It was made even more fun because I got to hook up with Kiki, a former colleague of mine I haven't seen for a while. She had come to Alaska to meet up with her parents for a quick vacay. Lovely to see you, Kiki!!
It's our last day in the interior. Tomorrow we take the train to Anchorage for one final day of debauchery before heading home. Wow...what a trip!
I've been thinking about Alaska and how wild it is. Wild in its nature and life. Wild in its attitude and humor. Wild in its opportunity and adventurous spirit. The jaw-dropping beauty of the natural landscape found amongst the trees, on the riverbanks, in the mossy meadows, marshy ponds, and icy bays surpasses any I've seen in my travels. The crazy part about that is that my actual travels pale in the light of my possible travels. Is there more majesty? Can there possibly be more incredible scenery? More inspirational panoramas? I can hardly stand it. The Alaska I've met reaches out to you joyously in its friendly people. It surrounds you cozily in its warm hearths and hearts. It steals along the highway or train track or river then leaps up to surprise you with a glimpse of wildlife or an unfolding Kodak moment. It tempts you with delicious menus, crafted to precisely take advantage of the abundant fresh food choices. It amazes you with its native artisans and local artistry. It begs you to come outside and play, and then keeps you there with the rustle of a cool breeze through the spruce and the promise of something new around every ridge. It stuns you into silence with its enormity, its grandeur, its mere presence. Thank you, Alaska; I've met my moosey self.
See. I told you. About the writing, I mean
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