The More I Seek, the More I am Sought

Has it really only been three days since my last entry? So much has happened that it feels like it’s been much longer. I guess I will start right where I left off, back in Anchorage – so bear with me. I succeeded in making an awesome meal for my host; for the appetizer I made bread stuffed with spinach, artichoke, and parmesan dip (and when I say ‘made’ I do mean I bought a loaf of bread and stuffed it with store-bought dip J) and for the main course, mozzarella and basil stuffed chicken with a candied caprese salad. YUM! 

 

On Friday night I went for a hike with my hosts’ roommate at 10pm. It was amazing! The sun was just setting and it was still like until we finished around 11. There was a ton of snow, so going up was fine but coming down was the hard part! We ended up crab walking down most of it, and finally decided to let go and slide down. That led to much laughter and two frozen butts! Then Saturday we went to a motorcycle blessing event, which was pretty legit actually. Then we went for a freezing cold motorcycle ride to the Frisbee golf park…in a forest. Now let me just say I am pretty pathetic at Frisbee golf, so when those pro “frolfers” came out to play, I felt absolutely absurd; so that was both fun and embarrassing. I then ate ice cream for dinner and watched a depressing romantic comedy. I was feeling pretty lame and super restless after that, so I decided to leave the next morning. Since I didn’t really feel like taking the bus, I opted for a more conventional route—hitchhiking!

I hadn’t really considered hitchhiking before my host suggested it, and I guess I just figured why not. So I bought a can of pepper spray, packed up my backpack, and went to bed. I woke up at 5am on Sunday and all I could think about was hitchhiking and getting murdered…brutally. So I googled “tips for hitchhiking” and found lots of information that made me feel more confident and more nervous! But as I said before, I just have to keep telling myself not to be afraid, that I am safe, strong, and brave. I even practiced a made up story that I had a boyfriend in Seward who was expecting me (a story I never even told because I am a terrible liar!) So a few hours later Kelvin dropped me off on the side of the highway to Seward…115 miles to go. It wasn’t even five minutes before someone stopped.

Ride number one: a vulgar, hippie, grandma! She was great. She talked and cursed nonstop, and by the end of the 30 minute ride with her I knew her whole life story, her first and second husbands’ names, her kids’ names, and her grandkids’ names. I knew horror stories of all sorts that happened in the area.

Ride number two: I got picked up again within a few minutes by a 60ish attorney and his beautiful dog, Belle. He was on his way to kayak a river with some friends, and said he could take me about another 30 miles. We talked about practical affairs, my life and his, and all about Cody (he is actually considering moving there). I could tell he was concerned for my safety, very fatherly. As we drove, the weather gradually got worse and it was soon pouring rain. He dropped me off at a rest stop and wished me luck.

Nearly ride number three: I turned this guy down. There was just something about him that I instantly didn’t like. One of the tips I read was to trust your instinct and never be afraid to turn a ride down. So I ultimately turned him down despite hurting his feelings. “Do you want a ride, or what?” was his response to my hesitation. Talk about uncomfortable!

Ride number three: I actually had to wait a while for this one; I guess people weren’t feeling that sympathetic of a lone girl standing in the rain. A 30-something year old guy finally stopped. He was on his way to visit his parents. He is an engineer, practicing sustainability, and building a huge greenhouse. He has a rare breed of raspberry, a wife and baby he adores, and a good taste in music. He felt bad for dropping me off, still in the rain, but made sure I knew he admired my courage (or stupidity, same thing).

Ride number four: This ride again took another ten or fifteen minutes to catch, I guess I looked a little creepier with my hood on. A white minivan passed me by, and about two minutes later was coming the other direction, honking at me. Inside, a lovely family-- father, two sons, and a daughter. They were on their way home from church and never pick up hitchhikers, but the daughter (about 7 years old) insisted because she was worried that I may get sick from being in the cold. I have never met people more proud and more excited to be showing someone their home for the first time. We talked the whole ride about my travels, my job, the area, hikes I shouldn’t miss, and all about them. Before we reached Seward, the dad insisted on giving me a tour through town, even though it was totally out of their way. So they showed me the basics – the post office, hospital, and grocery store. And they pointed out the important things – where to get the best gelato, the best coffee, and the best cookies! Then they took me back out of town to the lodge, and waited until I made it inside.

I know hitchhiking is a dangerous and fading form of transportation, but I am so glad I got to experience it. Everyone I told has called me crazy, but without that I would not have this story I will always remember, and I would have never crossed paths with those seven people and that dog. A serendipitous opportunity at its best!

Last night I met a few of the employees who are here already, most of them from Bulgaria. We had a really fun time, even though we could barely understand each other! And today I walked into town and roamed around. Seward is SOOOOO beautiful! Honestly pictures will never do it justice, so it makes me a little discouraged. It’s like being completely surrounded by the Sierras and the Tetons, and in a cute harbor town. So I walked up and down the streets, found a great coffee place, ate an awesome spicy pulled pork sandwich, and took 300 pictures. I love this place. I love that their dumpsters are painted with inspirational quotes. I love that everyone says hi or smiles when they walk past. I love the mountains. But to all good things, there are bad things; I HATE LITTER. Why why why do people feel the need to trash such beautiful places? It makes me want to throw up when I see ducks swimming in little water holes that have soda bottles floating in them. Seward is much cleaner than Anchorage, but it’s still too much to see any. I apologize for totally going on a rant there, it's just one of those things that drives me crazy. So I think with all this free time I have, I should do a little community service and fill a couple garbage bags with litter. One small step…

But I really want to end this on a more positive note. As we all know, life is a precious, fleeting, beautiful gift. So tomorrow I am going to wake up with a smile on my face, breathe in fresh air, and be absolutely grateful for everything I have…and I want you to do the same thing. That’s how we should live our lives every day—thankfully, joyfully, and lovingly.