Goodbye, Alaska

Tags

AISES, Alaska, alone, Anchorage, Case Western, Cleveland, Denver, flight, goodbye, Native American, return home, solo travel, Voting Day

I woke up to a sunrise over a different set of mountains.  I was in Denver.  Our plane was beginning its descent.  It’s also Voting Day.  Fortunately, I had sent in my ballot in advance.

I decided to have breakfast while I waited for my next flight.  It was too early for my Ranger IPA, so I wandered through Concourse B until I found Pour La France, a French-style restaurant.  I settled on eggs Benedict without the meat.  The waitress was really nice and brought me fruit to make up the difference.  I welcomed a warm cup of coffee and slowly ate my enormous meal.

In no time, I was on my plane and saying goodbye to Denver.

In a matter of hours, I was approaching Cleveland.

About 1,199 miles later, compared to the 2,402 miles overnight, I was landing back in Ohio.  My brother met me outside and drove me back to the apartment.  I gathered my things and, before long, headed back out to attend my evening class.  My friends greeted me and asked how my trip was.  The first thing I said was, “Wow, is Cleveland hot!” and they laughed because it was maybe 50F.  But as for the trip itself, I found it hard to retell.  There were just too many details, too many pictures, things that would take so long to explain.  Besides, certain things mean something altogether different to different people.  I decided to be curt in my answers.  Any more explanation than that and I know I’d be launching into a long, drawn-out speech about traveling alone, finding your culture, or how sustainability is the vital core to native existence.

“So did you have fun?” Michael and the others asked.
“Yeah… yeah, I did.  You could say that,” I answered.  I couldn’t find the words, so I left it at that.  Hopefully these entries will fill those voids.As for Alaska, what a whirlwind of a week.  I can’t wait to be back, to take someone new.  I can’t wait to see my friends again.  And I can’t wait to go to the AISES National Conference in Denver next year.