The Last Frontier

With the morning filled with last minute clean up and packing. Saying goodbye to family and friends.... most important Zeus (katie only cried a couple times), we made it to the airport with 2 bike boxes, 2 suitcases, and 4 "backpacks"!!!! It's starting to finally feel real, but adventures never feel real unless everything doesn't go perfect. After checking in and semi confusing the people at the ticket counter we walk to say bye to Katie's family and realize that Katie didn't get her passport back.... so she thought. I made the ticket counter look, the poor lady didn't even remember helping us, checking my bags just to hear a little voice in the background "nevermind Katie, i have it". Jimmy does not remember taking it from the desk or putting it into his pocket.... good start!!

Again saying goodbye is hard, we both have done it multiple times but now we are leaving 2 families with the end result after all of this moving to a completely new state for both of us!! But what better way to distract your mind then the friendly TSA workers at the Cleveland airport... and we are not being sarcastic they truly were very nice!! One of the ladies checked our food bag and were very impressed with our bear boxes and how much food we had in them! She wished us good luck and hoped the bear doesn't eat our food!

Successfully through security with no issues and plenty of time to drink coffee and relax. Katie's last coffee for awhile.... until tomorrow when we are walking around Fairbanks ;) as Tom (Katie's dad) says and now Jimmy has picked up on "I'm on a fixed income you know" and Jimmy adds "we are unemployed"... it's supposed to be a reminder to Katie that we can't waste money on coffee... Uncle Jim would disagree!

To make the travels start on a good note, the coffee shop was out of large cups so x-large it is!! And pumpkin bread for Jimmy!! :) big win for all.

A note from Katie:

I go to use the restroom at the airport, I'm the only person in the bathroom with 20 stalls.... of course i pick the stall with no toilet paper and i find out after it's too late. Good time to start practicing using resources around me i guess :)

Airplanes are a great way to learn all kinds of things about life! You learn how to be patient (this is where mediation comes into play), you learn how to hate screaming kids (and then never want them), you learn how to share personal space with your neighbor, and most of all you learn how to sleep in the most uncomfortable positions. A smooth and short flight to Chicago, very uneventful except Katie was sleeping when the treats came around. A 6 hour flight to Fairbanks with a screaming kid in the row in front of you, not so relaxing. It makes it a little better though when you see the kid and she is the cutest little girl..... until you find out halfway through the flight she puked on your backpack.

WE HAVE OFFICIALLY MADE IT TO ALASKA!!

We checked into Svens basecamp hostel just clean up and go to sleep. It still has not set in that we are in Alaska and the bike ride starts in 2 days!!