage from the top of Rendezvous Peak:

On Sunday, I had a cultural day: I visited Anchorage Museum and went to a house concert. The museum visit improved my knowledge about Alaskan history and Native Peoples, and I also enjoyed seeing a photo exhibition called Portrait Alaska by Clark James Mishler. The house concert took place at a house where I had been couchsurfing before going to Homer. There was some delicious food, familiar faces, and good music played by Curtis Irie and Sam Densmore.

Sunday night, the circle was complete. When I first arrived in Alaska two months ago, on a Sunday night, Sage took me to Spenard Roadhouse (http://www.spenardroadhouse.com/) to eat. Now we went there again, on my last night, this time with her parents.

My hiking boots started falling apart some weeks ago. With shoe glue and duct tape, I managed to make them last till the end of my trip. But I left them in Alaska, it was time to get rid of them.

My car, the little Toyota Corolla, was a bit scary at the beginning of my trip: the steering wheel was rattling and the 'check engine' light was on. But the car lasted till the end of my trip! Asser and I had the tires balanced, which helped with the rattling, and we kept adding oil every time we filled up the car. Anyhow, I left the car in Alaska, because it actually belongs to my amazing friend Sage! I am so grateful to her; having a car made traveling around the state so much easier!

Now I am back in my home country, Finland, with all the good memories from Alaska. In two months, I saw and experienced a lot! But when I look at the map, I realize that I hardly saw a tenth of Alaska - so huge is the state, with vast areas inaccessible by car. Coming home felt good, especially because my boyfriend surprised me by coming to the airport with a bouquet of flowers, and my family was so happy to see me. My 2-year-old niece cried out with a clear child's voice, with a happy smile on her face, "Tuula!" and jumped to hug me.