My last day in Alaska was bitter sweet and you will shortly find out why. I spent the entire morning wandering around Anchorage and at about noon I got a text from Adrienne asking for my flight information. When I finally stopped and took a close look at the information I realized that my flight had already taken off at 12:05 am the previous morning. Well DANG, I really dropped the ball on that one. I spent the next 2 hours on the phone bouncing between Orbitz agents, American Airlines agents, and Alaska Air agents who finally adjusted my ticket and got me a new flight for the next day. In the end I spent an additional $250 + the initial $114 to change this flight + the $190 to change the flight from King Salmon. What a nightmare.

After all that was over with I decided to get over being depressed about missing my flight and thinking about the fact that I should have been home already by going out for a long bike ride trying to find Earthquake Park. As it turns out I rode clear past the park and got caught up talking to a homeless guy riding a bike who talked to me nonstop for the next 4 miles and maybe 30 min straight about the 30 years of life experiences in quirky Alaska.

In the end I turned around and rode back down the 10 miles I had ridden along the coastal trail and back into down town Anchorage. On my way I came across a moose just hanging out having a snack on the side of the coastal trail. Wow, even after 4 years in Maine and all the road trips I’ve taken, this was my first live moose.

When I got back to Anchorage I met up with Jason’s friend Sioned who was free for the evening. Earlier that afternoon Adrienne had set me up with the option to meet up with a friend of hers she met from working with Habitat for Humanity. Sioned and I went to get some of the best sushi I’ve ever had before heading to Girdwood to meet Adrienne’s friend Allison for some live music. We took our time on the drive because it was so darn beautiful we had to take some pictures and we got to the bar after the band was done for the night and just in time for last call. We got one beer and headed with Allison to another nearby bar for a few more drinks. Allison was super nice and a wonderful person to meet so far from home. We finally parted ways and headed back to Anchorage for a short 30 min rest at Sioned’s before she dropped me off at the airport at 3:30 am for my 5:00 flight. What a way to bring an end to this seemingly endless adventure.

A view of Mount Rainier from just outside Seattle’s Sea Tac airport.