A blur to Tucson, by laura

On a Ben & Jerry's quest to the grocery store tonight, as the sun was past setting at 7:45pm, I was realizing how far we have come in the past three weeks. From the Nome, Alaska summer sun, through Anchorage clam digging in the rain, bundled in goretex, trains, ferries, buses, biking and sunburning in Portland, we've finally made it to our temporary destination. And the biggest question we've been answering, is, "What's your plan?" Saying we don't have one feels equally freeing and irresponsible. But we're trying to keep our heads on our shoulders and enjoy it at the same time. Tucson has been an interesting comfort to me. The wide open sky feels reminiscent of Nome, just...hotter. But the time meeting Jeff's family has been nice, and we're planning trips as I type. First, this week, we'll be exploring the southwest, and heading to Sedona and the Grand Canyon! I'm really excited.
Our trip south was wonderful. We went clam-digging in Anchorage, kayaking in Whittier, and glacier-viewing in Juneau, all because of Nome friends for whom I'm very thankful. We met some new friends along the way too! John and Bob, a couple middle-aged English blokes joined us at our set of seats on the train ride from Anchorage to Whittier. We learned they are venturing from the Arctic Circle to Antarctica before Christmas, hopefully, assuming all goes to plan. They shared an adventurous spirit and told us of days sailing around islands in Indonesia and across the Atlantic. They turned up on our ferry from Whittier to Juneau, and invited us to stay in their cabin, as they had extra beds, to keep us from sleeping on the boat deck, as we planned. After a short deliberation, Jeff and I decided it could only make for a more interesting trip, and we took them up on it! We were sad to part with them in Juneau. Luckily we were able to hold onto a few more friends to spend some time with. The second leg of the ferry trip from Juneau to Bellingham was long, but exciting. We saw some great places in Southeast Alaska, and enjoyed the forced relaxation that ferry-riding requires. And what a luxurious place! I was impressed. We popped our tent up right out on the deck, enjoyed places to sit and enjoy some quiet, watched movies, had a drink (or two) in the bar, and even played music in there at the bartender, Tony's, request. It was a fun time for sure! The tent community was great. We met a great couple from Seattle, who spent an entire sunny afternoon out on the ferry deck, talking about great places we should move.

In Bellingham we spent the morning relaxing with some good food, enjoying a good bookstore, and taking advantage of the cupcake store! for a birthday treat. It was a glorious day. Jeff sang (quietly) to me on the bus on our way to Seattle as I sat with my cupcake in my lap, waiting to take a bite. Then we hopped on the train to Portland, and made it just in time, thanks to a really nice busdriver, to hear my friends Colin and Brian play a set downtown. She even invited me up for a song!
Portland was day after day of sunshine, biking, and amazing food. Jeff and I loved the city, and loved how accessible it is on bike. We explored downtown, went to a giant street fair, ate, and ate, and ate. Colin and Brian were the nicest of hosts, and even took us out to the Gorge on our last day. We did some hiking, and saw some amazing waterfalls, dipped our toes in some not freezing water (Jeff got all the way in!) and we ended up on a grassy bank overlooking the river, basking in the sun, watching colorful kiteboarders soar through the air.
Ever since arriving in Tucson, I've been amazed at how VAST this city is. It's not for me, but we're enjoying being here. Meeting Jeff's family has definitely been a good thing, and it's fun to see him reunited with his precious Karly dog. After realizing who he was, when we first got here, she plopped her massive Newfie body at his feet, whining and crying away, as he rubbed her down. I think she missed him.
I miss Nome a lot. We've been able to speak to a few, and have been keeping in touch through Facebook stalking. Hopefully this will help too. I sometimes can't believe we just aren't on a big vacation with intentions to return...but I guess you never know! For now, we're exploring possibilties in this lower 48 country.