Homeward bound, very soon

On the road in southern Washington state

Right now, Scotty and I are holed up at an airport hotel in Seattle for the night. Outside, I can hear the faint whir of cars passing by on the highway outside our window and I have to keep reminding myself that we're not waiting on a flight, but instead driving a few hours north to Bellingham tomorrow to catch the Alaska Marine Highway ferry back up to Juneau.

You know what they say about time and having fun... still, it's hard to believe it's that time already. It seems like just yesterday we were leaving... And yet here we are, on the last full day of our trip before we get on the ferry to head back to Alaska.

As much as I'm looking forward to certain aspects of being home, I'd be lying if I didn't admit to being at least a little sad it's over (already!). I'm the kind of person who thrives on variety and if I could find a way to fund my life and keep on traveling I'd probably do so most of the time, albeit with a home base or two (or ten). I thrive on meeting new people and hearing their stories, seeing new places, learning about things that are different from what I'm used to. And in my opinion, there's no better way to get out of one's comfort zone and grow as a person than to travel. (Of course, there's are different types of travel that might be more or less conducive to this, but I digress...)

Four months have very much flown by and without our feet ever leaving the ground (in an airplane, that is) Scotty and I have managed to travel across a pretty sizable chunk of the country. Of course, not all of it has been pretty. Or easy. Or vacation-like.

Winter 2014 struck again a few weeks ago while we were in Oklahoma City

However, it's been a true adventure- a veritable series of them, in fact. There were major disappointments that threw some literal wrenches into our plans, while other surprises came our way that felt like blessings (and sometimes as a direct result of those disappointments).

But in fact, some of the best and most positive experiences we had the entire trip were the outcome of what were initially difficult and/or unpleasant events. I am so, so thankful for those hidden blessings.

Hanging out in Key Largo, Florida with new friends on Scotty's birthday

And where you don't succeed, try, try again, right??

Scotty putting the finishing touches on Wind-Lass' brand new rudder

One small regret is that I didn't write or blog as much as I wanted to. While I thought about writing quite a bit (while driving, for example), but there was quite a bit of non-stop action that I didn't want to miss and frequently simply couldn't. And sometimes I just didn't feel like being in front of a computer. Because being on vacation is about unplugging too, right? So I'm trying to give myself a break about that part. Still as we get back into the swing of things at home, I hope to fill in some of the blanks I missed and share more of our recent travels.

In summary, the last ten days since I last wrote have been a whirlwind trip across the other half of Oklahoma as we headed west from Oklahoma City and across New Mexico, northern Arizona, through California, and up the West Coast. There's plenty to share- including some gorgeous spring scenery (finally!) but right now I have a very tired fiancé/ road warrior and a still-in-theaters hotel movie waiting for me. Goodnight friends!

Before we headed west

After weeks of improvised plans and an extended road trip to Florida, at long last Wind-Lass has a new rudder!

Those who have been there know that installing a new rudder isn't exactly the easiest job. It isn't just as simple as putting on the rudder itself, since this carefully crafted piece of fiberglass and bronze must be lined up and installed perfectly to align with the internal steering system. Which is, incidentally, located under our bed in the aft cabin.



Scotty worked diligently to get the job done as soon as the weather allowed when we returned to the yard and only needed a few hours of muscle power from the boatyard staff to help do the heavy lifting and lend a blowtorch to loosen a stuck part.

I'm so proud of his skills and hard work to get our boat back in one piece. It looks just like it did before, yet a lot stronger, too.

Overall, the last few weeks have been a blur of activity. Between the rudder replacement and prepping the boat for another extended absence, there hasn't been much extra time at all left in each day.

Decommissioning a boat is a time consuming operation, even without throwing in a complete rudder replacement. It's a topic deserving of a post of its own.

After another intense packing session for our return from North Carolina to Alaska (which felt more like moving than packing for a trip), we said goodbye to Wind-Lass and finally pulled out of the boatyard on February 19th. Once again, the West was calling us...

Driving past New Bern, NC (just north of Beaufort)

But first, we stopped in Asheville, North Carolina for a few days to visit my mom.

On the highway near Asheville (February 19, 2014)

Mom picked a really nice place to live, surrounded by nature and the mountains. In her backyard, in the westernmost corner of North Carolina, we saw the earliest signs of Spring.



We're all still struggling with the loss of our dear Eric and dealing with it as best we can. It was really good to spend time together.

Mom and Tala

Next, we drove three hours south to northern Georgia to hang out with Scotty's folks for a few days.

More signs of spring in northern Georgia (February 21, 2014)

Scotty and his dad even managed to fit in a round of golf on a particularly nice day.

Scotty and his dad

If you're in the area and like to golf, this course is definitely worth visiting for the scenery alone. I don't golf (yet), but it's worth noting the course seemed enjoyable too. ;)

The setting sun meant a pretty cold end to the round, but the purple red glow on the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains made for a gorgeous distraction.



You couldn't even tell that just a week earlier it had looked like this in their area:

North Georgia (February 13, 2014- Photo by Scotty's dad)

I'm starting to think that the word "bipolar" is a pretty accurate descriptor of this winter's weather...

On Sunday, February 23rd, we began making our way west again. That evening a single unexpected event changed everything. It's the reason we've dropped off the map, the reason we're still in Oklahoma, and the reason I haven't been on the blog or Facebook. But we're doing okay and I'll be back soon to share more about recent events and our plans for the journey ahead.