Beginning of the Long Goodbye...

With the house under contract and waiting to close we find ourselves finding less and less to do before we start our adventure.  The toys have all been sold, the furniture gone, and the house packed up.  It's time to start saying goodbye to Alaska.  Last week we rode our motorcycles to Seward for one last long weekend.  It was great to finally stay at the historic Van Gilder Hotel.  As a travel agency we booked clients there many times but this was our first stay.  We did a little hiking, and visited some of our favorite haunts.  On the way back we stopped off at Portage Glacier to say goodbye to our friends Marilyn and Gerry Williams, owners of the Portage Glacier Day Lodge.  During our years in the tourism industry we took guests to their lodge several times a week.  They quickly became friends over those 10 years and we will miss their beautiful faces and warm hearts.  We hope Marilyn will join us somewhere along the way as we travel the world.

As of today it looks like we've probably got another two months or longer in Anchorage.  While we are anxious to get going we know that a little patience in waiting for our real estate deal to close will deliver huge benefit in the long run.

Yesterday I took to lunch two special ladies with whom I worked and share a passion for education.  It was a special time and we reminisced over a great meal for a couple of hours.  I'm sure I'll stop by the college where I taught at least once more before heading out.

Coming up we hope to spend a few days in Homer, our most favorite place in all of Alaska.  Then there's a trip to our friends farm in Sutton, a visit to Talkeetna and one more look at Mt. Denali, and the list goes on.

We are also already planning our going away party.  We will be renting the Anchorage Community Theater for an evening, a place I have spent a lot of time at over the last few years, both on stage and behind the scenes.  There we will have our final goodbye with well over a hundred or so invited guests.

So there's the plan...and for those that know us...it will be so!

Waiting...

House under contract...check.
Estate sale completed...check.
Boat sold...check.
Truck and camper sold...check.
Trailer sold...check.
Packed and ready to go...check.
Address change initiated...check.
Online accounts updated with new contact data...check.
Starting to say goodbyes to Alaska friends...check.
Vehicle insurance canceled...check.
Health insurance updated...check.
Cellular service updated...check.
Going away party planned and scheduled...check.
Moving truck, ocean barge, and storage facility scheduled...check.
Motorcycles tuned and prepped...check.
Final checklist ready...check,

What's left...

1.  House closing.
2.  Ship "stuff" to long term storage in Seattle.
3.  Sell car.
4.  Purchase airline tickets to Seattle....and beyond!

For now we are watching a lot of TV, taking a few motorcycle treks to our favorite places, and cutting the grass until we close.

Ahhhhhhhhhh!