Prime Rib and the Moon

Written Jan 1st, 2009.

It’s 8:15pm on my last night on the ferry. I will miss the water. I won’t miss the recycled air. Or the food, even if they did serve prime rib for dinner in honor of it being New Year’s Day.

Tonight (or really I should say this afternoon, as it was 3:30pm) we had the most dramatic sunset. It was incredible. And the moon came out. I actually got pictures of the moon! I love my camera =)

I’m not sure how I feel about this being my last night. After this, I’ll be in the Lower 48. I won’t be in Alaska anymore. I will be excited to be home with my family, but right now all I feel is a sense of loss. I truly loved Alaska. I loved the winter, the slush (though the slush in Anchorage is not nearly as bad as the slush in Ketchikan; talk about gross), the clouds, the briefest glimpses of sunlight, the mountains.

Oh, my mountains. How I loved my mountains. I have more pictures of mountains than of people (really, people are secondary; mountains are tops) or of animals (mostly because the animals were hiding the entire time I was in Alaska; but whatever, I’m not bitter).

I will miss the people, too. Everyone was fabulous, which is really hard to attain.

In honor of this being my last night in Alaska (though, technically, I think we’re actually in Canadian waters by now, but the boat’s from Alaska, so it’s like a tiny moving Alaskan island, really) I’m going to make a list of my favorites from the past six months.

Restaurants
The Glacier Brewhouse
Gwennie’s
Leroy’s (top favorite dive)
Moose’s Tooth
Bear’s Tooth
Taco King (a genuine taqueria in Alaska, oh so important for a Texas native)

Places
Anchorage
Palmer
Whittier
BN (of course)

People (in no particular order)
The entire staff of BN 2784 (amazing people, one and all)
Koji
(a special shout out to my girl, Reggi, I will definitely miss those cashwrap convos between customers)

Memories
Powerline Pass at twilight
Snow-covered mountains at night (they glow)
Leroy’s at 2am after Brisingr party
Driving through falling snow at midnight
Breakfast at my kitchen table with a view of My Mountain
Journey to the Edge of the Universe
Black Books
Taking pictures while driving Seward Highway
Moose
Cache
Scrabble/Trivial Pursuit
Skypin with my Sistagirl
Any one of a hundred laughs at work
Alaska Zoo
Futon moving
The road to Flat Top
Anchorage at night
Snow

Oh, how I will miss the snow. Walking in it, driving in it, sliding on it, falling on it. I never got to build a snowman. Guess that means I’ll have to come back =)



Well, that’s all for now. This blog and all my pictures will be uploaded sometime in the coming week. Next time I get internet, whenever that might be. Probably Vegas. I’m staying in the Luxor Pyramid! Whoo hoo! I will definitely be posting pictures of that. Miss y’all. See some of y’all soon!