Home.

It's been a nice few days in Maple Valley, but I've found myself bored. I noted to a friend last night how lonely it is to be in the quiet now, after being surrounded by noise and community for the last 2.5 months. I deeply miss all the other drivers.

What isn't helping all this is that I missed the chance to say goodbye to many of them. With everyone's crazy schedules, I didn't even realize that I wouldn't see everyone within the last few days. On top of that, my flight left 5 hours before the end of season company party. That would have been a great chance to say goodbye. Crap. At the end of a great Alaskan adventure with tons of stories, great memories, and hopefully lasting friendships, I find myself asking the inverse of the same question I asked myself going into the job. For my first few days, all I could wonder was, "What have I gotten myself into?", in almost a funny way. Now I've started to wonder what I've left behind.

On a more comical note, what I've left behind is something I've been pondering on a more physical level too. I came in with 96 pounds of checked and carry on's, and with at least 100lbs on the barge. I left with 75 checked and carry on items, and maybe 50 pounds at most for the barge. Where did all that stuff go? Some of the barge stuff was food... but still. I even brought back some gifts for my family!

There are some items that I'm well aware of now that I've left behind. My tent is in the closet, alongside my wet towel. I would imagine some tips are still inbetween the matresses. To even get cheesy, a little bit of my heart is in Skagway(and liarsville). I long to drive a 1983 MCI motor coach.

This transition time between two great adventures is tough. Tomorrow I embark to Bellingham, to move in with my host family, see friends, and get set up again. On Wednesday, the larger, and I dare to say, greater, adventure begins. Here I go!