The End of the Road

The day is finally here! Today we board our ferry to Kodiak. We've been on the road for exactly 24 days and we honestly can't believe it's over. I'm currently writing from our campground in Homer as we await our boarding later tonight at 6:45pm Alaska Time. We have seen so much on this journey and it's been a truly amazing experience. It's felt hard to describe at times and we have a feeling it will take some time to sink in. We're so grateful to everyone who followed along with us. Come see it for yourself and visit us in Kodiak!

After our incredible time in Valdez we spent two days in Anchorage soaking in the last vestiges of capitalism. Our run to Costco was definitely an expensive one, but not nearly as bad as we anticipated. I also finally acquired a decent rain jacket and Brian is now the proud owner of a pair of waders. We enjoyed a few meals around town, including the rooftop bar at 49th State Brewing.

Views along our drive from Valdez to Anchorage. The bug graveyard on our truck, and enjoying a meal at 49th State Brewing.

Our time in Seward was also beautiful and the drive down included some gorgeous views along the water. We are so glad we decided to enjoy a few additional coastal towns on our way out to Homer. Our Seward campground was right on the water - check out that view from our front window! We spent time enjoying the Alaska Sealife Center where we got up close and personal with Puffins, King Eiders, and lots of other seabirds. We also saw sea lions, harbor seals, and the entire life cycle of a salmon - a great stop! Seward was such a fun little town and we also spent time in a few truly wild thrift stores. We even acquired a brand new vintage Helly Hansen rubber rain jacket for only $10 - add it to the pile of rain gear!

The Seward shorline and town, views from our "kitchen" window, and seabirds at the Alaska Sealife center.

Then it was on to our last leg of the journey, Seward to Homer. We thoroughly enjoyed the short three hour drive and the descent into Homer was incredible - mountains literally everywhere. Homer sits on a large peninsula with a small spit of road that goes out into the water. The Homer Spit is also the end of Alaska Highway 1, which we've been traveling since entering the state. A symbolic experience that our driving journey ends here! Check out those stats!

The road into Homer and our final stats! 5,018.8 miles and 107 hours and 52 minutes.

Our campground here in Homer is right on the water with easy beach access and we've enjoyed taking walks when the tide is out. I'm also very excited to see that the Alaska shoreline includes some very large very flat rocks... perhaps my rock painting career will continue!

Yesterday we took full advantage of the sunny weather out on the Spit and poked around a few shops and restaurants. The area is also in full bloom with lupine lining the entire road - I've never seen anything like it! I also took a short solo trip to another beach up the road to see some eagles and stumbled upon two juvenile feathers while on my walk. It's super illegal to keep eagle feathers so they were left behind, but an incredible find nonetheless.

Lupine along the Homer Spit, views from our campground, and the "Eagle Beach."

We've really enjoyed the last few days of relaxation and we're excited for the final leg aboard the "Trusty Tusty." Thank you again to everyone for following along with us, it's been such a joy to document our trip. See you again in three years?

Much love,

Sam & Brian